Largely in the order they were received, the following are responses from some of our appreciative readers, who upon learning Ridge Rider News was being discontinued, chose to let us know how RRN had impacted them. We are grateful for their expressions of appreciation.
"We celebrate with you your decision to retire from this challenge! You've "done good" as folks say. I think it's been a tremendous but valuable effort, especially for your family. They will love the heritage you have left them, whether they know it now or not! God Bless!" ~ Pontotoc, MS
"The Ridge Rider, especially the early issues, introduced me to the Pontotoc city and county that played a significant part in my life but especially my family's life. I only attended school a few weeks of my freshman year until graduation. At that time my family lived in Longview. Those seven miles were a great deal farther in those days when there were only school buses and often hitched rides to the county seat. I know little about the town that shaped me for good in proportion to the time I spent there. You added depth to my understanding of myself as I came to know the names and people and events that were shaping me at that time. Our family moved to Pontotoc during my college years, I was ordained in FBC but was only an official member for two summers between school. I claim Pontotoc as my town and FBC as my church. We will be celebrating our 50th reunion next year. I guess I'll be there. My wife is celebrating hers in N. Kentucky this August. Thanks for your gift of writing." ~ Lexington, Ky
"Wayne, I hate to see you go, but I know you must be tired. I have enjoyed everything you have written. I honestly don't know how you have accomplished the feat all the years. My hat is off to you and Barbara. Thanks for the Memories."~ Dallas Texas
"Congratulationson your 12th Anniversary Issue! I am disappointed not to be reading on a regular basis with you, but I have saved your sites. How outstanding Ridge Rider News was, and I feel so fortunate that I was one of your readers! I treasure your comments about me, and Mensa definitely treasures your article about her! She felt that she was definitely the Queen of the Kitties! I do pray for wonderful times for you and your family! And yes,God bless you all!" ~ Tupelo, MS
"I'm sad! I cried reading the last issue. Oh, and I never even got mentioned. Ha, ha. We will need to have a family discussion about this." ~ Pontotoc, MS
"Thanks for all of your work through these years. It has been a good ride." ~ Pontotoc, MS
"Shame, Shame, Shame - one decent e-mail a week and now it is going away... I have enjoyed reading the articles about your family and points of interest, your travels and job. Twelve years is a long time to continue such a task as writing the perfect news letter and I congratulate you on your work (also Barbara and Sara Sue). I'm not sure what I will read when I logon to my e-mail, but I will surely miss the RRN. Spend your newfound time with the things you enjoy and consider this the beginning of retirement. We will look forward to seeing an update on what's going in Pontotoc and your part of Supervalu when you find time to tap out a paragraph or two.
Thanks again for the weekly reading." ~ Atlanta, GA
"I am so sorry to read you are ending RRN I have enjoyed reading your stories. I have made a point to read this as much as possible because it makes me feel a little closer to Pontotoc and my friends. It has been enjoyable and I will miss it." ~ Caude, TX
"Just a brief note of appreciation to you and Barbara for many years of fun and enjoyment from RRN. Very best wishes for you and the family for the future." ~ Columbus, GA
"Have so enjoyed the newsletter, but I certainly understand. Thanks!" ~ Hernando, MS
"Thanks for all the years of Ridge Rider News I have enjoyed. Though I have heartily disagreed with many of your assessments of politics, I respect you for unfailingly telling how you felt and believed." ~ Pontotoc, MS
"Thanks for sharing RRN with so many. I know it has become a part of my Monday morning ritual at work -- it's the first thing I read when I open my e-mail. Although my mother grew up in Pontotoc, I have lived here for only the past three or four years, and I am still learning about the people and connections in this town, so RRN was a great window for me...I really appreciated RRN as a source of information about the people and events in Pontotoc that I probably would never have learned about any other way. Thanks for being a window to a lot of us non-relatives too!" ~ Pontotoc, MS
"I will greatly miss RRN, although I am a new reader. I have read all the back issues and searched the articles by names of people. What a great job you all have done. I have lived away from Pontotoc since graduation...I grew up on the other end of Margin Street and have spent many hours at Mrs. Long's house you have talked about. She was a great friend to our family for a long time. So it has been good to read about not only Pontotoc, but my neighborhood. My parents moved there in 1938 or 1939. We also knew Ralph Jones' parents. Carter and Austin Grocery was an important part of our lives for many years. My dad had great respect for your dad and always spoke highly of him. Thank you for the glimpses into your family. They remind me so much of my own experiences. That generation worked so hard, but enjoyed the smallest pleasures life brought. Take care, enjoy your leisure time and please write about Pontotoc occasionally." ~ Kosciusko, MS
"...The Ridge Rider News certainly filled a need in your own life while at the same time you filled a void in the lives of your readers. You gave news a new and different twist in Pontotoc and included news that was not available anywhere else. You were not afraid to let a light search out parts of your personal life and that of your family, a most notable thing. You told the truth, even when it was sometimes not so popular. The "Political Correctness Thing" did not stop you from expressing what needed to be said in a clear and tactful way, thank you for that!..." ~ Germantown, TN
"It is with sadness that I read this last issue. You all mean so much to me and I always looked forward to these weekly communications. Reading the Ridge Rider News was my way of staying in touch. You have been a blessing to me." ~ Olive Branch, MS
" I just read your final RRN, I am sorry to see it end. I have enjoyed reading it over the years and was always entertained and engaged by your stories. Enjoy the recapturing of some free time!" ~ Kenosha, WI
"I am sorry that RRN will be discontinued, but I can understand. You have done a great job, and brought me a lot of entertaining and interesting reading."~ Vicksburg, MS
"I appreciate receiving the newsletter for the past several years. I have enjoyed it so very much. ~ Thaxton, MS
"These past 12 years for [us] have passed fast. I believe the reason for the fast passing of time has been each week expecting and receiving Ridge Rider News, each week knowing that it would be in our mailbox right on time rain or shine. ...Congratulations on 12 years as Editor of Ridge Rider News. [We] both wept in reading this last Ridge Rider News. As we have told you in the past, RRN was read at bedtime. I don't know why, except to say it sort of put our thoughts into another realm right before we would go to sleep, [sort of ] like watching the Andy Griffith Show on TV but with a more fulfilling feeling." ~ Eufaula, AL
"It is hard to believe I have received my last edition of Ridge Rider News! I will miss this highly interesting news and the bits of trivia every week, as it has been such a pleasure to receive my very first one. I was a great admirer of Miss Ada Guthrie. [A friend'] shared your tribute to her with me. We discussed the RRN and she told me she was sure I could get on the mailing list. How fortunate I was! ... You have compiled a record of local happenings and of local people with grace, and I am sure all of your readers will agree with me that a weekly highlight has gone... There is no way to say thank you for years of unrewarded effort, but i will always have a deep sense of gratitude and love for both of you." ~ Pontotoc, MS
"We have really enjoyed the RRN - Sorry we missed so many of them. Thank you for sending it our way. We already miss it! Wayne, don't think you're losing it; you have just entered the aging generation. Good wishes to you both." ~ Pontotoc, MS
It took approximately fifty-three years for us discover the joy of writing. After about a year of journalizing we began Ridge Rider News and mailed copies to three households. Our reasons to initiate a weekly newsletter were varied but would most certainly include a desire to leave a written record for our descendants, while using our pen to vent a few frustrations. To our great surprise, our readership grew as friends heard about our venture. An even greater surprise was to discover that folks actually enjoyed our writing.
