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Between the trivia I've filed away for my long-awaited appearance on Jeopardy and my fond memories of high school are these pressing questions.
Forgive me, but there is a lot of room up there.
Question No. 1. Whatever happened to Colling and Gilbert?
Remember all those years we were inundated with commercials from Morgan, Colling & Gilbert: "For the people." Well, we're still hearing that slogan, but now the firm behind it is Morgan & Morgan.
Never fear. Colling and Gilbert are alive and operating a new firm out of the Orlando area: Colling, Gilbert & Wright. Stewart Colling says there were reasons he and Rob Gilbert, along with Melvin Wright, another former Morgan partner, left the practice, which specializes in personal injury cases.
"As the years went on, the size and public notoriety of the firm grew into something I had never envisioned, and frankly was never completely comfortable with," Colling said Monday. "We just wanted to start a firm and focus on quality over quantity."
John Morgan said his goal was to continue to expand the firm, and Colling and Gilbert were not interested. Morgan & Morgan, which is based in Orlando, recently opened new offices in Atlanta and Miami.
Both Morgan and Colling described the parting as amicable. Colling said he and Gilbert were not bought out or forced to leave.
Still, you have to imagine it wasn't an easy decision. After all, with offices in Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Miami and Atlanta, Morgan & Morgan is not hurting for business. Colling and Gilbert helped create the firm from the ground up. When they started it in 1988, it truly was Morgan, Colling & Gilbert.
"It would have been very easy to sit back and have that roll on, but Gilbert, Wright and I just weren't happy with the direction that firm had gone," Morgan said. "We could have done it and continued to make a good living, but we just wanted to get back to the basics."
Although the relatively new Colling, Gilbert & Wright is operating primarily in the Orlando area, Colling said they handle a number of personal injuries in the Tampa Bay area and could some day open an office in Tampa. They also have crafted their own television commercials, which are scheduled to start airing soon in this market.
Meanwhile, answering one question raises another: Who is the second Morgan in "Morgan & Morgan"? John Morgan said it's his wife, Ultima, whom he met in law school at the University of Florida.
"But my wife says, "After all these years, I've decided to let you have your name on the firm."'
Question No. 2. Why are the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue trucks yellow?
This one came from my 3-year-old daughter, who reasoned that fire trucks are supposed to be red.
Hillsborough Fire Rescue spokesman Ray Yeakley says there are two reasons. One, the yellow distinguishes county fire and rescue from the city of Tampa's red trucks. And, two, the yellow holds up better.
"That type of paint really withstands the elements," Yeakley explained. "It cuts down on the cost of having them repainted."
Question No. 3. Who plays Ronda Storms in the movie?
After rejecting a number of suggestions from colleagues, including Kathy Bates, Susan Lucci, Jessica Simpson and Meryl Streep (although Streep could play anybody), I've settled on Rachel Griffiths.
Griffiths has something of a fictional connection to Tampa Bay, having already played the wife of former Devils Rays pitcher Jim Morris in The Rookie .
And the name of the movie? Mean Girls II: The Wrath of Ronda .
Question No. 4. When will all the highway construction be done in the Tampa Bay area?
That's easy. Never.
That's all I'm saying.
--Ernest Hooper can be reached at 813 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com