Today’s Review carries what is purportedly John Rice’s final column for the paper. We have hopes that he will, once in a while, find a topic so compelling, so clearly “self-serving malarkey,” that he will drop a column in our email.
Meanwhile, a proper thanks to John for 26 years of turning out a weekly column that was always about Forest Park. The column was the essence of this village: Connecting, Loving, only once in a while with a gentle kick in the pants.
John, for many years, was a matched set with Jackie Schulz, our late and much-missed Talk of the Town columnist. Both practiced the fine art of “column-writing-by-walking-around.” Take a walk. Show up at an event. Share a beer. Shop on Madison. Voila, a column idea. Might be a new business, a new neighbor, some sliver of local history. Enough to write a worthy 600 words.
John has earned his retirement, finally realizing that, while a weekly column in the local paper may feel like a life sentence, there can be an escape.
All our best to John and his family.