Jimmy Rane
June 2025
I know we all miss T. Larry Smith and his contributions to the HCHG and to The Orator. As our organization continues to adjust to the loss of our county’s long-time historian, I want to especially thank David Hunter for doing us the tremendous favor of stepping in as editor until a permanent arrangement could be made. Not only do we all owe David a huge debt of gratitude for his work on the Orator, but he has also gone above and beyond the call of duty to smooth the transition to a new team and help them get up to speed. I simply can’t say enough about how grateful I am to David, and I know all of you share my sentiments.
The future of the Orator will be in the capable hands of several team members from Great Southern Wood, who will be devoting their time to the HCHG. Emily Long was unanimously approved by the HCHG board of directors to assume the role of editor of The Orator, effective with this issue, and she will also oversee the HCHG website. Emily is GSW’s Director of Digital Marketing, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Memphis. Outside of her professional career, Emily enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and managing the Helen James Foundation, her family’s foundation dedicated to giving back to the community.
Cassidy Jones, GSW Communications Assistant, will provide the layout and production of the newsletter. Cassidy is a graduate of the University of South Alabama, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Marketing Management. She also completed an MBA and the MBA Accelerated Program at South. James Riley, GSW’s Chief Communications Officer, will also be assisting the team in producing our newsletter. James has been with GSW since 1996 and will be familiar to many members of the HCHG.
As another step forward in this transition, the board elected Mac Davis of Headland as Vice President to fill Larry’s vacant position, and we are looking forward to his contributions. Not only do we appreciate Mac, David, and the new editorial and production team, I also want to thank all of you who add so much to the Orator through your articles, your participation and your membership. You continue to make the HCHG a shining example of citizens working together to preserve local history.
Of course, preparing the next generation to keep our work going couldn’t be more important, and our annual recognition, the T. Larry Smith Young Historian Award, is our effort to nurture future contributions from the youth in our community. I want to congratulate Bailey Watford, Kittrell Quinlivin and Mackenzie Nasworthy for being selected as this year’s winners.
I’m sure you will all agree that Henry County is a special place, and I think our unique qualities begin with the name itself. I had the extraordinary privilege in March to be part of an event at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, that commemorated 250 years since our namesake, Patrick Henry, delivered his famous speech, which he concluded with the memorable challenge, “Give me liberty or give me death.” In light of the anniversary of this event, along with our nation’s preparation to celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, you’ll see a good bit in this newsletter about Patrick Henry. We hope you enjoy learning more about this American patriot.
Please mark your calendars for the 2025 Annual Meeting, which will be held on Saturday, August 2 in the GSW Conference Center, and I look forward to seeing you there.
Thank you for all you do.
Jimmy Rane
