Remembering a good friend
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
In the December edition of Real Estate Monthly (which will be available at area Realtors' offices and newsstands), it was heartening to read the column by president Josh Patton.
Josh references our longtime friend Bill Horne, who left us one year ago this week at a very young 70.
If you were fortunate enough to have known Bill, you would know that he was – both in spirit and in action – much younger than his years.
Bill's passing was an act as sudden and as swift as his decision-making process. Truth be told, he wouldn't have had it any other way.
One of Bill's fellow faculty members of Southern State Community College, Ken Shull, had this to say on the morning after Bill's death.
"Bill Horne was a problem solver. It was well known among the faculty, students and administration that if you had a problem, Bill was the go-to person. Bill had a teaching style that I have always admired. Like Aesop, he illustrated everything by telling a story."
That he did. He wrote his "last story," which Josh references, the morning before he died. If you haven't read it, read it.
Bill's wife, Connie Horne, placed an "In Memory" article in The Highland County Press this week and we thought it only fitting to place this on Page 5, the Bill Horne Memorial Editorial Page, where his columns often enlightened, sometimes enraged, and always entertained our readers.
I think of Bill often and always with fond memories.
For me, it's impossible not to think of him. I drive past his once secret hideaway (The Rocks) twice a day, every day, and his name has appeared in every single edition of The Highland County Press since we acquired it in September 2009. And as I told someone the other day, I keep expecting Bill to stop by for a cup of coffee and another story. Yes, I know, it is wishful thinking...
Many of you will recall that Bill was always giving away polished rocks (Ohio's gemstones). I've had one of his pyramid-shaped rocks for the last 10 years or so on my desk. Shortly after Bill's death, Pat Hays of WVNU fame stopped by with an unexpected gift: a framed collection from Bill's famous rocks. I've thanked Pat privately, but I'd like to take this occasion to thank him publicly as well. Thanks, Pat, for such a thoughtful consideration.
Bill could, as Mr. Shull said, tell a story.
He also might enjoy a drink once in a while. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
On one such evening at The Rocks last summer, Bill and I probably stayed out a little longer than Connie or Pam would have preferred. We were smoking cigars and carrying on about politics – his from the Left and mine from the Right – and it occurred to Bill that the two of us could have come to a compromise on the still-unresolved federal budget crisis in about two hours. I didn't believe him at first, but he convinced me.
I'm paraphrasing here, but Bill said something to the effect that, "This whole political process is not that complicated. All it takes is having two sides who trust each other and who have the guts to get the big-money lobbyists completely out of the equation. Remove those … (think donkey and aperture in a compound word) from the process and there's no reason that both sides can't give a little and settle this."
Could it really be that simple?
We'll probably never know. But we do know this, the debate goes on and not even a so-called "supercommittee" with the smartest lawmakers that money can buy has accomplished one damned thing to fix it.
Bill loved to teach. He was always teaching.
I was a guest in his college classroom three or four times. Once, I pretended to be a student, lacking a pen, pencil or notebook. I interrupted Bill's lecture by asking a real student for a piece of paper, then asking another student for a pen. (For the record, I was NOT an SSCC board member at the time.) Then, as I started to take notes, I interrupted him again, saying, "Wait a minute, Professor, I'm just an Old Hog Farmer, but this doesn't make any sense to me…"
He cracked up. So did I.
After introducing me to his class, Bill then challenged me on one topic and then another. I was outmatched. I think I told the class to pay attention to him and they'd get their money's worth at Southern State.
Southern State Community College President Dr. Kevin Boys didn't work with Professor Horne all that long, but the two of them wasted little time in getting acquainted.
"Bill was always a strong advocate for Southern State students and always challenged them to get involved in matters that affected them," Dr. Boys said. "I especially appreciated the opportunities that he provided to me to speak to his classes and hear directly from students about their experience at the college and what we could do to enhance that experience.
"Bill is one of the faculty members that alumni often ask about…'Is he still there?,' followed by some positive memory about him or his class."
I like to think Bill is "still there."
He's still a part of Southern State Community College (a scholarship has been established in his name). He's still a part of the Concord Township community. He's still a part of Jackson Township and The Rocks.
And he's still a part of many of us who were lucky to have enjoyed his friendship.
Rory Ryan is publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
Josh references our longtime friend Bill Horne, who left us one year ago this week at a very young 70.
If you were fortunate enough to have known Bill, you would know that he was – both in spirit and in action – much younger than his years.
Bill's passing was an act as sudden and as swift as his decision-making process. Truth be told, he wouldn't have had it any other way.
One of Bill's fellow faculty members of Southern State Community College, Ken Shull, had this to say on the morning after Bill's death.
"Bill Horne was a problem solver. It was well known among the faculty, students and administration that if you had a problem, Bill was the go-to person. Bill had a teaching style that I have always admired. Like Aesop, he illustrated everything by telling a story."
That he did. He wrote his "last story," which Josh references, the morning before he died. If you haven't read it, read it.
Bill's wife, Connie Horne, placed an "In Memory" article in The Highland County Press this week and we thought it only fitting to place this on Page 5, the Bill Horne Memorial Editorial Page, where his columns often enlightened, sometimes enraged, and always entertained our readers.
I think of Bill often and always with fond memories.
For me, it's impossible not to think of him. I drive past his once secret hideaway (The Rocks) twice a day, every day, and his name has appeared in every single edition of The Highland County Press since we acquired it in September 2009. And as I told someone the other day, I keep expecting Bill to stop by for a cup of coffee and another story. Yes, I know, it is wishful thinking...
Many of you will recall that Bill was always giving away polished rocks (Ohio's gemstones). I've had one of his pyramid-shaped rocks for the last 10 years or so on my desk. Shortly after Bill's death, Pat Hays of WVNU fame stopped by with an unexpected gift: a framed collection from Bill's famous rocks. I've thanked Pat privately, but I'd like to take this occasion to thank him publicly as well. Thanks, Pat, for such a thoughtful consideration.
Bill could, as Mr. Shull said, tell a story.
He also might enjoy a drink once in a while. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
On one such evening at The Rocks last summer, Bill and I probably stayed out a little longer than Connie or Pam would have preferred. We were smoking cigars and carrying on about politics – his from the Left and mine from the Right – and it occurred to Bill that the two of us could have come to a compromise on the still-unresolved federal budget crisis in about two hours. I didn't believe him at first, but he convinced me.
I'm paraphrasing here, but Bill said something to the effect that, "This whole political process is not that complicated. All it takes is having two sides who trust each other and who have the guts to get the big-money lobbyists completely out of the equation. Remove those … (think donkey and aperture in a compound word) from the process and there's no reason that both sides can't give a little and settle this."
Could it really be that simple?
We'll probably never know. But we do know this, the debate goes on and not even a so-called "supercommittee" with the smartest lawmakers that money can buy has accomplished one damned thing to fix it.
Bill loved to teach. He was always teaching.
I was a guest in his college classroom three or four times. Once, I pretended to be a student, lacking a pen, pencil or notebook. I interrupted Bill's lecture by asking a real student for a piece of paper, then asking another student for a pen. (For the record, I was NOT an SSCC board member at the time.) Then, as I started to take notes, I interrupted him again, saying, "Wait a minute, Professor, I'm just an Old Hog Farmer, but this doesn't make any sense to me…"
He cracked up. So did I.
After introducing me to his class, Bill then challenged me on one topic and then another. I was outmatched. I think I told the class to pay attention to him and they'd get their money's worth at Southern State.
Southern State Community College President Dr. Kevin Boys didn't work with Professor Horne all that long, but the two of them wasted little time in getting acquainted.
"Bill was always a strong advocate for Southern State students and always challenged them to get involved in matters that affected them," Dr. Boys said. "I especially appreciated the opportunities that he provided to me to speak to his classes and hear directly from students about their experience at the college and what we could do to enhance that experience.
"Bill is one of the faculty members that alumni often ask about…'Is he still there?,' followed by some positive memory about him or his class."
I like to think Bill is "still there."
He's still a part of Southern State Community College (a scholarship has been established in his name). He's still a part of the Concord Township community. He's still a part of Jackson Township and The Rocks.
And he's still a part of many of us who were lucky to have enjoyed his friendship.
Rory Ryan is publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]