"Where did you get that name from...?"

At least two ladies in church asked me that question today. In one form or another we've been asked that since his birth. My favorite variant by far has been, "C'mon now, what did you really name him?" He doesn't have a namesake per se, but if he ever tires of answering that question we'll let him choose from a diverse yet solid short list:

Booker T. Washington: Known philanthropist, educator, and social activist.

Booker T: Six-time world champion: five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion (four times in WCW and once in WWE), one-time World Heavyweight Champion, native Houstonian, and known anabolic steroid user.

Booker T. Jones (second from left): Grammy-winning musician, producer, frontman of the M.G.'s, and one of a select few able to work the velour without an undershirt. I highly recommend the Melting Pot and Green Onions albums.

In answering the query of the dear ladies I went the well-traveled route with something like "Oh we just liked it," which is, incidentally, the truth. But the better question that they--along with past, present, and eventual inquisitors--should be asking themselves is not why our son's name is Booker, but why theirs isn't.