Phil Major

To say that Larry is loved and respected does not begin to do justice to what he truly has meant to so many.

This week, a feature story on our own Larry Tucker notes the official announcement of his retirement.

It was not planned, but something that developed over the last several months as health issues decided to take charge of Larry’s path in life.

That’s a real shame because his passion for Quitman and for covering the news and sports has never diminished. His body just decided not to cooperate.

He has reminded us of that old line, “If I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself.”

I know the call he made to officially announce his departure must have been a difficult one, and I know that even though the inevitability seemed palpable, I was still not quite prepared for it – not quite sure how to respond.

To say that Larry is loved and respected does not begin to do justice to what he truly has meant to so many.

A couple of esteemed indicators include being named the chamber’s man of the year and the grand marshal for the Pilot Club chili cook-off a few years back.

To say that Larry is a character is to help define that term.

And that has made him uniquely suited to cover some of the Wood County characters over the years featured in our pages – some less than willingly.

While we have an official staff meeting every week to go over the next week’s edition, Larry and I have had an unofficial pre-meeting most weeks when I delivered papers to Quitman.

Conversations ranged from the local news and its characters to our mutual loves of music and sports, and sometimes other topics, such as politics – strictly off the record, perhaps an epithet or two thrown in.

Finding common ground helped us develop a relationship that has been so much more than boss and employee.

Occasionally we found places where our paths crossed in the past, unknowingly, further cementing that commonality that helped the relationship to thrive.

Each of us believes the other should write a book, and hopefully we will spare the world of that burden.

Too many old news folks think they have a book in them, but few really have something that interesting to say. It’s coffee shop fodder at best.

We won’t replace Larry, because, really, how could we. No one could fill that encyclopedic void.

We are working to get the gaps filled, especially when it comes to the Quitman schools and sports. (If you know anyone….)

I know many of you will join us in congratulating Larry for all he has done for this community, much of it behind the scenes, and send along best wishes that his recuperation goes well enough that he might make it back to the sidelines some day, even if just as a spectator.

As they say, you can’t keep a good man down.