Newspaper Page Text
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
A personal hero becomes a friend
Ever so often, life gives
you magic.
It steals a secret
dream that you’ve locked
quietly away in your heart
and conjures up the perfect
potion that turns it into
reality in the twinkling of
an eye.
That’s what happened to
me when I met an important
childhood hero.
Reg Murphy, one of the
most esteemed newspaper
men of the last half century,
grew up in my hometown.
At the age of six, 1 knew I
was going to be a newspaper
reporter. At the age of 10,
I found my role model for
that career in Mr. Murphy
who, at the impressive age
of 34, became the editor of
the South’s most influen
tial and largest newspaper,
the Atlanta Constitution. He
was the protege of the leg
endary editor Ralph McGill,
who hand-picked Murphy as
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!igi.
Angela and Dustin Ryan
Murphy, Ryan wedding
held in Jacksonville
Angela Lindsey Murphy
and Dustin Clyde Ryan
exchanged wedding vows on
Dec. 17, 2005, in a ceremony
at the First Baptist Church
of Jacksonville, Fla.
The bride is the daughter of
Rev. and Mrs. Timothy James
Murphy of Jacksonville. Her
grandparents are Tom and
Bettye Murphy , Arthur
and Waunita Lindsey, all of
Jacksonville.
The groom is the son of
the Rev. and Mrs. Terry
Lee Ryan of Orange Park,
Fla., and the grandson of
Caroline Little and the late
W.C. Little of Perry, Chris
Ryan and the late Lee Ryan
of Warner Robins.
The groom’s father offici
ated.
The bride was given in
marriage by her father. She
wore an original design,
hand-sewn by her aunt,
Jeanne Payne. Her gown
had an off-the-shoulder top
with a cathedral train. The
lace and beading designs on
the gown were hand-sewn.
She carried a bouquet of cas
cading white roses.
Attendants were Dayna
Gonzalez of Jacksonville,
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his successor.
When hoodlums kidnapped
him in 1974 and held him for
a king’s ransom of $700,000,
I, just a kid, was riveted to
the news reports and wor
ried silly.
The newspaper paid the
ransom and Murphy was
found stuffed in the trunk
of the car.
Safe and unharmed. I
breathed a sigh of relief. 1
didn’t want anything hap
pening to my hero.
To my sadness, Murphy
left Atlanta for the San
Francisco Examiner. Still, I
followed his career over the
years as he went to the top
job at the Baltimore Sun,
became president of the
U.S. Golf Association and
then President and CEO
of the prestigious National
Geographic. He was an
important inspiration to
me.
At a young age, I reasoned
sister of the bride; Suzanne
Sneed of Gainesville, Fla.,
Julie Adams of Jacksonville,
and Amanda Sneed of
Middleburg, Fla. Charis
Puckett of Augusta was
flower girl.
The bridesmaids’ dresses,
sewn by Betty Glisson, were
made of a light mauve satin
in a two-piece design.
Tyler Ryan of Orange Park,
Fla., brother of the groom,
was best man. Ushers were
Benjamin Owens, Devin
Knight, Larry Wise and Jacob
Swanson, all of Jacksonville;
Brent Blanchette of Orange
Park, Michael Murphy of
Gainesville, Fla., and B.J.
Everidge of Perry. Owen
Gonzales 111 was ring bear
er.
Music was provided by
Chuck Anno at the organ,
and by vocalists Owen
Gonzalez Jr., Pam Padgett,
Will Anthony and Jamie
Scottson.
A reception followed in the
church dining room.
Following a honeymoon
cruise to the Western
Caribbean, the Ryans
are making their home in
Jacksonville.
Ronda Rich
Columnist
that if he could find such
journalistic success com
ing out of my small home
town, I could find it, too. In
Mrs. Lovett’s seventh grade
English composition class, I
wrote an essay on the person
I most wanted to meet - Reg
Murphy.
I got an A on the paper
but never got the chance to
meet him.
Then I got what author
and former Good Morning,
BPS
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gsSBP*. •••!
Betty and Oscar Hovatter
Hovatters celebrate
50 th Anniversary
Betty Booth Hovatter and Oscar Hovatter celebrated
their 50th wedding anniversary recently. They were mar
ried on May 24, 1956. They celebrated on their anniversa
ry date with friends at the Swanson in Perry, and again on
the following Friday night at another local restaurant.
Betty Hovatter is the daughter of Izora Booth of Lenox,
and Oscar Hovatter is the son of Ike and Ruby Hovatter
of Moatsville, W. Va.
RAIL
From page 1A
as a group knew enough
Spanish to converse with
him. And once we were
able to talk with him his
entire personality and
demeanor changed. He
went from stoic to animat
ed as he laughed and joked
with all of us. What a cool
Italian man!
I must share the dreaded
thing that happened. You
are in a bus or truck and
you come upon an overpass
you’re not certain your
vehicle can clear. Well, John
m >
Remind your
neighbors to
recycle and
help pre
serve our
planet’s
natural
resources.
RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE R^CYCL^I
Recycling
just a little
I now can
make a big
difference
for future
generations.
LIFESTYLE
IP' ** n «|
■* ® BB "
America producer Squire
Rushnell calls a “God wink",
otherwise known as a divine
coincidence.
Before speaking at a lun
cheon at the Sea Palms
Resort on St. Simons Island,
Georgia, I was waiting at a
side door for a friend when
a lovely woman came in. A
compliment from me on her
hair - hair is part of the
essence of Southern woman
hood - began a casual con-
took us under an overpass
where the bus just barely
fit, and something hanging
down caught the top of the
bus and snagged us.
This during rush hour
in Pisa! He was able to
back out oh-so-slowly as
Erika climbed out of the
bus and re-directed traffic.
And with duct tape and a
short delay, we had it back
together and were on our
way. (You do know noth
ing is impossible as long
as you have duct tape and
WD-40?)
Until next week and the
final chapter on the trip to
Italy, Caio.
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Jr HEk
versation.
“I love your column,” she
said. “My husband and I
both enjoy it so much.”
Then, the woman named
Diana, commented, “My
husband is from your home
town.”
“Really? What’s his
name?”
“Reg Murphy.”
My eyes bugged out.
My mouth dropped. I was
speechless. Diana now says
that she didn’t know what
to think of the look on my
face. Meanwhile, I’m think
ing, “My hero, Reg Murphy?
He reads my column? And
he likes it?”
It couldn’t be.
I blinked and cleared my
throat. “Reg Murphy as
in Atlanta-Constitution-
Got-kidnapped-National-
Geographic-Reg-Murphy?”
She nodded and smiled.
“That’s right.”
Diana, an accomplished
g\ I '
BEST
From page 1A
last day to see the Cassatt
exhibition. Free with
Museum admission 478-
477-3232; www.masmacon.
com
AKC AGILITY DOG
SHOW
Watch pedigreed pups
show of their training at the
Atlanta Kennel Club’s dog
show. July 12 -16, starting
at Reaves Arena/Fairview
Room at 8 a.m. daily
JAZZ FRIDAY
Listen to some of Central
Georgia’s best jazz in a
smoke-free, nightclub
atmosphere. July 14: Jazz
Friday, 6 - 8 p.m. Macon
Museum of Arts & Sciences,
4182 Forsyth Rd., Macon.
The featured artist will
be LaChun Preston. Hors
d’oeuvres and drinks will
be on sale. Make reserva
tions for your children to
have fun in the activity
center by calling 477-3232,
extension 127. After this
month, Jazz Friday will be
presented on the second
Fridays of January, April,
July, and October. $5 for
adult members, $7 for adult
non-members, $4 per child
in the activity center. 478-
477-3232; www.masmacon.
com.
Jackie Whitley
1217-1 S. Houston Lake Road
Warner Robins, GA 31088
(478) 988-7960
www.cottonstatesinsurance.com
Jackie. Wh itley@cottonstates.com
SATURDAY, JULY 1, 2006
newspaper executive in her
own right, invited me to
their house on Sea Island
and there, I got the chance
of a lifetime. I got to meet
my hero.
There are many people
who own a piece of any suc
cess I have in life because
they mentored, encouraged,
taught or inspired me. Reg
Murphy is one of those and
I got to tell him that. And
since that time, he, Diana
and I have spent untold
hours in conversation, both
intellectual and just down
home. From both, I learn
and continue to be inspired.
And now, unbelievably, 1 call
my childhood hero some
thing even more important.
I call him a friend.
Ronda Rich is the best
selling author of What
Southern Women Know
(That Every Woman Should)
and The Town That Came
A-Courtin ’.
Robins AFB Gala
Auction
It’s the 21st year of fun
in one of the most enjoyable
evening events in Middle
Georgia. The big event will
be on July 15. Come for the
food, come for the auction,
come to meet your friends
or just come to pick out
your car! Admission cost:
One SSO raffle ticket admits
two to great food and a
wonderful night out, or pay
$25 per person if you prefer
not to participate in raffle.
Planned for the evening
will be: a Taste of Local
Cuisine with 30 Middle
Georgia Restaurants and
Caterers participating. You
can snack and graze from
6:30 to 8 p.m. There will be
an Open bar early evening
and a cash bar later on.
The silent auction begins
at 6:30 pm with more than
300 items for every taste
and interest, The live auc
tion begins at 8 p.m. with
trips, vacations, jewelry,
and, as a grand finale, an
auto raffle drawing at end
of the night’s live auction
There is also a raffle draw
ing with a maximum of
2000 tickets sold. Winner
gets choice of one vehicle
from among four vehicles
or $20,000 Cash; Second
Place—42 inch plasma TV;
Third Place—Apple IPOD
hi-fi system.
Contact Jimmy Autry,
988-3550 or 988-4636 for
further information.
Cotton
States
INSURANCE*
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