Editor's Welcome

by David Reed

March 7,2008

Bruce Harris had one condition for consenting to an interview and photo session for this week's over story: The article had to be primarily about Callaway Bank, not about him.

I expected that to be a challenge because his personal story is both heartrending and inspiring, I knew I would be drawn to telling it.

In the end, the ground rule was fine by me because of the richness of the bank's history through six generations of the Harris family, and the dynamism of Bruce's leadership in the past eight years.

The interview was easy. Bruce was gracious and upbeat from start to finish, and he matter-of-factly raised the subject of his terminal illness.  The subject was directly related to the timetable for choosing the next bank president.

The hard part, one of the most difficult I've encountered as a journalist, was to be matter-of-fact in presenting the story.

During the family photo session, Bruce was the picture of health, having just returned from a Florida vacation tanned and looking younger than  most 53-year-olds.

Bruce's 80-year-old father, his predecessor as president, asked him when his next CAT scan was scheduled. His 90-year-old uncle, also a former Callaway Bank president and an active board member, turned to hear the answer. Behind them was the portrait of Bruce's great-uncle, who was Callaway Bank's president from the late 1800s until 1957, when he died at age 97.

I'd like to tell you how I felt at that moment, but it might break the ground rule. I'm sure you can imagine.