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tration over his conservative ideals and the writing that expressed them. He laughed and his blue eyes twinkled as he replied, “Well, we’ll just agree on the writing, then.”
For the past four years, as the editor of the Rappahannock News, I have always been aware that Mr. Kilpatrick, among other well-known journalists, is one of my regular readers. Sometimes the thought makes me uneasy, but mostly it’s been a source of inspiration. Whenever I’m tempted to leave something done only halfway, I remind myself of my readers. They will notice.
And although Mr. Kilpatrick will probably no longer read the Rappahannock News each Thursday, I for one will still strive toward the high standards of writing that his columns inspire. Because, you see, my other readers will still notice.
Along with his love of words, Mr. Kilpatrick has left me with a more substantive reminder of his many years in Rappahannock County. I first heard him quote Alexander Woollcott at the Madison County library, about a week after I became editor of the paper. I wrote the quote down, and have never forgotten it:
“I count it a high honor to belong to a profession in which the good men write every paragraph, every sentence, every line, as lovingly as any Addison or Steele, and do so in full regard that by tomorrow it will have been burned, or used, if at all, to line a shelf.”
Among those “good men,” without doubt, stands James J. Kilpatrick.
Goodbye, Mr. Kilpatrick. I, for one, will miss that Scrabble dateline. But thank you for the many beautiful pictures of Rappahannock County; and rest assured that there was at least one reader who finished reading that last column through a blur — and it wasn’t rain.
I know you will weave the same stunning tapestries of words from your new home in Charleston. I’m looking forward to reading them for many years to come.
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