Note from the Author

I've made a decision. I've changed the title of the blog from "The He-Coon Walks" to simply "Walkin' Lawton." I believe the title of a blog and of a book has one purpose--to tell the reader in as few words as possible what is most important about the subject. And if a blog intends to build a readership for a book, it should promote the book title as soon as possible.

Governor Lawton Chiles boasted not one but two nicknames, "He-Coon" and "Walkin' Lawton." You might say three if you include "The Walking Senator." Some never even knew his name and probably never voted for him, but they knew him as that walkin' fella they kept seeing on the highway. And they liked him for that.

The choice of title is really a tug-of-war between those nicknames. As silly as it may sound, picking either one is an artistic choice that will change how people perceive this guy. I want folks to know foremost that his walk across Florida changed him in profound ways and changed Florida politics for the better. The "He-Coon" moniker came at the end of his career, more than twenty years after all of Florida knew him "Walkin' Lawton" and thirty years after Polk County knew Lawton Chiles from his door-knocking walkabout in Polk County. Even when journalists, voters, and politicians began to jokingly call Chiles the He-Coon, many still knew him fondly as Walkin' Lawton. The He-Coon legend existed before Chiles, rooted in Southern folklore. The late Florida Congressman Bob Sikes called himself "He-Coon," too. The walking mythology, however, was Lawton Chiles from start to finish.

"The He-Coon Walks" is a chapter in the story, but "Walkin' Lawton" must be the title. Please change your bookmarks and links as necessary. Thanks!