Rob Dull, aka “Silent Rob” & “the Scribe” is on the other side of the microphone for an entire episode. Rob usually helps Paul with the Stories podcast, but he is the one getting interviewed by Paul and Kevin this time. Rob talked about living where Henry Clay was born and then moving to and growing up in Ashland. Paul and Rob talked about the guys they grew up with, some of the games and sports they played and they told Kevin what midnight football was. Rob talked about going to Collegiate and working at Kings Dominion during high school and college. They discussed his various jobs including a couple of stories from his time with the U.S. Park Police. The three of them talked about playing basketball for the Rampage and Rob talked about his parents and his parents-in-law and how lucky he was to have them all in his life. They finished with Rob talking about his wife Chris and their three kids, Jack, Riley and Julia.

Greg Burton comes to the podcast via a connection with Ross Luck (Episode #172). Greg grew up in Wilmington, Delaware and said his life was pretty much within eight blocks of his house. He walked to school & church, played little league, visited his grandparents and went to see his dad at work in those eight blocks. Greg played sports in high school, but knew he had a passion for and wanted to cover sports for a living. He chose to go to the University of Delaware and it was a great decision because he got immediate opportunities and exposure in his course of study. After graduating, the job hunt started and Greg first started working back home in Delaware. After about a year, he got hired by a television station in Idaho. He jumped at the opportunity and had an amazing time because of the job and the life experiences that Idaho gave him. In 1998, he decided to leave Idaho and took a job at CBS Channel 6 in Richmond. In Richmond, he worked for Channel 6, had his own sports talk radio show and in 2011, he started as an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Center for Sport Leadership program. He is now a full-time graduate level professor at VCU at the Center for Sport Leadership, which is a top 10 program in the country. We finished the podcast with Greg talking about his son Trevor who is ten years old.

Sue Watson, a Center of the Universe icon, joins the podcast to talk to Paul and Rob. Sue was born and grew up in Wilson, N.C and has great memories of her childhood and family, especially going on horse rides with her Dad. Sue started dancing when she was three years old and her love for dance and all things theatrical has continued through out her life. After high school, Sue attended Duke University and never missed a basketball game. After Duke, she moved away from NC for a year, but then went to rival University of North Carolina for her masters degree. This would turn out to be a life changing decision because while taking her last class for her degree, she met Ritchie Watson. Ritchie courted Sue (some of it long distance) and they were married on June 21, 1969. Ritchie got a job at Randolph-Macon College and they moved to Ashland in 1970. Sue talked about their first house and train experience as well as how they ended up in their current house where they’ve been since 1974. They also discussed the Ashland Variety Show, Ashland’s Untold Stories, her time on the Hanover School Board (first woman and longest serving member ever) and her family’s trips to Topsail Beach. They talked about her and Ritchie’s daughters, Susan and Jane Forbes, and their families, which includes five wonderful grandchildren.

Pete A. Turner joins Paul via a connection with Jeff Bloch, aka Speedy Cop (Episode 173). Pete is from and lives in California. He told Paul about his adoptive dad growing up as well as just finding his biological father which has led him to having a whole new family. Pete talked about his interest in a musical instrument he got while growing up and his time in high school. After going to college, Pete tried to get a job in radio and television and he just couldn’t get hired. At 24 years of age, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was in Counter Intelligence, essentially a spy for the U.S. Army. Pete and Paul discussed his career in the military as well as his time as a U.S. Government contractor and federal employee. Pete also hosts a podcast (Break It Down Show) and has had some great guests join him. They finished by discussing how he got started and when Paul asked him about some of his favorite episodes, he had a great response.

Audra Becker and Paul used to work together and she admitted that for a while, she was 50/50 on doing the podcast and telling her story. She joins us from Arizona where she was born and raised though she has a lot of family in Pittsburgh. She and Paul discussed how she never knew about daylight savings time until she moved to the Midwest for a while and she also told him what it was like growing up in Arizona. When she was younger, she participated in synchronized swimming and she told Paul about the interesting concoction they put in their hair for performances. They talked about high school and how she and her siblings were encouraged to go to college. She attended Arizona State University and talked about her early ideas of the businesses she wanted to start. Paul asked her why people visit or want to live in Arizona and she had a long list of reasons. In 2020, Audra was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Audra told Paul her story from how she discovered it, to her primary doctor’s misdiagnoses and getting the call that confirmed her worst fear. She continued by telling Paul about all that she has learned, her treatments and her incredible support system. They finished by talking about her husband Chad and their son Easton. She stated that she would not have made it through the last two years with out Chad.

Stacie Straus and Acie Wyatt are the first twins to be on the podcast. They are from Ashland and Stacie is still in the area. Acie lives in Charlotte, NC. Paul asked a couple of questions about being twins and then they discussed what sports they each played when they were kids. They then talked about playing sports at Patrick Henry High School (PHHS). Stacie played softball & volleyball and Acie played soccer and football. They talked to Paul about their fondest memories of growing up in Ashland and of playing sports at PHHS. They also discussed how their Mom got them involved in other activities such as music, scouts and church. Acie and Stacie both went to Hampton University where Stacie played softball and Acie played football. Paul asked them about how they ended up at Hampton and also if they knew what they wanted to do after school. They finished by talking about their jobs and their families.

Nikhil Brahmbhatt and Paul know each other from working at the same company in the past and they talked about how they first met. Nikhil was born in Kalol, India and grew up in Ahmedabad and was the youngest of four children. Nikhil was a very good student and told Paul about a special skill that helped him a lot in school. While in school, he played cricket, attended cultural activities where he honed his dancing ability. Paul and Nikhil talked about cricket … the rules, the game, famous cricket players and the Cricket World Championships which started in 1975. Nikhil attended an engineering university in India and then went on to get his MBA as well as a CFA certification. Then in 1998, he moved to the United States and has lived in Georgia, Florida and now Virginia. Nikhil told Paul about attending college in the U.S. and some jobs he has had while here. They also discussed the caste system of India and finished by talking about Nikihl’s wife, Sejal and their son, Yug.

This episode is a celebration of Paul’s son Zach turning 21! Paul, his wife Lisa and their daughters, Lindsay and Melissa went to Blacksburg, Va. to visit Zach on his birthday weekend. Paul, Lisa and Zach started chatting and had lots of laughs about early and favorite memories from the time he was a toddler until his high school years. Lisa spoke about how being pregnant with Zach was pretty easy until the last 24 hours when he had a couple of surprises in store for his parents. Zach talked about his two younger sisters (Lindsay and Melissa) and he talked about his four grandparents. They next talked about his college journey from applying, to where he was accepted and how he ended up at Virginia Tech. Paul asked Zach what the plan after college was and Zach said the main thing was getting a J-O-B. He also put his parents on alert about a possible scenario that may happen in the next 6-7 years. Melissa joined the conversation and had a great story about her, Lindsay and Zach when they were on a family vacation. That reminded Zach of one other story that involved a vacation and a coconut, but he deferred to his Dad to tell the story. Paul asked Zach if he had a girlfriend and Zach said he did and that her name is Bridget. They finished by Zach telling how he and Bridget met and then they wished him a Happy Birthday!

Downtown Ashland Association Series … Mac McManus was born in Fredericksburg, raised in Woodbridge and later moved south to the greater Richmond area for work. His parents knew at an early age that he was good at tinkering with and fixing things. He had a job with Chevrolet during and after high school and was fortunate to be sent to to the GM Training Center at age 16. By age 17 he achieved his GM certification (Automotive Service Excellence). After time with Chevrolet and a brief stint with Ford, he now has Mac’s Service Center in Ashland. Mac told Paul how he found his way to Ashland and how they have a second location in Zion Crossroads. Mac stressed the keys to their success including a warranty that is unheard of in the industry. They discussed the effects of the pandemic on the business, why Mac loves Ashland and what is in store for the next 5-10 years.

William Perkins Flippen joins the podcast via William Kevin Flippen, the occasional co-host and his son. William was born in Buckingham County, but grew up in Richmond, Virginia. William was #8 out of thirteen kids and their first house in Richmond only had an outside bathroom. William said being a kid in Richmond was fun as they had a lot of open areas to play in and he used that to hone his skills at the game of Marbles. William started working at twelve and he talked to Paul and Kevin about some of the jobs he had as kid and an adult. He also talked about how he met his wife Nettie and about his first meeting with her family. He talked frankly about losing a child and then joyfully about he and Nettie adopting their daughter Denise first in 1968 and then Kevin in 1969. He talked about how much he loved his three grandsons … the three B’s … Brody, Briggs and Beau. Kevin asked his Dad what he would tell their kids and he offered some sage advice. He finished by saying “The good Lord has blessed me all my life” and he told one last story from his childhood.