February 14, 2025 • 8 mins
This episode isn't just about speeches and stages; it's a nostalgic look back at the events and friendships that have indelibly marked my life. From witnessing societal shifts like the moon landing and the Vietnam War to experiencing the electric energy of my first rock concert with AC/DC, my stories are not just mine—they're a shared human experience. Through humor, reflection, and a nod to the song "People of the South Wind" by Kansas, I hope to inspire you to cherish those pivotal moments that shape our journeys. Listen in, and perhaps you'll find a piece of your own story mirrored in mine.
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Here For the Memories
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here for the memories thought-provoking audio memoir
shorts filled with stories,humor, anecdotes and commentary
on social, cultural, businessand religious issues.
Whatever Lyndon remembers andthinks will entertain, challenge
and inform is a possiblesubject.
(00:20):
The collection of memoriesabout one's life allows for the
development and refinement of asense of self, including who one
is, how one has changed andwhat one might be like in the
future.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Greetings and salutations.
This is Lyndon Wolfe and youhave providentially found my
audio memoir here for thememories.
Glad you joined, glad you foundme.
I hope you enjoy this little.
I don't know if it's adissertation.
It's a life experience story,you know, and life is made of
(00:56):
stories, right?
So last episode, season two,episode 11, I shared about my
uncomfortable entry into theworld of public speaking, forced
by my parents to enter my firstspeech competition at age 13.
My resistance was eventuallyovercome with success and
confidence has a way of doingthat.
As much as I objected, it wasone of the greatest things my
(01:17):
mother and dad ever did for me.
It certainly was better thanthe six years of piano lessons
that concluded, with my onlyability being that I could
identify.
The instrument had black andwhite keys.
Anyway, along the way, numerousteachers encouraged me.
Mrs Gregory stood out in juniorhigh school and my high school
principal, dan Boring, gave methe most unexpected
(01:39):
recommendation.
My high school, knoxvilleCentral, had an unusual
tradition Instead of thevaledictorian thank goodness.
Had an unusual traditionInstead of the valedictorian
thank goodness, we had 13 ofthem out of a graduating class
approaching 400, the classspeakers were chosen instead
based on a speech competition,mr Boring, a very stern but fair
disciplinarian and these areprobably the only words he ever
(02:01):
spoke to me called me into hisoffice I was petrified, by the
way, and told me in no uncertainterms that I was going to enter
that competition.
I did and I won.
Our graduating class was solarge.
The ceremony was held at theKnoxville Civic Auditorium and
Coliseum, which had a capacityof 6,500.
Although it is no longer thepremier event venue in that city
(02:24):
, it was at the time it wasthere that I attended my first
rock concert and smelled thepungent odor that I later
learned was marijuana, and thefunny-looking cigarettes being
passed down almost every aislewere the obvious source of the
ubiquitous smoke and muchhappiness, liquid as smoke and
(02:44):
much happiness.
Anyway, the opening act at myfirst ever rock concert was a
little-known Australian ensemblenamed ACDC, and they burned the
house down, so to speak.
So much so that the main act,alice Cooper, with all of his
theatrics, was anticlimactic.
Back to the matriculation.
So there I was, in front ofthousands, anxious but not
(03:05):
fearful.
I was actually in my elementand it showed, you know, that
feeling, the feeling when youknow that, you know that you
just nailed it, that sense thatyou just performed in a way that
exceeded your expectations,that rare occasion when you came
as close To your potential asone humanly could.
Well, that was one of thosetimes.
(03:27):
My graduation speech was anexistential tome inspired by the
Kansas song People of the SouthWind, and here are some of the
motivational lyrics All thethings that we used to do.
But the days of our youth werenumbered, and the ones who
survived are few.
Oh, I can still see the smilingfaces when the times were so
(03:48):
good, all in the old, familiarplaces.
I'd go back if I could.
Now.
I've traveled all across theoceans and we've seen what there
is to see, but I guess it's notthe proper solution, because
it's all about the same to me.
Now I look back and it makes mewonder why we just couldn't see
(04:08):
all the battles we fought andwon there.
In essence, its message wasthat, with all the events of
human history, we as graduateshad seen, prior to this day, a
man walking on the moon.
The Vietnam War, the loweringof both the voting age and
drinking age to 18, paled incomparison to our lived
(04:29):
experiences to this point,experiences that in many cases,
were inextricably linked tofriendships that had been forged
, memories that had been made.
These were the mostunforgettable and life-changing
impressions of our 18 years.
You know, the thing about youthis that it's too long when
(04:51):
you're in it and too short whenyou no longer are.
And back to the matriculationagain.
The school board's officialrepresentative and the final
speaker of the ceremony was DrGene Overholt, president and
founder of the GastrointestinalAssociates of Knoxville,
tennessee, and associateprofessor of clinical medicine
(05:13):
at the University of TennesseeMedical Center.
Many consider him the father ofambulatory endoscopy centers.
It was common knowledge that DrOverholt was the first GI to
perform office endoscopy back inthe 1970s, a procedure I would
later become very familiar with,one that discovered my
esophageal cancer in 2018.
(05:34):
Anyway, after the ceremony, hepulled me aside and said young
man, I've heard hundreds ofthese speeches, but none better
than yours.
The exchange is as vivid today,nearly 45 years later, and just
as meaningful.
As you've already seen with mycareer and we'll see more of as
(05:57):
I broach the subject of myministry endeavors, a parent's
requirement that I participatein speech contests positively
influenced me for the rest of mylife.
In both work and ministry, Iused the skills that have been
taught and was able to both withcomfort and confidence in front
of a room, speak and speak welland speak coherently.
(06:18):
Speak and speak well and speakcoherently.
Not only did it create valuefor those I worked for and
ministered to, but it also setme apart from many of my
colleagues, competent andindustrious folks, who
unfortunately had a dread fearof speaking in public.
This is just one example of mymother and father's wisdom
guiding me when I had no abilityto see the value of what they
(06:40):
were teaching me, and itprepared me for two events that
would rank among my life'shighlights the sermons I
delivered at their funerals.
This is Lyndon Wolfe, and you'vebeen listening to here for the
Memories, my audio memoir.
I don't know if you've everspoken in public.
If you ever wanted to, it maynot be something that you would
(07:02):
find to be valuable in your lifeexperience or something that
you would like to have theability to do.
Nonetheless, you have anability.
You have certain gifts.
I do hope that you uncoverthose gifts, you discover those
gifts and you use those giftsnot only for your flourishing,
(07:26):
but for the flourishing of thosearound you, those that know you
and love you.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
God bless.
If you appreciate the contentand what it takes to create and
deliver it, please consider asmall contribution.
Just go to buymeacoffeecomslash here for the memories.
That's buymeacoffeecom slashhere for the memories.
Much appreciated oh.
Here for the memories thought-provoking audio memoir
shorts filled with stories,humor, anecdotes and commentary
on social, cultural, businessand religious issues.
Whatever Lyndon remembers andthinks will entertain, challenge
and inform is a possiblesubject.
(00:20):
The collection of memoriesabout one's life allows for the
development and refinement of asense of self, including who one
is, how one has changed andwhat one might be like in the
future.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Greetings and salutations.
This is Lyndon Wolfe and youhave providentially found my
audio memoir here for thememories.
Glad you joined, glad you foundme.
I hope you enjoy this little.
I don't know if it's adissertation.
It's a life experience story,you know, and life is made of
(00:56):
stories, right?
So last episode, season two,episode 11, I shared about my
uncomfortable entry into theworld of public speaking, forced
by my parents to enter my firstspeech competition at age 13.
My resistance was eventuallyovercome with success and
confidence has a way of doingthat.
As much as I objected, it wasone of the greatest things my
(01:17):
mother and dad ever did for me.
It certainly was better thanthe six years of piano lessons
that concluded, with my onlyability being that I could
identify.
The instrument had black andwhite keys.
Anyway, along the way, numerousteachers encouraged me.
Mrs Gregory stood out in juniorhigh school and my high school
principal, dan Boring, gave methe most unexpected
(01:39):
recommendation.
My high school, knoxvilleCentral, had an unusual
tradition Instead of thevaledictorian thank goodness.
Had an unusual traditionInstead of the valedictorian
thank goodness, we had 13 ofthem out of a graduating class
approaching 400, the classspeakers were chosen instead
based on a speech competition,mr Boring, a very stern but fair
disciplinarian and these areprobably the only words he ever
(02:01):
spoke to me called me into hisoffice I was petrified, by the
way, and told me in no uncertainterms that I was going to enter
that competition.
I did and I won.
Our graduating class was solarge.
The ceremony was held at theKnoxville Civic Auditorium and
Coliseum, which had a capacityof 6,500.
Although it is no longer thepremier event venue in that city
(02:24):
, it was at the time it wasthere that I attended my first
rock concert and smelled thepungent odor that I later
learned was marijuana, and thefunny-looking cigarettes being
passed down almost every aislewere the obvious source of the
ubiquitous smoke and muchhappiness, liquid as smoke and
(02:44):
much happiness.
Anyway, the opening act at myfirst ever rock concert was a
little-known Australian ensemblenamed ACDC, and they burned the
house down, so to speak.
So much so that the main act,alice Cooper, with all of his
theatrics, was anticlimactic.
Back to the matriculation.
So there I was, in front ofthousands, anxious but not
(03:05):
fearful.
I was actually in my elementand it showed, you know, that
feeling, the feeling when youknow that, you know that you
just nailed it, that sense thatyou just performed in a way that
exceeded your expectations,that rare occasion when you came
as close To your potential asone humanly could.
Well, that was one of thosetimes.
(03:27):
My graduation speech was anexistential tome inspired by the
Kansas song People of the SouthWind, and here are some of the
motivational lyrics All thethings that we used to do.
But the days of our youth werenumbered, and the ones who
survived are few.
Oh, I can still see the smilingfaces when the times were so
(03:48):
good, all in the old, familiarplaces.
I'd go back if I could.
Now.
I've traveled all across theoceans and we've seen what there
is to see, but I guess it's notthe proper solution, because
it's all about the same to me.
Now I look back and it makes mewonder why we just couldn't see
(04:08):
all the battles we fought andwon there.
In essence, its message wasthat, with all the events of
human history, we as graduateshad seen, prior to this day, a
man walking on the moon.
The Vietnam War, the loweringof both the voting age and
drinking age to 18, paled incomparison to our lived
(04:29):
experiences to this point,experiences that in many cases,
were inextricably linked tofriendships that had been forged
, memories that had been made.
These were the mostunforgettable and life-changing
impressions of our 18 years.
You know, the thing about youthis that it's too long when
(04:51):
you're in it and too short whenyou no longer are.
And back to the matriculationagain.
The school board's officialrepresentative and the final
speaker of the ceremony was DrGene Overholt, president and
founder of the GastrointestinalAssociates of Knoxville,
tennessee, and associateprofessor of clinical medicine
(05:13):
at the University of TennesseeMedical Center.
Many consider him the father ofambulatory endoscopy centers.
It was common knowledge that DrOverholt was the first GI to
perform office endoscopy back inthe 1970s, a procedure I would
later become very familiar with,one that discovered my
esophageal cancer in 2018.
(05:34):
Anyway, after the ceremony, hepulled me aside and said young
man, I've heard hundreds ofthese speeches, but none better
than yours.
The exchange is as vivid today,nearly 45 years later, and just
as meaningful.
As you've already seen with mycareer and we'll see more of as
(05:57):
I broach the subject of myministry endeavors, a parent's
requirement that I participatein speech contests positively
influenced me for the rest of mylife.
In both work and ministry, Iused the skills that have been
taught and was able to both withcomfort and confidence in front
of a room, speak and speak welland speak coherently.
(06:18):
Speak and speak well and speakcoherently.
Not only did it create valuefor those I worked for and
ministered to, but it also setme apart from many of my
colleagues, competent andindustrious folks, who
unfortunately had a dread fearof speaking in public.
This is just one example of mymother and father's wisdom
guiding me when I had no abilityto see the value of what they
(06:40):
were teaching me, and itprepared me for two events that
would rank among my life'shighlights the sermons I
delivered at their funerals.
This is Lyndon Wolfe, and you'vebeen listening to here for the
Memories, my audio memoir.
I don't know if you've everspoken in public.
If you ever wanted to, it maynot be something that you would
(07:02):
find to be valuable in your lifeexperience or something that
you would like to have theability to do.
Nonetheless, you have anability.
You have certain gifts.
I do hope that you uncoverthose gifts, you discover those
gifts and you use those giftsnot only for your flourishing,
(07:26):
but for the flourishing of thosearound you, those that know you
and love you.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
God bless.
If you appreciate the contentand what it takes to create and
deliver it, please consider asmall contribution.
Just go to buymeacoffeecomslash here for the memories.
That's buymeacoffeecom slashhere for the memories.
Much appreciated oh.
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