Skip to content
The Wagon Maker

The Wagon Maker

  • Family
  • Miscellaneous
  • PersonalExpand
    • Childhood & Adolescence
    • Youth
    • Adulthood
    • Age
  • Politics
  • Religion & Spirituality

The Wagon Maker
The Wagon Maker

Youth

18 – 30 years of age

  • Unbeaten: The 1964 Madison Football Dodgers – the Season That Changed Everything
    Youth

    Unbeaten: The 1964 Madison Football Dodgers – the Season That Changed Everything

    ByWayne Willis August 15, 2025August 15, 2025

    The Madison High School football team of 1964—anchored by the Class of 1965, supported by underclassmen, and guided by an extraordinary coaching staff—achieved something no Dodger team had ever done: They finished a season undefeated and untied.

    It wasn’t an easy road. The path was marked by critical injuries, dramatic turning points, and pressure-packed moments that could fill a TV miniseries. Yet this team endured, pushed forward, and triumphed—bound by a commitment to each other, their coaches, their families, and their town.

    This is their story—told through contemporaneous newspaper accounts, surviving game films, and the firsthand recollections of the players who lived it. It is dedicated to their teammates, including those who are no longer with us. It is a story of teamwork, perseverance, and shared will.

    Read More Unbeaten: The 1964 Madison Football Dodgers – the Season That Changed EverythingContinue

  • Personal | Youth

    Ft. Myers – September To December 71

    ByWayne Willis September 11, 2011March 10, 2018

    The Redpaths had let us use the guest house in Ft. Myers Beach for a couple of the fall months as a sort of honeymoon present. The small, one-bedroom cottage was a great place to relax, cook, sort out our domestic roles, discuss the future we wanted (which, in retrospect SHOULD have been done earlier…

    Read More Ft. Myers – September To December 71Continue

  • Personal | Youth

    Fort Meyers Beach, James M.S. Johnson

    ByWayne Willis August 29, 2011March 10, 2018

    I was introduced to Fort Myers Beach, Florida, by the Redpaths, who had a family house, guesthouse and garage there, on a property that was right on the beach. I have visited them many times there during their wintertime visits (aka “snowbirds” heading south for the winter), my first visit being in March of 1970,…

    Read More Fort Meyers Beach, James M.S. JohnsonContinue

  • Personal | Youth

    On The Road … For Self-Discovery

    ByWayne Willis August 27, 2011January 25, 2018

    After the wedding, reception and honeymoon in July of 1971, I took a “leave of absence” from the New Haven Police and set off on a long road trip with Steph.  I had NO IDEA what I wanted to do “when I grew up.”   I knew the PD wasn’t for me, and I no…

    Read More On The Road … For Self-DiscoveryContinue

  • Adulthood | Age | Business | Childhood & Adolescence | Family | Miscellaneous | Personal | Politics | Religion & Spirituality | Youth

    Inaugural Post – Why Do This

    ByWayne Willis April 2, 2010January 25, 2018

    I thought it would useful for me to outline what I want to accomplish by making this blog. I plan to start taking a more public profile — professionally and personally.   Some of that will be on existing sites — LinkedIn (for professional bio and recommendations);  Facebook (for friends, who will see a broader…

    Read More Inaugural Post – Why Do ThisContinue

© 2025 The Wagon Maker - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP

  • Family
  • Miscellaneous
  • Personal
    • Childhood & Adolescence
    • Youth
    • Adulthood
    • Age
  • Politics
  • Religion & Spirituality