Interesting Evening

   Jilda and I attended the Timothy Sumner Robinson Forum at Samford University tonight. The event is in honor of one of our friends.
   Tim was a remarkable individual who graduated from Dora High (where both Jilda and I graduated) at the age of 15 and he graduated from Samford University at 19.
   While at Samford, he worked as a reporter for the Birmingham Post Herald where he covered the civil rights movement during that turbulent period in Alabama's history.
  Once out of Samford, he moved to Washington D.C. and applied at The Washington Post. They turned him down originally but he stuck around and got his Master's degree in journalism. He applied again, and this time they hired him as a copy editor.
   He worked his way up to the city desk and served as the night editor for a while and then the day editor. Tim was there during Watergate and worked with Woodward and Bernstein.
   Several years ago, he died of complications from colon surgery and his family, along with The Washington Post and Samford University, sponsor this forum and a representative from The Post speaks to the students at the college. One student wins a summer fellowship to intern at The Washington Post.
 Jason Reid, who is the sports columnist for The Post was the guest speaker this year and his topic was how social media has changed print media today.
 He said that reporters and columnist who work at The Post are held to the same standards with their blogs and twitter posts. All social media stories, messages, and updates must hold up to scrutiny with valid sources.
  I found the topic fascinating and it seemed to strike a chord with all the college journalists in attendance tonight. I know our friend Tim would be delighted by the dialog and exchange of ideas.