Rusty Saber: Buy that column a beer! Rusty Saber turns 21

Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University.

If a newspaper column had a birthday cake, the cake for Rusty Saber would have 21 candles. That's right. Rusty Saber, my persona, was born in January 1983. He is an adult with all the rights and privileges accompanying adulthood. In honor of his birthday, my new license plate is RUS-SAB.

Counting this column, the Rusty Saber has appeared in the Springfield Business Journal 1,038 times. I'm amazed at the sheer number of columns, not to mention deadlines, but I'm even more amazed that the column has lasted 21 years.

I thought Rusty and I would have been sent packing long ago.

That first column 21 years ago explained that my saber was rusty, therefore it would only poke, never cut. The second column was a tongue-in-cheek salute to the peculiar habits of Springfield drivers. Still today, readers tell me it is their most popular topic.

In 1983, Ronald Reagan and George Bush, the elder, were in the middle of their first term as president and vice president, respectively.

It would be a while before the implosion of the Soviet Union, therefore the Cold War dominated the news.

It was 1983 when President Reagan, never one to mince words, referred to Soviet Communism as "the focus of evil in the modern world." He followed with the call for the creation of what became known as the Star Wars missile defense system, which is still in the works 21 years later. In a 1983 move in the ongoing chess game with the U.S.S.R., the United States invaded Grenada.

While this column was in its infancy, George Wallace was sworn in for his fourth term as Governor of Alabama. If you aren't familiar with the name George Wallace, you must be even younger than Rusty.

Proving that some things never change, a pro-Iranian group and three Moslem groups claimed credit for the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. Tragically, sneaking bombs into areas where unsuspecting victims are gathered is still a favorite terrorist technique. In 1983, Iran invaded Iraq.

It was mighty hard to decide which country to root for in this war. Rusty Saber said in a column about the Iran-Iraq war that taking sides would be as difficult as picking a winner in a war between cockroaches and rats.

If you were writing a book of fiction about a female astronaut named "Sally Ride," the editor would tell you to pick a more realistic name. With what must be the most fascinating name in aviation history, Sally Ride was the first female astronaut to take a ride in space aboard Challenger.

Also in 1983, Reagan signed legislation declaring the birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. a national holiday.

On the 1983 sports scene, the Washington Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins to win the Super Bowl. North Carolina State beat Houston University with a last-second basket to win the NCAA basketball championship.

The Baltimore Orioles won the baseball World Series, beating the Philadelphia Phillies. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA championship.

In 1983, tennis veteran Jimmy Connors won his fifth U.S. Open.

A newcomer to women's tennis, Martina Navratilova, won her first U.S. Open title. Miss America of 1983 was Vanessa Williams, the first black woman to win the title. She is a movie and TV star today. Movie news included the eight Oscars won by "Gandhi." "The Return of the Jedi" sat a then-record opening day box office income of $6,219,629. Two important films of 1983 were "Tender Mercies" and "Terms of Endearment."

Among hit music recordings of 1983 were "Flashdance" by Irene Cara, "Every Breath You Take" by Police, and a fellow named Michael Jackson had "Beat It." That's the way it was during the first of Rusty's 21 years.

My wife and I are off on our annual excursion to Maui. Happy Brithday Rusty!