Originally published in the January/February 1995 issue of “DC Road Runners Review & Schedule,” Washington DC

The invitation in the mail was for a 14-mile moonlight trail run. I had joined the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club because I wanted ultrarunning contacts in my new home, but so far I had not met any of the members. This would be a chance to do so.

Fourteen miles, no problem. I ran that distance almost every Sunday morning when I lived in Jacksonville, Florida. What really convinced me to spend my Friday evening on the trail was the thought of running in the light of a full February moon.

I missed the word “foolhardy” in the letter.

(more…)

Originally published in the Clear Lake Courier — September 13, 1995

Korean War veterans finally had their day in the sun. Four days actually, and the sun definitely did shine. The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington DC on July 27, the 42^nd anniversary of the end of the Korean War. The four-day celebration closed with a military parade down Constitution Avenue near the White House.

The temperature reached 93 degrees during the dedication ceremony Thursday afternoon. Five hundred people were treated for heat exhaustion. 600,000 bottles of water were distributed. Mercifully, the ceremony started early and lasted less than half an hour. President Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young Sam spoke. President Kim’s remarks were given in English after he finished.

The $18 million Korean War Veterans Memorial occupies 2.2 acres of the Washington Mall. It sits directly southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and across the Reflecting Pool from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. (more…)

[Written to tell children about the POW/MIA issue]

Imagine being a pilot shot down behind enemy lines during a war. You would be missing in action (MIA) if our government did not know where you were. If you were a soldier captured by the enemy, you would be a prisoner of war (POW).

In either case, you would want to know the United States was trying to get you home. When a war ends, the two sides usually exchange their POWs. It has always been impossible to account for all missing service members or find the bodies of everyone killed in a war. (more…)

[Published in the Clear Lake Courier (South Dakota) on December 12, 2007]

Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story, Diane Diekman’s biography of country music legend Faron Young, has been officially released in Nashville, Tennessee.

Diekman, a 1968 graduate of Clear Lake High School, spent seven years researching Young’s life and writing his biography. The book combines an account of his public career with a revealing, intimate portrait of his personal life. Young, famous for such hits as “Hello Walls” and “It’s Four In the Morning,” founded Music City News magazine during his tenure as Nashville businessman and country music entertainer. He was elected posthumously to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000, four years after his suicide. (more…)

BOOK SIGNING IN SHREVEPORT
This Sunday afternoon, February 24, I’ll be selling and signing “Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story” at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Thanks to Robert Gentry for setting up the event. It’s so exciting to be able to commemorate Faron’s birthday at the home of the Louisiana Hayride. Claude King is presenting a concert for his own 85th birthday from 2:00-4:00. I’d love to meet as many of you as can join us.

NEW WEB SITE

I’m pleased to announce my new Web site at https://dianediekman.com. I’m in the process of transferring the content from my old site, and there are still a few errors that need to be corrected. I’ll also be adding a section on Marty Robbins. Thanks to Jeniffer Thompson of Monkey C Media in San Diego for building the site for me. Suggestions from readers are welcome. (more…)

BOOK SIGNING IN SHREVEPORT
I’ll be selling and signing “Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story” at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday afternoon, February 24. It’s so exciting to be able to commemorate Faron’s birthday at the home of the Louisiana Hayride. And I’ll get to meet Claude King, because there’s a concert for his 85th birthday from 2:00-4:00. I’d love to meet as many of you as can join us.

Thanks to Ryan Patrick for interviewing me on his Saturday Morning Oldies Show, a classic country show on WOOZ-FM in southern Illinois: www.z100fm.com (more…)

The Deputy reunion on the Midnite Jamboree (November 10, 2007) is now on-line! Check it out at http://ernesttubb.com/mj.htm.

Liz and Casey Anderson sent me their re-release of Faron’s “Are You Hungry? Eat Your Import!” The new 4-song CD, titled “Buy American,” includes three other songs Faron recorded on the same 1982 session. You can order the CD from www.showboatrecords.com.

This is from a music blog that appears on the website of a Seattle weekly paper, “The Stranger”: http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/01/live_fast_love_hard

Thanks to James McGrath Morris for providing the link (http://thebookreport.net) to Book Report, a weekly AM radio show in Monroe, Louisiana. I was interviewed on the 23 January show that focused on the Louisiana Hayride. (more…)

This is my periodic newsletter on Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story, published by the University of Illinois Press in 2007, and on progress toward writing Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins. Please send me a note if you want your address removed from this list.

KEN NELSON
I learned of Ken Nelson’s death when Arie den Dulk called me from Holland on Monday. Ken died Sunday, only a few days short of his 97th birthday. When I went to his house in 2000 to interview him about Faron, he was busy writing his autobiography. A card file and yellow legal pads sat on his dining room table. He told me his goal was to get it published before he kicked the bucket. He eventually self-published because mainstream publishers weren’t interested in behind-the-scenes guys. My First Ninety Years Plus Three came out last year. (more…)

I’ll close out 2007 by sending a summary of comments I’ve received since my last newsletter. Here’s a collection of photos from our big night in Nashville. Thanks to Tom Andrews for creating the Faron Young Tribute photo gallery at http://69.94.50.63/photos/FaronYoungTribute/index.html.

LETTERS
Skip Jackson, former Deputy steel player, says, “Was listening to XM – 13 last night (Tuesday 12th of Dec.) and they stated you and Darrell were being interviewed on XM-2 so I flipped over and had the opportunity to catch the show. Enjoyed hearing y’all, it was a great interview. Darrell still tells the best stories, I laughed and cried again. Thanks for keeping the memories alive. . . . I am so thankful XM radio is supporting the traditional fiddle and steel music. (more…)

This issue brings to a close my weekly updates on Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story, published by the University of Illinois Press. I’m starting to repeat myself, so I’ll cut back to once or twice a month and will talk about Marty Robbins and Faron Young equally. I’d still appreciate comments on Faron’s biography to be posted to Amazon.com at http://tinyurl.com/3dsu2a.

BILL ANDERSON VISITS WITH THE LEGENDS ON XM RADIO
Bill Anderson interviewed Darrell McCall and me when we were in Nashville. We talked about the book and Faron’s music. Jeannie Seely and Robyn Young were telephone guests. I didn’t get the broadcast notice in time to let everyone know about the first date on XM channel 2, but the show is being aired three times this week on XM channel 10: (more…)