Things keep changing in Wakulla

By WILLIAM SNOWDEN

I know I’m getting older – and with that comes witnessing changes.

A few changes from the past couple of weeks:
• Hugh Taylor has passed on. An ardent citizen activist, he was outspoken in his beliefs and was often in the face of those – especially county commissioners – with whom he disagreed. And he often disagreed with me.
I remember a protest  led by Hugh several years ago in the newspaper parking lot and somebody wearing a pelican suit and signs demanding I be fired.
At his best, as with his efforts with the Wakulla County Christian Coalition, Hugh was passionate about what he believed was right.
His self-written obituary that appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat a couple of Sundays ago was, like Hugh, different, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, and hard to ignore.
• I note this week the passing of Ted Hanna. An interesting character with a curiously blurry background overseas doing things with three-letter agencies – or something. He was a big man, and every story about him noted he was “barrel-chested.” But he was also soft-hearted and cared deeply about pets.
He also baked cookies and would bring them in to the newspaper office when he thought we needed a treat.
• Two local attorneys are rounding out their careers: Lynn Alan Thompson and Steven Glazer.
I was on the phone with Lynn last week and he told me he had just finished his last court hearing and was headed into full retirement. He intends to spend it fishing in Shell Point.
Steve Glazer was in court on Monday leading his last ever trial in circuit court before Judge Layne Smith.
Both Lynn and Steve had some high-profile cases earlier in their careers: Lynn was a lawyer for serial killer Ted Bundy at one point, and Steve represented serial killer Aileen Wuornos.
They both had offices on the courthouse square – Steve had the yellow building on the corner where Hot Spot was; and Lynn had the tiny office that had been Bill Webster’s law office. Both of those buildings are now owned by Kevin and Rena Bodo.
• This last thing has absolutely nothing to do with Wakulla, but I thought it funny: you’ve probably heard that a man in Illinois has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant chain over “boneless chicken wings” – as in, he was duped by the description into thinking it was a chicken wing that had been deboned. It is, rather, breast meat that is shaped like a wing. While the chain did not respond to news stories about the lawsuit, the restaurant did post a tweet: “It’s true. Our boneless wings are all white meat chicken. Our hamburgers contain no ham. Our Buffalo wings are 0% buffalo.”  

William Snowden is editor and publisher of The Wakulla Sun.