Carlson

Calling Hours and Memorial Service for John Carlson: Calling hours will be on Monday, April 18th from 1:00-4:00 pm at Meeks Mortuary (415 East Washington Street, Muncie.) The memorial service will be on Tuesday, April 19th at 11:00 am at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (900 West White River Blvd, Muncie.)  Additional calling hours will be held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church before the service from 10:00 – 11:00 am. John spent decades writing for us. Here’s a chance for you…

Editor’s note: This is John Carlson’s last column for MuncieJournal.com. We are very, very saddened to report John passed away peacefully last night at his home.  John brought happiness to so many, many people with his columns and books during a journalistic career that spanned decades in East Central Indiana. He wrote this last column for us about one week ago. Like so much of his writing, it is a poignant, inspirational, and timely story. Information about services for John are below.  Our hearts…

Editor’s note: This story has been republished, as John takes a brief medical leave. We wish him well.  By John Carlson— Not long ago, Nan and I were down visiting our son and daughter-in-law, Johnny and Stephanie, in Nashville, Tenn., when the subject of where to eat dinner came up. “There’s a new Mexican place just past the interstate that’s pretty good,” my kid said, and the next thing we knew, we were at Bajo Sexto. Nashville is a great,…

By John Carlson— Lately, I have been thinking about opening a tavern. Maybe calling it the Dew Drop Inn … For Water Only, because we’d only serve water. I would never have entertained this super-fun business notion before, based on my own research. It was like, whenever anybody asked me if I wanted some water, my immediate reaction was always, “Now why would I want some water? I hate water.” But lately I have begun to see water’s benefits. By…

By John Carlson— So there I was, standing in front of D.J.’s Clam Shack, thinking how the older you get, the less risky your vacations become. It wasn’t that long ago one of my vacation goals was to join those hardy souls who summit Mt. Everest. Twenty minutes later, however, I decided that another equally worthwhile vacation goal is to not die while trying to do something stupid. If I wanted to explore gigantic natural protuberances, I decided, I’d just…

By John Carlson— We were recently on a road trip with our daughter, son and daughter-in-law when I noticed something amazing, and maybe even a little disturbing. The music my kids prefer is a lot softer than mine. One might even call theirs “more tasteful and mature” than mine. Like, on this trip a bunch of folky stuff, acoustic stuff, and melodic stuff was gently wafting out their car’s sound system. At the same time, I was craving a thousand-volt…

By John Carlson— To visit the city of Memphis is to come under the sway of two remarkable, and remarkably different, men. One is the late Elvis Presley. The other is the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elvis lived in Memphis in his mansion named Graceland, an aging but still beautiful dwelling located on an impressively sculpted estate. It’s a place anyone would want to visit. As for Rev. King, I don’t know where he lived. But he died…

By John Carlson— When I was younger I wanted to race Indy cars, be a fighter pilot or, as I matured and discovered what was truly important in life, own a White Castle franchise. But now, I have attained my ultimate goal. I am a Duckmaster. Make that an Honorary Duckmaster. It was quite a while back when I first heard about Memphis’ superb hotel, The Peabody. Particularly noteworthy were the ducks that have walked through its stunning lobby twice…

By John Carlson— We seem to be living in the Era of Drones, a time when those remotely controlled flying machines are used for everything from firing missiles and clocking speeders to aerial surveys and offshore shark patrols. That’s why I got one. Well, OK, I didn’t actually get one. I was given a drone by my friend at Ball State University, Dean Paaige Turner. Why? It might have something to do with BSU’s “We Fly” campaign. Either that, or…