A well-deserved tribute to one of Greenfield's finest

Paul Orr, without question, is one of Highland County's finest citizens, to say nothing of what I like to affectionately call a "true character."

As we reported earlier today, Paul celebrated his 90th birthday Monday afternoon in Judge Robert Judkins' courtroom in Highland County Court/Madison Township.

The love and affection on display today for Ohio's oldest active court bailiff were evident.

Paul's wife of 65 years, Evelyn, was in attendance as were three of their four adult children.

After a luncheon prepared by longtime Greenfield City Council Member Betty Jackman (she gave the credit to everyone else, but the Judge thanked her!), County Court Judge Robert Judkins and Greenfield Police Chief Tim Hester made the formal presentations to Paul.

Someone may have observed that Bob and Tim pretty much lost control from then on. Paul's sense of humor soon took over. (And, yes, I laughed – but took no offense – when he momentarily confused me with another local newspaperman by the name of Jeff Gilliland. I am The King at confusing people and getting names wrong.)

Coach Orr and Coach Otis Wagner probably had some of the more interesting tales to tell from football wars gone by, but it was clear that both were trying to hold back. Just a little!

At one point during Coach Wagner's story of an early 1980s SCOL football game between McClain and Wilmington, I stopped taking notes. For our younger readers, 1982 or '83 may seem like a long time ago. But for the rest of us, well, let's just say that there may be a high school official or two out there with a very good memory.

Maybe a measure of discretion is in order to "protect the innocent," shall we say.

On a more serious note, State Rep. Cliff Rosenberger provided the following House proclamation for Paul, as read by Greenfield Police Chief Tim Hester:

"Your birthday serves as a reminder of the love and affection your family and friends have for you, and it is also a time when you can reflect on the many and varied events of your life and take pride in your accomplishments and your contributions to the community.

"Among your endeavors, you are a retired employee of McClain High School, where you held such posts as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal, and a former superintendent for the Fairfield School District and bailiff for Highland County Court, where you served for 30 years, and you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have set an example of service and achievement worthy of emulation.

"A devoted husband to your wife, Evelyn, and a loving father to your four children, Jim, John, Jamie and Paula, you have willingly shared your energy and abilities with your friends and family, and you have clearly shown the potential of individuals to have a positive effect on the quality of life in our society while enriching the lives of everyone who has known you over the years. Diligent and painstaking in all of your endeavors, you have always used your talents to the benefit of those around you, and you are deserving of high praise.

"Thus, with great pleasure, we congratulate you on your 90th birthday and salute you as a fine Ohioan."

Very well stated, Rep. Rosenberger.

Thank you, Paul, for your decades of community service. And thank you for these wonderful words of wisdom you shared this afternoon:

"Stay active. Stay active physically. And stay active mentally. Be involved with people. As you get older, you have a tendency to isolate yourself sometimes. Being involved with other people is very important."

Good advice, indeed.

Once again, Happy Birthday, Paul. Today's ceremony was a very nice tribute from people to whom you mean a great deal. Hope to see you in 10 years for your 100th birthday and 40th anniversary at Highland County Court.

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• Seeing former McClain football Coach Otis Wagner today brought a rush of memories for this former high school sportswriter.

We were both speaking with Greenfield City Manager Ron Coffey this morning while court was still in session. Ron asked if we knew one another. I knew the coach from interviewing him in the fall of 1990. The coach had no reason to remember me. (By the way, coaching must be a stressful job. Coach Wagner looked younger today than when he coached 23 years ago!)

As I recall, we met at the McClain field house and we were introduced by former McClain coach and sportswriter John Wend. John used to introduce me to a lot of coaches when I first started out. I suspect he did the same for many of us in this business.

Those professional courtesies and favors are always appreciated and remembered. And, yes, I can attest that HCP sports editor Stephen Forsha feels the same way about John Wend.

Most recently, John has been the public address announcer and a public relations official with the Chillicothe Paints, while continuing to man the PA at many McClain ballgames.

Coach Wagner mentioned briefly that John's health has not been good, of late.

By the time I returned to The HCP office around 2 p.m. today, I had received a number of emails asking about John's health.

I am told that John is battling the effects of pneumonia and, as of this morning, remained hospitalized. The Paints may have additional information on their website at www.chillicothepaints.com.

Meanwhile, please do John a favor. Say an extra prayer for John and his family.

I know John will not be happy with me if he reads this, but he really is one of the good guys from the good old days of newspaper journalism. In fact, I used to try and imitate his famous "From the Press Box" style of sportswriting.

Get well soon, John. We all need you to be barking "Touchdown Tigers" in a few weeks.

Rory Ryan is publisher of The Highland County Press.