A newspaper is the glue that holds a community together

  • When I entered the business in 1971, one of the first newspaper families that I met were the Maxwells in Oglethorpe County. After graduating from the University of Georgia and a short time working elsewhere, Ralph Maxwell Jr. came home to eventually take over The Oglethorpe Echo from his father, Ralph Sr. Following Ralph’s stroke in recent years, he began to slow down. I was not surprised when he called to tell me of his plans to close the 147-year-old newspaper.
    When I entered the business in 1971, one of the first newspaper families that I met were the Maxwells in Oglethorpe County. After graduating from the University of Georgia and a short time working elsewhere, Ralph Maxwell Jr. came home to eventually take over The Oglethorpe Echo from his father, Ralph Sr. Following Ralph’s stroke in recent years, he began to slow down. I was not surprised when he called to tell me of his plans to close the 147-year-old newspaper.

    Three years ago, I got a Monday-afternoon phone call.

    Little did I know that 1,095 days ago my first crack at retirement—about 65 days—was over.

    Calling was my friend of a half-century, Ralph Maxwell, e…