A well-deserved rest for an MIA and his family

Thursday, SSgt. William E. "Skip" Skivington, Jr., of Las Vegas, was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, bringing to an end the almost 39-year heartbreaking wait of his family and friends wanting to know what happened on May 12, 1968, in Vietnam.

Since that time, he was declared "missing in action," and for many years, Maizie wore his MIA/POW bracelet, until it literally fell off her wrist and was lost (it was replaced by one for Maj. Patrick R. Curran, USMC, who was killed in Laos in 1969). Sgt. Skivington was identified in November by DNA tests on his remains found in Kham Duc, Vietnam, in June. He was a graduate of Western High School, and was 19 years old at the time of his death.

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley represented the people of Nevada at his services, and for this we are very grateful. His father, Bill Skivington Sr., of Las Vegas, a veteran of WWII, survives him. Memorial donations can be made to the "Skivington Memorial and Freedom Tree Fund," Memorial donations can be made to the "Skivington Memorial and Freedom Tree Fund," at the Southern Nevada Memorial Cemetery Freedom Tree Fund, through the Nevada Department of Veterans Services, 1201 Terminal Way Suite 215, Reno, NV 89502. May he, and all the other brave men and women who have died for our country, rest in peace ... you will never be forgotten.

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Ahhhhh, the Legislature's back in town. Welcome ... but, as the late Ed Glick used to say, "Keep your children and pets off the streets." Sage advice, considering some of the strange things they come up with.

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And for those of you who might want to address some of those things, here is some Legislative Hotline information you might want: Their local phone number is 684-3300, or you can get them at nvhotline@clan.lib.nv.us or www.leg.state.nv.us. Feel free to make your ideas heard.

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Anger management (or a helpful hint, depending on how you look at it) from Connie Lord: "A husband asks his wife, 'When I get mad at you, you never fight back. How do you control your anger?' The wife calmly replied, 'I clean the toilet bowl.' 'How does that help?' her husband asked. 'I use your toothbrush.'"

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We see by the hot news in the society section that two friends of ours, Kyla Shuman and Jody Paslov, have announced their engagement. So this is an overt ploy ... invite us to the wedding! (and you thought we were wishy-washy ... nope, right to the point). And best wishes, of course.

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In a backup story to last week, the Hinz family told us about being in a 24-hour store (it was Walgreen's or Wal-Mart ... one of those "W" names) quite late at night, when a lady walked up to a clerk and asked, "What time do you close?" We think she was related to the "car-wash" ladies.

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Carolyn's co-worker Ron Saunders is retiring tomorrow after a zillion years at the Department of Transportation. This way, he will have more time to hunt and fish and baby-sit (he used to baby-sit for Maizie's kids out in Lovelock ... they all survived ... including Ron). May you have a wonderful time! Betty and Jerry Ruggeri celebrate their 48th anniversary today, hopefully with feasting and presents. However, we didn't realize that Betty had married a much-"older" man. Ev Jesse turns a "quarter-of-a-century" on Saturday. Egads ... what's the rush? Let him eat cake.

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What's happening with the Downtowner Motel downtown? It's just been "sitting there" for quite some time. Any info?

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The Station Grille will reopen Friday after a month's hiatus. It's all remodeled inside and looks "real purty." Manager Carol Conklin is all excited to show it off, so be sure you go and check it out. We saw Sue and George Bohl again at Mallards at Empire Ranch ... now we just have to figure out "who's stalking whom." And thanks to Don Rudin out there for being our friend, and to Rod Wissert for being himself (draw evil grin in here __ ). And thanks to the Hoose family for being nice, too; we appreciate your comments. The monthly "Wine Walk" is this Saturday, and for $10, you can buy your glass at a participating store and stroll around the middle of town from 1-5 p.m. sipping on fine wine.

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Cathy Robinson sent this one: "A burglar broke into a house and was in the process of stealing a CD player when he heard a disembodied voice saying, 'Jesus is watching you.' He nearly jumped out of his skin. He waited, and hearing nothing more, proceeded to disconnect the stereo. Again, the voice said, 'Jesus is watching you.' Rattled, he directed his flashlight around the room to find the source of the voice. Finally, the flashlight came to rest on a parrot in the corner. 'Did you say that?' he hissed at the parrot. 'Yes,' said the parrot, 'I'm just trying to warn you.' 'Warn me?' asked the burglar. 'Who do you think you are, anyway?' 'Moses,' replied the bird. The burglar laughed, 'What kind of stupid people would name a bird 'Moses'?' The parrot promptly answered, 'The same kind of people who would name a Rottweiler 'Jesus.'"

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Lots of artsy stuff coming up: Carson Performing Arts will be hosting "Pericles, Prince of Tyre," Friday, Feb. 9, at the Community Center (887-0438 for information); Proscenium Players will open with a musical for adult audiences only, "The Fix," at the Brewery Arts Center (883-1976) on the 16th. Also, auditions for the new Wild Horse Theatre Company's "Joey and Maria's Comedy Italian Wedding," a dinner-theater play at the Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, will be held there on Feb. 3 and 7 ... call 887-0438 for audition times and information. They're looking for people ages 18-80, of all shapes and sizes, with improv skills and a Bronx accent. You probably get to eat, too. If you're "younger," you can try out Saturday for "The Wiz," a BAC Stage Kids production ... call 883-1976 for that. Should be fun for all.

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We hope your Super Bowl party is super ... and that your favorite team wins (does this mean the Raiders and the 49ers have a chance? Ouch ... if you can draw a "cringe," draw it here ...)

• Carolyn Tate and Maizie Harris Jesse are longtime Carson City residents. Write to them at editor@nevadaappeal.com.