Celebration of Life for Ed Waggener on ColumbiaMagazine.com

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Celebration of Life for Ed Waggener

Friday, September 28, 2018: There is an empty seat at the family table and a deep sense of loss for you. May you be comforted by the prayers of loving friends, strengthened by the warm memories of your family's love and devotion, assured by the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and committed to carrying on the rich legacy of your family and Ed. He would want you to move forward in living a full and abundant life.

By Dr. John E. Chowning, senior pastor, Saloma Baptist Church
in Taylor County, KY, and longtime friend of Ed Waggener

Today we come together to offer our prayers and concerns and to take a moment to honor and celebrate the life of Ed Waggener. And that is no doubt exactly what Ed would want us to do - to take a brief time to celebrate who he was and what he did and then move on to the opportunities that are before us. The challenge in honoring Ed's life lies not in having too little material to share, but rather in how to best to give an overview to what is a remarkable life and a unique individual.

I first met Ed and Linda Waggener during my time at Lindsey Wilson College, as I recall, through contacts with Pete and Edith Walker - Mrs. Walker was a very gifted professor at Lindsey Wilson College during that time.

In the summer of 1972, my wife, Cathy, and I, who had graduated from LWC in 1971, spent the summer working for Ed and Pete in their newspaper business. What an interesting and rewarding experience that was. Neither of us had any particular expertise in the business - but we did a bit of everything that summer - and then in the summer of 1973 I worked for them again and concentrated on helping establish a newspaper in Cathy's hometown of Stanford, Kentucky - The Lincoln County Post.

I did everything from selling ads, to covering public meetings, to writing human interest stories, and offering editorial comments. One of my favorite stories and memories was writing a feature story on a former Miss America from the 1940's who had returned to her native Lincoln County and was farming there. My wife and I settled in Stanford for a few years and during that time, we had periodic contact with the Ed and Linda as they continued running the newspaper there along with the multiple weekly papers they owned.

One of the things that I remember about Ed during that time, was his ability as a writer and salesman, his keen interest in politics and important issues of the day, and his expressing his opinion to those around him. One thing I remember that he said about me to some of our mutual friends in Lincoln County: "You know that it won't be very long until John Chowning is running Lincoln County. He is a leader and a doer..." I share that not to edify myself, but it illustrates that Ed said what he thought and was always ready and willing to offer commentary on those around him.

Ed was a person of faith - a deep and abiding faith in God and held strongly to some of the basic tenets of our faith. Around 1973-1974, I remember he and Linda attending our church in Stanford with us. Following the service, he stood and shared a very detailed and positive analysis of the sermon we had heard - and delved into the theological nuances of what the pastor had to say that day from the pulpit.

We have witnessed the depth of Ed's faith in his journalistic profession. He and Linda were always supportive of the local churches in promoting their revivals, homecomings, and other special services. This was reflected in their weekly newspapers that they owned and published, and it remains evident on Columbia Magazine. As an example, I recall the many times that they highlighted the ministry of the late Rev. Lewis Haynes. Bro. Hayes served in the ministry for 58 years at Adair County Baptist churches. Periodically, Ed would highlight a mission project, or ministry, that Bro. Haynes was leading at one of his churches. Bro. Haynes went home to be with the Lord earlier this year. These words were written about him on Columbia Magazine - not in his official obituary but in the byline above the written obituary: "He (Rev. Haynes) was an extraordinary Christian servant, who had the rare ability to spot individual talents in every member of his congregation, quietly encouraging them to use their own unique talents to deliver Christ's message both in his services and wherever there were needs..." The point was that Ed respected greatly the witness of Rev. Lewis Haynes - one of many highlighted on Columbia Magazine who put their faith into action - not just in the spoken word.

Linda and I worked together for several years at Campbellsville University - she made, and continues to make on a part-time basis - a major contribution to helping frame the university's story and mission and to communicate and market it to our external constituencies. We often spoke of the very interesting approach that Ed took to publishing the obituaries of people - not only in Columbia-Adair County - but to a seven-county region. Every individual received a "editorial byline" I called it - by Ed.

Linda has shared with me several times, that Ed felt that every individual should receive some degree of positive commendation after passing into eternity. One of his favorite phrases was: "A member of a highly regarded/highly respected family from..." And then he would make some statement, regardless of how brief, that would provide comfort to the family and honored the life of the deceased. While that may not seem like a big deal, it really is an important commentary on Ed Waggener - while other media were reducing the space given to obituaries and overall content, Columbia Magazine was dedicated to sharing the life story of the citizens of southcentral Kentucky counties in the moment of the loss of a loved one. That again suggests that Ed was a sensitive and compassionate person of faith who served the Lord - he didn't spend a lot of time on "preachy things" but he believed in putting feet to our faith and sharing the love and compassion of our faith in the most sensitive and difficult time that families face.

Ed became a pioneer in the delivery of news for our part of Kentucky with the advent of Columbia Magazine. CM has certainly become the pre-eminent online news medium of its type in Kentucky in my opinion. It combines 21st century technology with the feel of a traditional weekly newspaper and is updated 24/7. Guess the first publication I review every morning with my first cup of coffee - then a series of other online news sites including Lexington Herald Leader, Courier Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal - but always CM comes first.

Other online news sites have popped up along the way across the country, but CM has remained steadfast in commitment to Columbia-Adair County and the contiguous counties of Cumberland, Russell, Casey, Taylor, Green, and Metcalfe. It has become the go-to news service for many of us who are interested in this multi-county region - regardless of your area of interest, Columbia Magazine will have something for you.

If you're interested in the latest governmental body session, it's covered by CM. If you enjoy the beautiful photography and scenic beauty of our region coupled with unique photography of family members or friends outside the region, you see it on CM. Ed took the weekly newspaper concept of past years when there were correspondents from various communities around the county to a new level on CM - at least that's the way I see it.

He has certain people who write regular articles, or send regular photos, or send humorous yarns from their area of Adair County and surrounding counties. That builds readership which in turn led to advertising revenues which in turn equals success. Ed understood the importance of the analytics in an age of technology and internet based news.

Ed was creative and extraordinary in his writing skills - and in his use of, as my late mother called it, "The King's language." I've known of no one who had a better command of the English language, who could write an interesting account of even the most routine of meetings, who could use words to grab attention that sometimes required having to pull out the Webster's Dictionary, and who could use human interest spins to capture attention.

How many of us remember the continuing saga of the important work of the "Blue Ribbon Bear Board of Adair County." If you go to the search engine of Columbia Magazine, and type in the Blue Ribbon Bear Board, you will find links to numerous stories of BRBB reports over the past decade and half - some of the headlines bring up names we all know: Billy Joe Fudge deduces bear was headed for Jericho; Dave Rosenbaum comments on the Bear Board; BRBB member K. Davis sees Grizzly in bear in Woody's Bottom; and Miz Victoria: Bear in the neighborhood with my girls.

And perhaps my personal favorite date June 29, 2007: "Campbellsville sector BRBB secret agent sends hot link..." The story read: "An Adair County Blue Ribbon Bear Board member, a clandestine operative in the Suburban Campbellsville Sector, has just sent a link to an online story..." that discussed a sighting of a black bear near Barnett's Creek Road in Adair County - a story that had run in the online version of the Courier Journal. Ed adhered to the journalistic ethic of not identifying confidential sources - let me today acknowledge that I was the "clandestine operative of the BRBB in the Suburban Campbellsville Sector". Ed and I discussed a number of black bear sightings in the Crocus Creek area of Cumberland and Adair Counties. My point is that Ed was able to capture an area of interest, as our region was repopulated by black bears, among the people and did so in a humorous and interesting manner - over a period of years - the work of the Blue Ribbon Bear Board would pop up on Columbia Magazine periodically over a period of more than a decade.

One of the greatest tributes to be given for Ed was his keen understanding of the importance of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Having taught political science at CU through the years, I would be remiss if I didn't remind everyone of the important content of the First Amendment: The First Amendment "prevents Congress from making any law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion, or 'abridging' the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, or to petition for a governmental redress of grievances."

Let me pause for just a brief moment and note how important these words are - where would our system of representative democracy and freedom and liberty be without these First Amendment guarantees? The First Amendment is absolutely essential to maintaining our freedoms and liberties as Americans - those freedoms and liberties that we cherish and that hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens have fought and died to maintain across the pages of history.

Ed was dedicated to the various guarantees of the First Amendment - freedom of faith and religion and the predicate that in America we have the right to practice our faith as we choose and we have the right to have no faith if that is our choice - the government should neither dictate the practice of our faith nor should the government restrict the 'free exercise of our faith and religion'; the freedom to express our opinions - both written and spoken; the right to gather together in a peaceable manner and to address our government and to expect of our government accountability and transparency.

Through the years in the weekly newspaper business and later with Columbia Magazine, Ed demonstrated in both word and action his absolute dedication to these critical doctrines to maintaining a free and open system of politics and government. This commitment could be illustrated in numerous stories reported by Ed and Linda and periodic editorials calling for transparency, open meetings and open records, and accountability on the part of governmental bodies and agencies.

I think this was reflected in Ed's Christian faith - that system of beliefs and practices that resulted from his faith in Jesus Christ. Ed was not a proponent of the "more preachy" manifestations of the Gospel. He viewed the Christian faith not as a narrow system of "do's and don't's" but rather as a call to live a full and abundant life of service and love. As religious doctrine became more narrow and more judgmental and more negative in some quarters, Ed joined others in expressing concern and a return to those basics of the faith that many of us grew up being taught and believing - that God's love and grace were manifested in the incarnation of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ; as John 3:16 Christians that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will have life eternal and not just a select few who were chosen; that we are called to live out our faith in service to others - a call to Christian servant leadership - which is the very essence of the mission of both Campbellsville University and Lindsey Wilson College, both of which Ed and Linda loved and viewed as great assets to our region; a strong proponent of the Great Commandment in Mark 12:30-31: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength...Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these..."

Ed and Linda shared another commitment in common with my wife and me and with the mission of Campbellsville University. I frame it in the words of the Apostle Paul from Galatians 3:26-28: "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew or Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, you all are all one in Christ Jesus." We are all one in Jesus Christ - a commitment to oneness in Jesus Christ - all of God's people regardless of race, creed, color, nationality, gender, economic status. Ed highlighted the history and contributions of all people - white and black, male and female, young and old, rich and poor, powerful and meek, urban and rural. There is no room for prejudice, hatred, bigotry, elitism, racism, or sexism in the Christian faith, and Ed's practice of journalism evidenced that in large part.

The obituary, and many letters that have been submitted to Columbia Magazine during Ed's brief illness and since his death, attest to Ed's great love for Columbia-Adair County. He celebrated the history of the families whose roots have been here since the late 1700s/early 1800s and the many contributions that these families have made - but he also welcomed and understood the importance of the growth and forward movement of the community and the increasing diversity of our region of Kentucky. Ed understood and highlighted the importance of education - whether the importance of preschool education to the need for students to have multiple career paths and post-secondary education diversification and training. And he knew how to put faces to these issues by writing about and showing the great work being done on the campuses of our public schools as well as area postsecondary institutions.

Ed was an advocate for downtown Columbia while highlighting the development of New Columbia. He was a zealot for the need for government to be responsive as illustrated by the coverage of a series of accidents on the Columbia bypass and the need for measures to mitigate the hazards. Ed knew the power of story-telling and putting a face to the issues of the day - he knew the power of words and communication and how change could occur. In every sense of the word, Ed was a master of the written word and the power to tell stories and effect positive change. Putting a face to an issue and how real life individuals are impacted is a powerful tool in communicating the impact of governmental decisions or events that occur in the life of a community.

In a day and time when people of different view points increasingly engage in vitriolic attacks, where rhetoric and the spoken and written word seeks to destroy rather than build up, in a time when 'fake news' has become a reality in many sectors, where we see the spirit of the first amendment being challenged by the reality of unregulated social media and where people can claim "anything and everything" behind hidden identities, where we see the far right and the far left pulling our public debate further and further to the fringes and away from the center, we need to remember the life and legacy of Ed Waggener. Ed was a man of conviction and strong opinion and spoke out when needed, but he was a person who understood the need for civil dialogue and full disclosure and understood the value of each person. Quite frankly, we need more Ed Waggeners in the field of media and communication, in the field of governance and civic engagement, in the point of the intersection of our faith and practice, and in the homes and neighborhoods of our communities. Ed Waggner, we thank you for your life, your voice, and your positive impact. May you rest in eternal peace in your heavenly home.

Linda; Pen, Amy, Graham, Evan, and Hailey; Tom and Tillie; and to Ed's extended family... and to his many friends... please know of our heartfelt prayers and condolences in this hour. We know that there is an empty seat at the family table - and that there is a deep sense of loss for you. May you be comforted by the prayers of loving friends, strengthened by the warm memories of your family's love and devotion, assured by the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and committed to carrying on the rich legacy of your family and Ed. He would want you to carry on and move forward in living a full and abundant life of service, love, and carrying on his life's work.

All of us join you in thanking God for the life and contributions of Ed Waggener - and know of his love for you as his family - we have enjoyed the photographs and reports of his grandchildren on Columbia Magazine. He loved his family and was proud of each of you.

This link goes to some of the Remembering Ed Waggener letters to ColumbiaMagazine.com from family and friends who share a love of words and pictures.

This story was posted on 2018-10-02 08:22:33

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