By Jack Houvouras
HQ 46 | WINTER 2003
Publishing a magazine is fun. Sorry. I almost feel guilty for putting that to paper. After all, as Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” I hope that isn’t as true today as it was when Thoreau was observing the world in the midst of the 19th Century, but I suspect it is.
But the fun I have in my work is the direct result of choosing a career path that I knew I would love. After graduating from Marshall University with a degree in journalism, I set out to become an attorney and attended law school for one miserable semester, all the while missing the creative process I had been a part of as editor of the university’s student newspaper.
As editor of The Parthenon, I was intricately involved in the publishing process – writing, editing, photography, layout and design. There was always a tremendous sense of satisfaction the morning the newspaper was delivered to the school and my staff and I could finally see the results of our hard work in black and white.. I suppose if I were ever asked to give a young person some advice, I would tell them to pursue a career that they know they will enjoy. As businessman Marshall Reynolds told me years ago, “Work is only work if you’d rather be doing something else.”
The work that went into the “Best of Huntington” issue is a perfect example of how much fun this job can be. While planning this edition of the magazine, my staff agreed to steer clear of the staple of categories you find in most newspapers or magazines that do “Best of” lists. We avoided such areas as Best Doctor, Best Lawyer, Best Bank and the like, and decided to have a little fun with the whole process. We found ourselves debating such areas as Best Onion Rings, Best Shopping Carts, Best Lawn and Best Milkshakes. We threw in some more serious categories for good measure including Best Fireman, Best Old Home, Best Landmark and Best Community Supporter. The result is an eclectic mix of some of the many things that make Huntington a unique place to live.
In addition to sitting around the office debating which was better, sled riding at Ritter Park or Spring Valley Golf Course, we were also forced to embark upon several business lunches to sample Huntington’s offerings of pizza, hot dogs, cheeseburgers and, yes, desserts … just to name a few. Somebody had to do it.
Along with our own research and opinions, we also polled some of our readers and deferred to the judgment of local experts as part of our selection process. But even that was fun. Everyone has a different opinion about who has the Best Bar or which restaurant has the Best Atmosphere, but in the end we were able to come to a consensus in nearly every category on our list.
So there you have it. Our first ever “Best of Huntington” issue is now “put to bed” as they say in the publishing game. What this edition of the magazine taught me more than anything else is that I made the right decision to abandon law school and pursue a career that, for me personally, would be a true labor of love.
Could I have made more money as an attorney? Probably. Would I have had this much fun? Probably not. And it’s hard to put a price tag on that.
