I have never met a man named Festus in my entire life. Having grown up watching "Gunsmoke," I spent many a Saturday and later on Monday nights in front of the TV enjoying the adventures of Festus Haggen and the gang. Sure, Festus was scruffy and somewhat cantankerous, but he had a great moral compass and a good sense of humor. I would think someone would have liked the character and the name enough to name a child after Dillon's loveable deputy, but I guess that was not the case.
Opie is another name from my childhood that I have never come across in real life. My only exposure to the name was the cinnamon-haired son of Sheriff Andy Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show." I am a little more surprised Opie has not passed along in our naming conventions. I mean, Opie was smart, funny, kind and honest. He set a great example for children and was the apple of Aunt Bee's eye. Still, no one was impressed enough by Opie to name their offspring after him.
I have met a Darth before. He told me he was named after the evil character from the "Star Wars" movies. I am admittedly not a big "Star Wars" fan, but I do not recall a lot of redeeming characteristics about the Jedi who turned to the dark side.
I went to high school with a boy named Lucifer. He was a great person. Very charismatic and seemed to always have a smile on his face. For some reason, we all called him Luke. He did not keep his full name a secret I think it was just easier for us to call him Luke. Not sure, what Luke's parents were thinking when they branded him with Beelzebub's byline.
Is it an indictment on our society that we do not have more Gilligans or Shaggys? Although maybe not the brightest bulbs, they were loyal and true friends. Are those characteristics we no longer admire?
I think a few more Jugheads and Spocks could make the world a better place. When my 12-year-old daughter was born, I wanted to put my theory into practice. I wanted to name her Josie Wales Porter after the main character in the Clint Eastwood film "The Outlaw Josey Wales." Josie was a loving father and husband. He was loyal to his friends. He would even lay his life on the line for a group of people he just recently met. All very admirable characteristics that I would hope my daughter possesses.
I tried and tried to talk my wife into the name but it was a fruitless effort. I pointed out Josey's toughness and dedication to his family. I even told her that Josey's perseverance in the face of impossible odds was inspiring. It went nowhere. My wife just kept pointing out that over the course of the film Josey kills 55 people.
So ... there might be a slight flaw in my logic.