We were reminded of a few names from the past in a couple of emails that came our way this week.

Jonni Lynn (Hale) Oakes reminded us about growing up in Atmore and about sister Martha Sue (Hale) Sanford. Jonni, now living in the Pine Prichard Community, north of Monroeville, relates that Martha Sue now lives in Birmingham and wanted folks to remember she had a popular radio show on WATM in 1955-57. I remember this quite well and her co-hosts Gordon Bryars and Jimmy Hall. Aired in the afternoon after school, the show was called “Platter Chatter.” The show was very popular with teens in this area.

Another email came from Doris Smith who said she lived here for only one summer. She wrote one of her closest friends was Margaret Conn who also had a radio show on WATM. She generated a vast listening audience and not long after introducing her show, she was joined with co-host Dan Locke, better known as “Bruce The Roost.” The two later hosted their own shows, but they both spun records of the same genres.

Bruce furthered his show by marketing records and staging weekend concerts by popular artists and groups of the day. Margaret passed away a few years ago, but we were not able to obtain any news on Bruce.

Another person quite popular during her high school days was Francis (Earle) Dunn. Of course she is seen each day in the popular jewelry store operated by her and her husband, Wayne. But in 1966, she won a scholarship to Huntingdon College for her musical feats. A very talented and gifted piano player she was often called on to play in church and in concerts. I went to a funeral a few years ago held in the local Methodist Church, and she offered some of the most beautiful piano music I have ever heard.

Paul Crawford, whom I have written about several times, was another musician who went on to gain success in his chosen field. He became a well-known jazz trombonist and music historian in New Orleans in the early fifties.

Looking back at my column last week, I wrote about Republicans and the upcoming election this fall.

I feel I must add a few comments about the Democrats now. The race between Bernie Sanders, the Independent, and Hillary Clinton, the Democrat, has grown into a wide spread brawl. At the outset the Republican race was predicted to be a knock down, drag out affair but the Democrat race has captured that image now.

It seems that Sanders’ more dynamic style is stifling Clinton’s ability to pull away from him. In fact, a recent poll reflects the possibility that Sanders can defeat her if he can somehow get into the heart of the convention. That seems doubtful, however, because she has the advantage in the delegate count.

It appears supporters on each side are becoming more riled up at public gatherings. They even tossed chairs, reportedly, at one gathering a few weeks ago.

Overall, Clinton just cannot shake off Sanders, which makes for an unpleasant situation at the Democratic Convention. Sanders says he will not back off when Clinton garners the votes needed to cap her pre-convention victory. Sanders and quite a few others believe Democratic head Debbie Wasserman Shultz has affiliated herself with Clinton and is favoring all her efforts. He says if elected, he will have her removed from her post. Leading Democrats see this riff adding more favorable situations for Trump.

Fox News has created an uncomfortable situation for Clinton. The two candidates have been invited for a debate on this network and Sanders has accepted. However, Clinton has remained mum and it is not known if she wants to appear on stage with Fox’s conservative panelists. If you remember her husband, Bill Clinton, stayed clear of this network when he ran for president.

Hang on and sit tight to see how all this unfolds.

Each time I drive through Uriah, I am reminded of the TV show “Murder She Wrote.” While it does not have the water inlets and bays, it does have that hamlet-like appearance. Schools, churches, stores and homes seem to adapt to that terrain curvature as depicted in the TV show. Some of my friends from that charming town were Jettti Everett, Gene Caldwell, Bill and Frank Coley, Frank Hadley and his mother who wrote our Uriah Community News column, the Mims family, Gene Garrett, Johnnie Woods, Roy and James Burkett and the Mixons.

Ben Rhodes, son of the local high school principal there, attended college at UAB where he and my son Steve played baseball together under the guidance of famous major league player and manager Harry “The Hat” Walker.

Atmore had two lucky winners in local and area contests back in the 1960s. Mrs. Tom Turk won $500 in the Piggly Wiggly Match and Cash game, and her brother in law, Marshall, won a brand new automobile in a Pensacola car dealership contest. He took the sample key sent him down to see if it fit into the car’s ignition, and it did fit. Actually, the car cranked up and Marshall drove away with it to his amazement.

We will have more news from days gone by next week.