Obituary of Ronald Mack Woodgeard
Ronald Mack Woodgeard, editorial page editor and former managing editor and Capitol bureau chief of The Macon Telegraph, died Monday morning at his home following a lengthy illness.
Woodgeard, 56, battled a rare form of cancer for more than 10 years.
Born July 4, 1946, in Columbus, Ohio, Woodgeard was a writer, editor and columnist for the Telegraph for more than 25 years. He was a self-described political junkie who was fascinated by government and the political process.
His coverage of state government and the annual legislative sessions in the late 1970s and early 1980s fired his passion for writing about politics and public policy issues that became the linchpin of a career's worth of columns and editorials.
Woodgeard also was intrigued by investigative reporting, an interest that evolved from a job he held before joining the newspaper. From 1970 to 1972, Woodgeard had been a private investigator for Pinkerton's Inc.
"Private detectives are also in the information business. They just work for fewer clients," he wrote in a July 2001 column that was a rare foray into his own history.
Woodgeard joined the Telegraph as a copy editor in 1976 and rapidly advanced to assistant city editor and, in November 1978, to chief of the newspaper's Capitol bureau.
As a new political reporter during the 1979 legislative session, Woodgeard zestfully invested long hours in his mission to inform readers of the doings under the Capitol dome. His accuracy and even-handed reporting quickly earned him the respect of the politicians whose activities he recorded daily.
"Ron was a true professional of the old school. He was thorough in his research, and in his news articles he was always objective," said Sen. Zell Miller, who was the state's lieutenant governor when Woodgeard went to Atlanta and later a two-term governor.
"Later when Ron became an editorial writer he could skewer you with the best of them," Miller said. "He will be sorely missed."
Retired 8th District Rep. J. Roy Rowland of Dublin arrived on the state political scene about the same time Woodgeard did. Rowland served three terms in the Georgia House, from 1979 to 1983, before serving six terms in Washington.
"Ron was one heck of a guy," Rowland said. "He knew who were the straight shooters and who weren't; he knew who was bulling him and who was not."
Rowland said that even before he met Woodgeard, he had noticed the intense young reporter with the slender build, distinctive blue eyes and mop of curly brown hair. Rowland said he quickly learned to respect Woodgeard's ethics and reporting skill.
"There are some reporters you feel comfortable with, some you can talk openly with, and I put Ron in that category," Rowland said. "I felt that his reporting was always balanced and fair."
Gov. Roy Barnes said he respected Woodgeard as a man of strong opinions who was nevertheless willing to consider opposing points of view.
"He did not mind saying exactly what he thought, but he was always fair," Barnes said. "You could discuss things with him, and occasionally he would change his mind. I was quite fond of him, and I certainly regret his passing."
Georgia House Speaker Tom Murphy described Woodgeard as "a good guy" and "always fair."
"He was always just as square as he could be with me," Murphy said. "He called it like he saw it, but he would give you a chance to tell your side of the story."
House Majority Leader Larry Walker recalled that Woodgeard's legislative reporting was "always fair and accurate."
"I never thought in all the years I dealt with him that he ever misrepresented anything I said or took unfair advantage," Walker said.
During his Atlanta stint, Woodgeard forged a lasting friendship with Associated Press political reporter Dick Pettys. Pettys, who has covered the state Capitol since 1970, said Woodgeard was " a great reporter, a great writer and a fine friend."
"And I'm going to miss him," Pettys said.
Woodgeard was promoted to managing editor of the Telegraph in January 1982. Following the 1983 merger of the Telegraph and the afternoon Macon News, he became managing editor/news for the combined paper.
That same year, Woodgeard was named journalism alumnus of the year by Georgia State University, where he had earned a bachelor of arts in journalism in 1974.
He held the managing editor's position until 1997, supervising sports, business, city and state news, the copy desk and correspondents in the state and in Washington. He defined local news as "any story local readers are interested in and talking about."
A significant event of those years was the 1985 award of a Pulitzer Prize to Telegraph reporters Randall Savage and Jackie Crosby. The two won journalism's highest award for their investigation of the handling of scholarship athletes' academic deficiencies at the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech.
As managing editor/news, Woodgeard supervised the project. Writing later in a private paper that the project was a highlight of his career, he added, characteristically, "I'm aware that this business is not all about prizes, but good, daily work that supports the paper and the community."
Woodgeard became editorial page editor in 1999 and supervised a staff of three in producing the daily editorial and op-ed pages, plus the Saturday Perspectives page.
In a July 2001 column, Woodgeard set out his thoughts concerning the mission of the press.
"Newspaper editors used to think that the simple presentation of the previous day's events was good enough. Not so any longer," he wrote. "Our job is to look ahead of the news and to explain what it means, at least as far as we're able to discover it. We are advocates for community betterment and not just watchdogs."
Houston County's Rep. Walker said he didn't always agree with Woodgeard's views.
"But I thought he had a unique way of saying things that people could relate to," Walker said.
Macon Telegraph President and Publisher Jeanie Enyart, who sits on the editorial board, said she quickly learned that Woodgeard had the trust of the community's leaders.
"He had the connections and the respect of the community, the politicians and the advocates, and he could get them in to talk to the editorial board," Enyart said. "In the two years I worked with him, I liked him. He could come across as an old curmudgeon - sometimes I thought he wanted us to think he was an old curmudgeon. But he wasn't. Under the surface, he was an absolute marshmallow of a human being.
"He liked people, was fiercely loyal to people. He deeply cared about them and always wrote and worked for their best interest."
Woodgeard wrote frequently on health care issues, a subject in which he was understandably intensely interested. More than 10 years ago, doctors had discovered a small malignancy in one of his nasal passages.
Over the ensuing decade, Woodgeard underwent four courses of radiation, three of chemotherapy and at least 15 major and minor surgeries.
"I've had so many recurrences that I've lost count," he wrote in a column published May 5. "The last time I got through a recurrence, I bought a Superman golf shirt at Underground Atlanta to celebrate. I should have worn it more often."
In that column, headlined "I'm not giving up yet," Woodgeard told readers that he was taking medical leave to deal with his illness.
He credited the support of his family and the prayers of friends with extending his life.
"If I've learned anything, it's that none of us can get through the tough times alone," he wrote. "Also, you do not always leave this life with the same friends you've built up over the years. The ones who remain with you to the end of your life are your truest friends. In fact, it's almost worth suffering a life-threatening illness to learn these lessons."
Though he expressed hope he would continue to write for the newspaper, the May 5 column was his last.
Woodgeard is survived by his parents, Mary Lois and Mack L. Woodgeard of Riverdale; two sons, Christopher Woodgeard of Athens and Lucas Woodgeard of Macon; a sister, Sue Hart of Cumming; two brothers, Harley Woodgeard of Decatur and Larry Woodgeard of Lawrenceville; and his former wife, Bonnie Boyce of Rockford, Ill.
A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday at Vineville United Methodist Church. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Cancer Society.