Let Me Tell You About My Friend Ed Wilson

Let me tell you about my friend Joel Edward Wilson (JEW). When Ed and I met in 1975 or so, we were scrawny, insecure and in our late teens; but full of plans. We had both delivered The Grit (national weekly newspaper) in our little eastern Kentucky hometowns. And today we both teach at regional Universities, having grown up in families where education was not that prevalent.

As I said we were insecure. I showed mine by being quiet (not necessarily my normal way of being I now know, but I did not know it then) and some might say standoffish. I was certain of a few things like my ability to play baseball, run fast, sing and pick up what was taught in classes. I wrapped myself in these securities as protection against my baffling social fears.

For his part, Ed was a crack math student but he showed his insecurity far differently from the way I did. Ed invited others to use him as their source of mirth. He would make sundaes on his head, complete with fudge, nuts, whip cream, the works, while all of us friends laughed uproariously. He did a wonderfully funny imitation of Kermit the Frog and played the opening notes of Color My World as a solo with much fanfare. We called him Ed the Head, not the most noble of nicknames, but it fit him okay because it rhymed and because he was smart.

Ed wound up being the President of our Baptist Student Union his senior year. That would have seemed unlikely if you had seen the way he was vilified during his early BSU days. He grew on us.

As the years have gone by Ed and I have become loyal running partners, turning out 13 marathons between us, and several other halfs, 10ks and 5ks. A core group of friends who surrounded us in the 70s still get together and once a few years ago Ed and I happened to be sharing a hot-tub,with others of the friends either in there with us or standing nearby. We were all trying to make out something on a distant Smokey Mountain and Ed could see it plainly while most of the rest of us were straining to do so. I said, “Ed you have amazing eyes.” Of course, that is not the most heterosexual-sounding thing to say to another guy in a hot tub.

I don’t mind when they kid me now about saying Ed has amazing eyes. Somehow it makes me know a little more what it must have felt like to have been Ed all those years ago, kidded but given credit for “how you take it” at the same time. If I know how to serve as a good butt of a joke, I learned it at the feet of the master.

Happy Birthday my good friend Ed “The Head” Wilson with the Amazing Eyes.