There has to be a lesson there somewhere.

When I was in Jr. High and High School, one fellow, Bob Ray, always ran for City Council. Well, he wasn't the only one. There were others. Mr. Datus for one. Mr Datus was a popular Economics, Law and Government teacher at the High School. Mr. Datus regularly ran for City Council and regularly was on the City Council.

While it would have been much more aptly labeled a Town Council, or the even more appropriate Small Town Council, Bob Ray was quite interested in being a part of it. Every time an election came up, there was his name, big as day, in the local paper, The McCook Daily Gazette. Every year I had a little bit of a chuckle when Bob's bid for local politics was thwarted by some other local icon of farm, industry or marketplace.

This former marine from Northern California ended up having the last laugh. When I returned to town a few years later, Bob Ray was on the City Council and there he stayed for several years.

Bob Ray died a few years ago. You can read a bit more about him in this obituary.