Going through some files this chilly, rainy morning, I ran
across a note I sent, back in 1997 to the late John Woodruff, my longtime
friend and editor. Oh, that unleashed some remembrances of things wonderful
and good.
Arkansas has produced some fine people over the years, none
finer than John. He was a beat reporter for the old Arkansas Gazette before it was killed off in our newspaper war. He
then moved over to edit City and Town, the
official magazine of the Arkansas Municipal League. There, he was my editor for
several years before his death from cancer in 2007.
They’ve named an annual award after him at the League, It
has a fancy name but it simply goes to a fine person connected with Arkansas
cities.
I had known him for years before he became my editor. In
fact, in 1980, we ran a marathon together. We were part of “downtown
group,” living in Little Rock’s Quapaw Quarter. As neighbors, we spent many a happy
hour in earnest talk aimed at diverting the agonies of long-distance running. That
isn’t surprising. Digging out the best in life often requires pain.
In addition to his journalistic skills, John was quite a
storyteller. Before cancer took him, he told me once about being a cub reporter
for the magnificent Gazette—how he
would return from a night meeting and file his piece just before deadline.
Then, he and the others would relax at their desks and wait for the old Gazette
building on Louisiana Street to begin vibrating as the presses started up for
the first edition. He smiled at the thought. As I watch it rain outside, I smile, and can almost feel the building tremble and smell the printer’s ink. One can’t
buy a treasure in life like having known John Woodruff.
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| R.I.P John ... You aren't forgotten. |
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