Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published Feb. 19, 2003

So what's new?

Do you accept the idea there is nothing new under the sun? I became a believer in that theory when I started doing research for the "Looking Back" column. Over and over, I found examples of long-forgotten stories being lived out again many years later. The first written recognition of this fact is found in Ecclesiastes with the words, "There is no new thing under the sun."

Just one such example was found in a fashion story that appeared in a January 1899 issue of the Chronicle. Oh yes, women here in this mountain town were interested in what was happening in the world of fashion, and the paper kept them informed with both stories and sketches from the centers of fashion in New York City and Paris.

The story began, "This is decidedly monogram season, and the very up-to-date woman amuses herself discovering how many ways and in how many different styles she can use her cherished monogram." We make a leap from January 1899 to January 2003 in a lengthy article headlined, "Customization puts your stamp on your style." The first sentence of the story read, "The new take on wearing a monogram is to forgo the initials of a fancy Frenchman and use your own instead."

The value-added services manager for Lands' End was interviewed for the story. She said they had seen a 21 percent increase in monogramming this year over 2001 and continued, "We'll try monogramming just about anything. If a customer asks for it and we didn't think about it before, we'll try it."

Marie Antoinette's milliner is remembered for her wise words spoken in the late 1700s. "There is nothing new except what has been forgotten."

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There are a few little news items you may have missed over the past few weeks. Everyone knew Feb. 14 was St. Valentine's Day, but did you know it was the 83rd anniversary of the League of Women Voters? Founded on that date in 1920 by members of the National American Women Suffrage Association, it is a nonpartisan political organization. Their mission has always been to encourage informed active participation of citizens on government by increasing understanding of major public policy issues and to influence public policy through education and advocacy. A belated happy birthday to the organization.

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Our Dell Dude, Chattanooga native Ben Curtis, has experienced a bump in his career. First his Dell commercials took a hit when the company turned to a group of so-called Dell interns to do the commercials.

Those early Dude commercials had a double Tennessee connection. Former Knoxville resident Scott Helbring, who was an executive with Whittle Communications, became vice president of global brand strategy at Dell Communication. He created the character in the "Dude, you're gettin' a Dell" advertising campaign. Helbring has close ties with UT and established a scholarship fund for minority students majoring in advertising at UT.

But back to Ben Curtis, the Dell Dude. Last week, he appeared in court on a charge of buying a small bag of marijuana. The 22-year-old faced three months in jail, but the judge ruled that if he stayed out of trouble for a year, the case would be dismissed and his record cleansed.

There is no new thing under the sun!

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.