Opinion

Thanksgiving: Savoring and making memories

Dink NeSmith

Sunday, November 26, 2023

Thanksgiving. How does this holiday resonate with you? For me, it’s savoring memories and making memories. As a skinny boy with buzz cut hair, I squirmed for 175 miles in the backseat of our family’s first new car.

There was plenty to cheer about in Sanford Stadium on Saturday. One of the loudest roars was for No. 19 Brock Bowers, the All-America tight end, who returned from the injured list to score a touchdown. Another was for Stetson Bennett IV, above. The former Heisman Trophy finalist stepped onto the field to hoist the 2022 Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded to the best college football player whose career began as a walk-on. (Tony Walsh/UGA Athletics)

Opinion Column: Reflecting on 57 years in Sanford Stadium

Dink NeSmith

Friday, November 17, 2023

Kickoff was at 1 o’clock. The Ole Miss Rebels were in town to play 34-year-old Vince Dooley’s Georgia Bulldogs. And there I sat on Oct. 8, 1966, baking my buns on an aluminum bench in Sanford Stadium. The sweat beneath my starched Gant shirt and wool sport coat was trickling down my back.

Opinion Column: Thumbs up and down

News Staff

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Thumbs for the week Opinions, opinions, opinions. Everyone has them. It’s the American Way, gifted by our forefathers through the First Amendment. Some opinions are razor-sharp — positive or negative. Others can be comical. Again, it’s the American Way.

The NeSmiths drove to Holden Beach, North Carolina, to visit with Eddie and Carolyn Sweatt in 2019. Carolyn took this photo on their deck overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. From left are Eric NeSmith, Dink NeSmith, Eddie Sweatt and Alan NeSmith. (Submitted Photo)

Opinion Column: It’s an honor to ‘polish the apple’ of my mentor

Dink NeSmith

Thursday, November 9, 2023

More than 15 years ago, my friend asked if I would “polish his apple” when he was gone. Of course, I said yes. On Nov.1, Eddie Sweatt would have been 90. For whatever success that I enjoy, I attribute lessons learned from Eddie and a host of other mentors.

Opinion Column: Letter to our grandkids about the latest war

Dink NeSmith

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Dear Wyatt, Hayes, William, Henry, Fenn, Bayard, Smith and Stella, War. War. War. Whether you’ve thought about it or not, each of you were born when America was at war, in either Iraq or Afghanistan. You may have seen the news coverage of our troops leaving Afghanistan in 2021.

Editorial Opinion: Thumbs up and down

News Staff

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Seems like we were saying “Hello, October” yesterday and now, we are saying “Here comes November.” Maybe it’s the crisp mornings that are rushing us through fall.

Deion Sanders, otherwise known as Coach Prime, has electrified the college football landscape this fall with his personality and transformation of the Colorado Buffaloes. The former two-sport star, who played for the Falcons and Braves, has led a program that had one win last year to four this season. (Derek Marckel/cubuffs.com)

Opinion Column: Deion Sanders could sell milk to a cow

Dink NeSmith

Thursday, October 19, 2023

If there’s ever been a human marketing machine, Deion Sanders is one. I believe Neon Deion, aka Coach Prime, could sell milk to a cow and hard-boiled eggs to a chicken. My alma mater, the University of Georgia, might have back-to-back national championship rings, and the Dawgs are ranked No.

Graffiti covers the recently repaired Howard’s Covered Bridge, which was built in 1904-05. (Submitted Photo)

Editorial: Time to find out who’s defacing our history

News Staff

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Oglethorpe County is rich in history. It’s one of our points of pride. The newspaper you’re reading has been chronicling this community’s history for 150 years. We believe that makes The Oglethorpe Echo the oldest, continuously operated business in the county.

Larry Walker Jr. spent 32 years in the Georgia House of Representatives. One of many achievements was to persuade the General Assembly and the governor to build improved fair facilities. In this 1985 photo, Gov. Joe Frank Harris, center, signs the legislation creating the Georgia Agricenter. On the left is Rep. Henry Reaves, chair of the House agriculture committee. On the right is Rep. Larry Walker Jr. The bill paved the way for the Georgia National Fair complex in Perry, Walker’s hometown.

Opinion Column: Why is the Georgia National Fair in Perry?

Dink NeSmith

Saturday, October 14, 2023

There’s almost always a backstory to the story. But first, what’s the story? Down in Middle Georgia — perched on the Gnat Line — the 34th annual Georgia National Fair is expected to draw more than 550,000 visitors. On opening day, Oct. 5, I was one among the masses.

The Oglethorpe Echo

Opinion Column: Long live The Echo and community newspapers

Dink NeSmith

Friday, October 6, 2023

Step back with me to 1958. The school-year routine was the same on Wednesday afternoons. The 3 o’clock bell would ring at Orange Street Elementary School. As fast as I could pedal my red Schwinn, I’d race seven blocks to the back door of The Jesup Sentinel.