LORAN SMITH: Someday I will get to the rest of the story

CHARLESTON, S. C. – There was nearly an impasse in my lunch conversation with John Huey, a Georgia graduate who rose to the lofty media position of Editor-in-Chief of Time-Life. I wanted to talk about his experiences which had him in touch with heads of state, billionaire headliners, a movie star or two, along with the movers and shakers of the world. He preferred to discourse about the Bulldogs, hoping that I had some answers to why Georgia did not win more games last fall.

Our conversation did get off to a good start, however, being that he knew the perfect place for lunch in this laid back but eclectic city. “Meet me at Hominy Grill at high noon at the corner of Rutledge and Cannon,” he had advised. Before we return to tug of war regarding the topic of our conversation, let’s hang out for a minute with regard to our lunch address.

Hominy Grill is anchored in an old neighborhood in historic Charleston where you will find limited parking, dirt curbing, schizophrenic traffic, laid back living and a clientele as varied as the menu. You can indulge in short orders, sandwiches and big plates that would satiate a hungry jackhammer operator; high-rise biscuits, jalapeno hushpuppies with sorghum butter, ribs and veggies galore, barbecued anything, she crab soup, and sautéed chicken livers—all served in an atmosphere as inviting as the food.

I had arrived early at this signature restaurant, which promotes grits at every space from the menu to the walls. When you come to a place like Hominy Grill, you want to stay a while—if your lunch guest will stay in the conversational traces.

“What did your think of Eason’s performance?” John interrupted my opening volley of, “How did an English major get into the newspaper business.” If you are interested, I never got an answer to my question and was resigned and compelled to being both the interviewer and the interviewee, mostly the latter.

After all, he had said at the outset that he was not interested in being written about, but lord knows, if you are an aficionado of the University of Georgia and want to enjoy the writing process and are connected with illustrious alumni, you have to be as dogged as Huey was with his army of editors and reporters to get to the bottom on every story that Time-Life’s plethora of magazines covered.

I gave in first. Told him everything I knew about Kirby Smart, the history of all things Bulldog (which in most cases he knew better than I), the recruiting prospects for Kirby’s next class, the play calling (that is not an issue for either of us, by the way, but he wanted a second opinion) and when could he get a tour of the new indoor practice facility.

At this point, lunch had been had, and it was time to order homemade pecan pie. I was keeping him late to pick up oysters for dinner, when he finally relented. He let me in on his life and times as the premier media editor going. But only a little. This is a man who was in the media mainstream for 20 years, taking off and landing an estimated 2,800 times or thereabout at LaGuardia Airport. That came about because of a personal choice. He chose to live on nearby Sullivan’s Island because he didn’t want to raise his kids in Manhattan. Further, those weekend respites at the South Carolina coast, rejuvenated and invigorated him when he returned to “the city” and put on his editor’s face.

Huey was an underling at the DeKalb New Era when Jim Minter hired him as a reporter for the Atlanta Constitution. From there Huey would go as far as an ink-stained wretch could go — Time Inc’s editor in chief. He turned Fortune around like a football coach taking over a moribund program and advancing it into championship status. For 20 years, he elevated both the editorial savvy and the bottom line of Time, Inc.

He had a three pronged objective that confirms he will always feel good inside, underscoring the integrity of the editorial process:

— Produce the best possible product;

— Protect journalists from inappropriate outside influence

— Protect readers from any type of treachery on part of his journalists.

Someday I will get to the rest of the story. Next time, he will tell me more and maybe Georgia will have blown away the competition which will cause him to loosen up.

Encores with accomplished editors like John Huey at places like the Hominy Grill will always attract enterprising columnists. After all he is a Southern gentleman and knows a journalist must get answers to his questions. Woof, woof.