Cecil Wilson, Publisher The Barbouville Advocate Remember

Not sure what you think of when you reflect back to early memories of your days in youth, but I have a good variety of early
memories and impressions that have I more clearly understand today better then ever before. A part of the clarification on my part
involves a more adult understanding of life, things and people. Part of that clear understanding also has to do with having a sense of
respect for this land we call home, traditions we share and experiences we’ve participated in and witnessed from the sidelines.
I remember impressions from church services, both speakers and the music that moved me. People that were both leaders
and servants, and I remember some that I just didn’t fully understand until years later, when I had a chance to be in their shoes.
It is a dangerous thing for a columnist of several papers to write about a publisher of just one, but the passing of Cecil Wilson
cannot go without a published word of his influence, vision, and leadership for not just his local community but a region that
has been touched because of his service to his profession, a desire to be involved, and strength to write it as he thought it and saw
it. Which if you want to be liked in today’s world it’s simply. Just don’t share an opinion, state a belief, or give your “two cents”, and
more then likely everyone will love you. Cecil Wilson made a difference because he got involved, shared what he had to give and
believed that each of us should do the same and the best would happen. Not a bad vision at all and certainly an attitude that
needs to be continued if a collective difference is to ever be experienced by all of us in our communities.
The first paper I can ever remember reading or looking at was the Barbourville Advocate. The cause and effect happened
because my parents read the paper and it was a connection with family, home and people. Again, not a bad vision at all and my
respect is strong for his leadership in keeping the Advocate about family, home and people. I guess it’s the reason why I am
writing this column. It’s all about connecting with people, sharing the stories of people, talking about our home, where we live,
why we love it so, and about our families and the sense of pride we all share in “our people”.
Our Daily Papers and Weekly Published Newspapers all attempt to connect in these ways, but folks who have been
long time readers and observes understand it is a different type of paper, and I guess that’s the reason it’s fans are as they are.
Cecil Wilson believed by serving as the publisher was just one of the ways he contributed to Knox County. If one searched the
Achieves of the Barbourville Advocate a discovery would be made of the picture of all our families, homes and people, no matter
where we call home. From Williamsburg and stories about situations in Whitley County to the Flood in Pineville-April 1977, The
Advocate served as a means of understand because of it’s published words, and Cecil Wilson made that happen because
of his leadership and desire to be involve as a part of the process that made things better. All of us in the newspaper business,
as columnist, publishers, editors, and reporters can only pray that when we have passed, someone else will be able to write
words about us that can show we made a difference by what we have done.

Until then