Saying goodbye to a hero

Larry O. Glass has passed away.  I am so grateful that the Glass family was the first to begin publishing my weekly column back in 2014, which led to several more papers picking it up.  Without Larry and Faye, it might never have gotten off the ground.  I am also thankful that Larry allowed me to write for his paper when I was just a kid.  Again, that opened many doors, and created many possibilities for me.  

In 2015, I wrote a column for Larry’s paper, without his prior knowledge, that served as my appreciation for his amazing life and career.  Please allow me to share it with you now.

“My Salute To Larry” (2015)

The North Jackson Progress has been kind enough to publish my column for a year now, and I appreciate it!  This newspaper allows me to write about whatever is on my mind, so we’ve covered a lot of ground together.

We’ve shared happy stories, sad stories, and a lot of memories.  It’s fun to reminisce about growing up in the family store in Bryant, and my life in radio and television.  On occasion, I’ve written about heroes of mine, including some great teachers, elected officials, and broadcasters.

So, on this first anniversary of my column, allow me to shine the spotlight on a fine fellow who is responsible for starting my career in journalism.  I’m talking about the one and only Larry O. Glass.

I remember the first time Larry visited our store, talking my dad into buying an ad in the North Jackson Community News.  It was a brand new newspaper, Larry told us, and it would originate in Stevenson.  His goal was to cover Stevenson, Bridgeport, and the northern Sand Mountain communities.

In 1970, when Larry was just starting out, there were two newspapers in Jackson County, both based in Scottsboro.  Larry said his newspaper would give our end of the county more localized news coverage than the Scottsboro papers could provide.  I piped up and said something about how my school, North Sand Mountain, almost never got any coverage in the papers.

Larry then said the words that would change my life: “Do you want to be my North Sand Mountain area correspondent?”  Let’s just say he didn’t have to twist my arm.

I was only 13, and for some reason, my dad had bought me a Suzuki 100 motorcycle a year earlier.  So I was already an experienced (and most definitely illegal) driver along Highways 71 and 73, and their various side roads.  I had a Polaroid camera capable of taking newspaper-ready black-and-white photos.

I loved reading every newspaper and magazine I could get my hands on, and had written plenty of articles for the Bryant and NSM school papers.  So as far as Larry and I were concerned, I was qualified to be a reporter, and I had wheels.

Next, we negotiated the terms of my contract.  Well, not really.  He told me he would pay me ten cents per column inch, and fifty cents per picture.  Keep in mind, this is when gas was thirty cents a gallon, and candy bars were a dime, so this was a financial windfall.  I was now an official reporter.  This granted me free access to high school football games, and it gave me an excuse to get out of the store every now and then.  “Dad, I have to go cover a story!  Ebenezer Baptist Church just got a new pastor, and I have to take his picture!”

So, off I went on my trusty motorcycle, covering every business that opened, every 50^th wedding anniversary, and even a bank robbery.  If it happened in Bryant, Higdon, or Flat Rock, I was on the scene.  It was a great opportunity to meet new people, and to practice the journalistic skills I use even today.  Plus, my name was in the paper, at the beginning of my stories, or under each photo that I took.  That’s a pretty big thrill for a 13-year old kid!

On top of that, Larry started something new and exciting, which continues to this day.  When I showed him a copy of our smeary, mimeographed school newspaper, he said, “We can do better than this.”  It was eight pages of typewritten paper, and there were no pictures.

He said, “I’ll print your school paper, and it will look like a real newspaper, with plenty of pictures.  I’ll sell the ads, and your school can sell the papers.”  Suddenly, “The Thundering Herd” looked like an actual newspaper.  He did the same thing for other area schools, and it’s still a great part of this newspaper.

By 1977, there were various changes in the ownership of the area newspapers and printing presses, and Larry’s newspaper became an independent venture called “The North Jackson Progress.”  It was a risky move, and more than a few people said, “He’ll never make it.”  But hard work pays off, and no one I know works harder than Larry Glass.  Through various physical limitations and illnesses, and with the help of his wonderful family (especially wife Faye), Larry still meets those deadlines, twice a week.

Larry, thank you for including me in your newspaper.  You are a great role model, and you have inspired us all with your integrity and your work ethic.

In June 2018, I was among a large group of Glass family friends who gathered in Stevenson to honor Larry and Faye, as the city hosted a special day in their honor.  I’m so thankful we were all able to tell Larry and Faye how much they meant to us personally, and to the community they served.  Faye died later that year, and Larry’s health soon declined. They just don’t make ’em like that any more.