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Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009 in Local

Photo by Jeffrey Leo

Billy Thomasson, president of The Times-Herald, shows the plaque from the city and county to his wife, Marianne. Applauding are Frances Carlisle, Marianne Thomasson’s mother, and Atlanta columnist Jim Wooten.

Thomassons honored for community service

By News Staff

The Times-Herald

Billy and Marianne Thomasson were feted Tuesday night at a gathering that included laughter, poignant moments, a tribute to the family's longtime service in journalism and an affirmation of the future of the newspaper.

The appreciation dinner for the Thomassons was a fundraiser for the local American Red Cross. Community leader Don Chapman organized the event, which brought about 225 people to the Coweta County Fairgrounds.

The evening included comments about Billy Thomasson, president of The Times-Herald, and his wife, vice president of the newspaper. Mike Steed, a longtime friend of the couple and a former columnist, was master of ceremonies for the evening -- punctuating the program with quips and funny stories about the honorees. The dinner also included an occasional coo from another head table guest, Charlie Neely. The 3-month-old, grandson of the Thomassons, spent most of the program sitting contentedly in the lap of his mother, Beth Thomasson Neely.

"The newspaper business is in a lot of trouble," observed Jim Minter, longtime editor of The Atlanta Journal. He said that he looked at The Times-Herald's Web site -- "which is very good" -- before making his trip to Newnan.

Reflecting on the local newspaper's long history, Minter mused, "I wonder if in 10, 20 or 100 years from now, there are going to be any newspapers like The Times-Herald." He said observers have said a newspaper can survive the Internet and bad management -- but not at the same time.

"In Newnan, you've got good management," Minter said. He predicted "the local newspaper is going to be the newspaper of tomorrow."

"We will not only survive this recession -- we will be better for it," Mrs. Thomasson said. "Newnan continues to be the best place in the world to live, work and raise a family."

"The most fun thing I've ever done is to be part of a newspaper here in Newnan," Thomasson said. He expressed thanks to the newspaper's employees and readers.

Steed and the Thomassons noted their reluctance to be honored. "The community certainly embraced the idea" of honoring "this great community newspaper and its owners," Steed said.

"Billy and I don't understand why we were honored for doing our jobs or hiring the very best people and having the finest readers in the world," Mrs. Thomasson said.

Also speaking were Jim Wooten, who has just retired as a columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Robin Rhodes, executive director of the Georgia Press Association; Sheila Davis, executive director of the local American Red Cross chapter; and Chapman.

Wooten joked that it was unusual for so many people to honor someone while they're still alive. Minter observed that when he was running a newspaper, "All I ever got was people cussing me and complaining."

Minter also joked that he was writing a book called "Everything I Know, But I'm Afraid To Tell." He told Marianne Thomasson he would leave her out of the book for $100, which prompted her to retrieve her purse from under the table.

On a more serious note, Minter told the audience he was proud to have spent so much of his journalistic career "in the company of the people you're honoring tonight."

Chapman represented the county's many nonprofits and talked about being at a statewide board meeting for a community organization and hearing people from all over the state talk about the scarcity of press coverage. "If we owned the newspaper, we couldn't get better stories," he said.

Davis thanked those attending for their donations to the Red Cross -- promising "everything you give will be used right here in Coweta County."

Wooten spoke of serving with Marianne Thomasson on the Georgia Press Association board and of his long friendship with the Thomassons. "Everybody should be lucky enough to have one or two friends like them," he said.

Rhodes spoke of Billy Thomasson's lineage -- he is a fourth generation newspaperman. She also talked about the couple's contributions to the journalism world. "Their reach extends far beyond Newnan and Coweta County," she said.

She spoke of Billy Thomasson as "the E.F. Hutton" of GPA -- someone who rarely speaks but has the attention of everyone when he does because his statement is "going to be important, profound or funny."

Rhodes also noted Marianne Thomasson is one of only two women to serve as president of GPA. "You're so lucky to have them," she said.

Minter spoke of his work with Lewis Grizzard, the humorist who grew up in Moreland, at the Atlanta newspaper. He noted that Grizzard had earlier worked for The Times-Herald. "So the Thomasson family does have some responsibility" for Grizzard, he said.

"When you sent Lewis along to us, you sent us a good one," Minter said.

County Commission Chairman Paul Poole presented a plaque to the Thomassons on behalf of Coweta County and the city of Newnan. The plaque featured an inscribed glass over a piece of gray slate.

The "Community Service Award" recognized the Thomassons for "leadership, commitment and service to Newnan/Coweta County by continuing journalism's finest traditions -- publishing a locally owned, locally operated daily newspaper regarded both state and nationally as an outstanding journalism leader."

The plaque also stated that -- through the newspaper -- the Thomassons have served the community and "helped Newnan and Coweta County enjoy tremendous growth and economic prosperity."

The signatures of Poole and Newnan Mayor Keith Brady, who could not attend the dinner because of a city responsibility, were at the bottom of the plaque. "An active, involved local newspaper is a vital part of the whole community," Poole stated.

A poignant moment near the end of the program came when Marianne Thomasson introduced her longtime friend, Linda Cunard. As Cunard stood, Mrs. Thomasson told the crowd that Jesse Cunard, her friend's son, had been deployed to Afghanistan on Tuesday. A standing ovation followed.

Winston Skinner, assistant news editor at the newspaper and pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church near Alvaton, said the blessing and closed the program with a benediction.