Last year, Bill Haltom and I wrote a book.

It was his idea. He said since we couldn’t shut up about our time at the University of Tennessee every time we’ve seen each other over the last half century — just ask our wives — we might as well write about it.

Turns out, it was about how college challenges, changes and marks you wherever you went. OK, and about how some of that marks you more.

I wrote this as the foreword of the book:

“Bill Haltom and I wrote this book together out of our shared experiences, out of our shared love for the place and the people we met, and out of the understanding that much of who we are and who we have become was as much grounded on The Hill as in the waters of the Mississippi, on whose banks we were both raised.”

Last Monday and Tuesday, the book came to life.