Clarksdale lost two good men in January.
Y’all knew Ed Peacock and Pete Johnson a lot longer than I did. I have to believe that means their deaths hurt you more than it did me.
I too grieved the passing of two guys who grew to become my friends. I know both these men were true Christians and I rest in that.
Yes, January was tough on Clarksdale.
Ed Peacock
I have lived a lot of places and met a lot of people in my business, but Ed Peacock was one of a kind.
He was meticulous to a fault, but the bad part was he expected you to be like that too!
The desire to seek excellence in all that we do is a character trait rapidly fading in today’s culture.
The stories they told at his funeral about his attention to detail made us laugh when we came there to cry. Ed would have appreciated that.
On my first day in Clarksdale I was taken to Yazoo Pass for morning coffee. Ed Peacock spotted me as a newcomer and stepped in my direction to introduce himself. His was the first hand I shook in Clarksdale, Mississippi. And in classic Delta fashion he asked about my family and what church I went to.
He was the true Southern Gentleman.
It showed most in those letters he wrote, with his graceful cursive script and the proper use of just the right word.
Ed wrote me letters of praise when he liked my work. I would get one of his “strongly worded” letters when I did something he didn’t approve of.
Did you know that Ed was responsible for Ole Miss’ National Championship in baseball in 2022?
The Rebels were 7-14 in the SEC at one point and many had given up hope.
Then Ed Peacock wrote one of those “strongly worded” letters to Athletic Director Keith Carter about the team.
I don’t know what really happened, but I do know Ole Miss trotted through the tournament, the post season, and won it all in Omaha.
I smile when I think about Ed in Omaha watching it happen. Ed was the kind of man to make things happen.
Pete Johnson
Why Pete Johnson took me under his wing when I came to Clarksdale I do not know.
Maybe it was the politician in him that knew the value and power of the press. I believe it was much deeper than that.
Pete loved a challenge and didn’t shy away from problems or the people who caused them. Can you imagine being the Auditor of the State of Mississippi?
He was always the statesman, could put together a team and knew the value of timing and when to apply pressure and when to seek common ground. He was also one of the best leaders I have ever known.
Pete’s ability to pick up the phone and call powerful people was impressive.
I was only around him twice when he made those calls, and he made thousands of them. I found out he once called my boss when I was in a tight and told him to support me and explained the situation.
Pete was a great story teller and as a journalist I admired that. The best part was they were all true stories, they all included Pete and if you listened closely they taught a life lesson.
Pete’s story about the cane his grandfather used to club a Jackson newspaper editor was not my favorite story. And it was one he always told looking me dead in the eye with that clever Johnson smirk on his face.
They told the story at his funeral of how he faced ill health and death, overcame it and felt inspired to do more.
He never stopped pushing people and pointing out we are here on this Earth to do good things.
The last time I saw him he was in a hospital bed and he had good things to say about our friendship and that there was much work left to be done.
Pete was a man who did so much in this world; none of us will ever measure up.
Writing obits
I put obituaries in this newspaper every week. The first job of a cub reporter is writing obits.
I’ve written the obituaries of people I did not know, babies, dear friends and family. I wrote my father’s obit. I will one day write my mother’s.
At some point you realize they are one of the things newspapers do best.
Obituaries are clipped out and stuffed in family Bibles. Relatives use them to remember. The next generation uses them to find out who they are.
They say something important about you, but they never say enough.
Floyd Ingram is the Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. One day his obit will run in a newspaper. If you like what he writes, or don’t like what he writes, call him at 662-627-2201 and tell him before that happens.
