Dawson News acquired by Georgia Trust for Local News

DAWSON — As Tommy Rountree shared stories from his career at The Dawson News, a career that’s just shy of 50 years, a thought occurred.

“This is home; 139 West Lee Street in Dawson, Georgia, has been my home for my entire life,” Rountree said, allowing just a hint of melancholy to color his words. “I grew up in this building; I’ve spent a lot of time here since I was a little boy.

“It’s going to feel strange to wake up on Monday morning and not come to this building.”

Rountree bid his “other home” goodbye last week, turning the reins of the newspaper that had been an integral part of his family’s life for the past 79 years over to DuBose Porter, the executive director of The Georgia Trust for Local News, which took over publication of the News this week. Utilizing reporters affiliated with The Georgia Trust — primarily from The Albany Herald — and other local contributors, The Georgia Trust will continue operations of the newspaper that had become synonymous with the Rountree family for the better part of a century.

In a rare show of generosity and trust in The Trust, Rountree chose to donate the newspaper to the organization rather than put it on the market.

“I knew DuBose Porter’s history in the newspaper business, and I knew about the Georgia Trust,” the now former editor/publisher of the Dawson paper said. “I think this is a perfect fit for our little newspaper. DuBose has a love for the newspaper business; he has a passion for it. I knew that he, working through The Trust would be a good outcome for our community. It’s important for a community like ours to have a weekly newspaper.”

Porter praised the Rountree family for the work they’ve done in establishing The Dawson News as a key part of this small community some 25 miles west of Albany.

“Tommy Rountree, his dad (Carl) and his family are among Georgia’s great newspaper folk,” Porter said. “We are honored that the family has the trust and confidence in the Georgia Trust for Local News to carry forward this legacy publication for Dawson and Terrell County.

“We are a community newspaper company, and The Dawson News fits in our mission. We look forward to serving the people here and recording their history.”

Tommy Rountree started his tenure at The News in 1976, after deciding he really wasn’t cut out for that certified public accounting degree he’d been working on for the better part of three years before realizing the printer’s ink of The News, which his father had bought on Feb. 1, 1946, was too deeply imbedded in his bloodstream.

“I went to Valdosta State (College) for two years thinking I wanted to be a CPA,” Rountree said. “When I transferred to the University of Georgia, I still planned to get a degree in accounting. But dad had a heart attack, and when I came home that summer I spent the whole season working with him. That’s when I got a complete feel for the business.

“Dad never pressured me or my siblings (brother Don and sister Anita) to work at the paper, but when I went back to school, I changed my major to journalism.”

When Tommy Rountree graduated, he returned home to Dawson and started working with his dad at The News. Carl Rountree passed away in 1985, and the passing of the torch to Tommy was seamless.

“Working at a weekly paper is different from larger papers; you have to do it all,” Rountree said. “Over the years, I’ve sold ads, wrote stories, picked up the mail, swept up … whatever had to be done. You can’t be specialized at a weekly paper. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“The people of Dawson have been so kind over the years; this is just a great community. It’s a wonderful place; it’s home.”

Now Rountree’s days won’t be filled with all of the chores required to publish a newspaper. He’ll spend more time with wife of almost 30 years Judy, do a little more hunting and fishing, and enjoy his family. 

“I have a fishing partner, and a couple of times a year we take a weekend and go fishing, from Thursday to Saturday and then come home on Sunday,” he said. “I called him up and let him know of my plans to retire in an ideal way. I told him we needed to change the days of our fishing trip, and he asked, ‘What day?’ I said, ‘Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday …’ He said, ‘You can’t do that, you’ve got to … Oh.’

“Yes, this is going to be a big change for me because this newspaper business has become my life. I spent more time here than I did anywhere else, and that includes my ‘other home.’ I love being a part of this community and telling its stories. But I have no regrets. I’m leaving things in good hands.”