Riley K Temple
Carl Jackson and I were classmates in Armstrong High School in Richmond -- both members of the class of 1967. He, William Francis (Bunny) Best (also a classmate) and I would regularly sit out in front of my childhood home and late into the night talk about everything -- the big things, the little things, the nothings. After high school, Bunny went into the Navy and became a Marine, Carl in the Air Force. Both were changed by Viet Nam. Shocking, I know! I lost track of him until I saw him when I worked in the US Senate after law school. Carl was working to pay his way to get his degree. He was a Capitol Policeman. It was a joy to see him and speak again. Carl (and Bunny) were smart. I am not at all surprised that he earned advanced degrees and taught. Of course he would. Bunny passed several years ago, and now Carl - died last year the day before my birthday. Odd isn't it, that now many years later they are both gone and I somehow remain? That fact humbles me greatly. If only we could have seen the future -- the metes and bounds of which we could only imagine but spoke of often. Together we dreamed of our futures. May Carl my friend, and Bunny my friend rest in everlasting peace. I hope one day to meet you both on the other side. Riley Temple, 23 June 2026.
