James Beaty

EDITOR’S NOTE: Former Managing Editor James Beaty died May 12, 2024. Over the next few months, the McAlester News-Capital is rerunning some of his more memorable Ramblin’ Round columns. This

EDITOR’S NOTE: Former Managing Editor James Beaty died May 12, 2024. Over the next few months, the McAlester News-Capital is rerunning some of his more memorable Ramblin’ Round columns. This

James McMurtry sings and plays guitar beneath green lighting during his sold-out show at the refurbished Downtown 312 venue in McAlester — another sign of McAlester’s ongoing comeback as a regional hub for live music. JAMES BEATY | Staff file photo

EDITOR’S NOTE: Former Managing Editor James Beaty died May 12, 2024. Over the next few months, the McAlester News-Capital is rerunning some of his more memorable Ramblin’ Round columns. This

EDITOR’S NOTE: Former Managing Editor James Beaty died May 12, 2024. Over the next few months, the McAlester News-Capital is rerunning some of his more memorable Ramblin’ Round columns. This

EDITOR’S NOTE: Former Managing Editor James Beaty died May 12, 2024. Over the next few months, the McAlester News-Capital is rerunning some of his more memorable Ramblin’ Round columns. This

EDITOR’S NOTE: Former Managing Editor James Beaty died May 12, 2024. Over the next few months, the McAlester News-Capital is rerunning some of his more memorable Ramblin’ Round columns. This

EDITOR’S NOTE: Former Managing Editor James Beaty died May 12, 2024. Over the next few months, the McAlester News-Capital is rerunning some of his more memorable Ramblin’ Round columns. This

John F. Kennedy commands the PT-109 in the South Pacific in 1943, prior to the time the boat was struck by a Japanese destroyer. A song about Kennedy’s wartime experience became a hit for singer Jimmy Dean. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum | Public domain photo

EDITOR'S NOTE: Former Managing Editor James Beaty died May 12, 2024. Over the last few months, the McAlester News-Capital reran some of his more memorable Ramblin' Round columns.