Daily Archives: August 29, 2022

 

 

Many years ago, in the late seventies and early eighties I was Director of Pubic and Community Relations for Richland-Conrich Energy, one of the largest coal companies in Eastern Kentucky and southwest Virginia.  I was in my thirties and Doug Blair, the owner of the company, was like a second father to me and gave me lots of latitude to do my job for his company.  We produced a magazine called the Richland Today and one of the features was a celebrity interview in every issue.  How does a mountain boy get interviews with famous people!!??  Well, I had an idea and it worked!  I knew one famous person, because he was my first cousin, Ned Beatty, my Dad’s Sisters son.  I grew up with Ned and so calling him and asking him to let me interview him was not a problem.  He had visited with our family before and I had been the still photographer on a commercial video shoot for him, so this one was easy!

 

 

So……When I called the next agent to set up an interview and they said who have you interviewed in your magazine, I said “our last interview was with academy award nominee Ned Beatty.”  Which brought a response of, sure, we’ll set it  up!  After that it was easier and easier to get access with, hard to interview, people!

 

 

I’m a life long football fan so it was a thrill to fly to Dallas and interview Roger Staubach who turns out to be one of the nicest, most down to earth people you could ever meet.  Next was one of the best interviews I was ever able to do, with Coach Paul “Bear’ Bryant in his last season as the Alabama football coach, sadly he died 3 months after this, his last season, I’m so thrilled I got to meet him!

 

 

Next up were three great country music stars, Jerry Clower, Tom T Hall and Roy Clark.

 

 

All three of these men were great interviews and a lot of fun to talk with.  As the years past I had the great privilege of interviewing all these wonderful people, listed below!

 

 

I  have done some crazy and wild things with a camera in my hands, but nothing better than being with my wife and three children through so many fantastic adventures!  God has richly blessed me!!!

 

 

Blessings to you,

 

the pilgrim