What an honor it was to speak at the Roy Hardee Memorial Press Conference - a not so solemn occasion marking the many adventures of one legendary news man. A special thanks to Roy's son Lee for taking note of something I wrote and allowing me to voice it to the Hardee faithful. No, Toastmasters won't be calling, but I did leave the podium feeling better about the debt I owe my very first News Director. Roy, of course, would have shrugged the whole thing off had more than his spirit been in attendance. As it was, he probably had to bite his tongue as his legion of descendants, proteges and rabid admirers gathered to chat about the man whose very name meant News for no less than fifty years.
Naturally, it was something of a reunion. A Park Station era Channel Nine crowd showed up en force: There was Lori Scott - the woman who suckered me into minimum wage servitude back in 1989. Farm News elder John Spence brought his memories, baritone and supply of smart-ass remarks. Thomas Cormier and I chuckled over that day we jumped out of a mostly okay airplane. Woody Spencer materialized, told me 'these aren't the droids you're looking for' and vanished. Neal Fox and I toasted to the hard time we served together in Chocowinity. And a still quite fetching Johnna Miller told me how Roy's silent assurances filled her with confidence early in her career...Explains all those times she kicked MY butt.
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