He found poetry in tomatoes, corn bread, in old dogs and the scent of magnolia blossom. He found romance, adventure and inspiration in the past and its stories. He found dignity, and decency, in practically everyone he met. And in a newspaper career that spanned 60 years, Guy Friddell found a place in history: He died in his sleep Friday at age 92, one of Virginia’s favorite contemporary writers. Literary, lyrical and uncompromisingly liberal, Friddell’s thousands of columns for The Virginian-Pilot and its late sister, the afternoon Ledger-Star, earned a wide and devoted following and established him as his community’s conscience. His subjects included politics, which he developed into an expertise in Richmond before joining The Pilot in 1963, the pleasures of family, the wonders of nature, the genius of the Founding Fathers and, by no means least, his own legendary misadventures. Those wearied by war, crime and pestilence found respite in his words and loved him for them. So prized were his columns that for decades they appeared in both the Norfolk and Richmond papers, through an arrangement unheard-of for competitors. Friddell attracted a passel of national and state honors, won the General Assembly’s official thanks, and was namesake to the Virginia Press Association’s top writing award. He was also a popular speaker, the author of eight books, and a mentor to generations of journalists. He was as impressive, if not more so, off the page. “He’s a great American,” said Marjorie Mayfield Jackson, executive director of the Elizabeth River Project and Friddell’s friend for more than 20 years. “Just on how to live - full-out in generosity, in courage, in taking full delight in the good things about life. To hold nothing back.”
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 19:26:16 +0000
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