By Jack Houvouras
HQ 121 | Spring 2023
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 33 years of publishing, it’s that some creative ideas are better in theory than actual reality.
My decision to name the 50 Greatest Huntingtonians of All Time sounded like a fun article to tackle, and in many ways it was. As part of my research on the subject, I worked with longtime HQ writer and local historian Jim Casto. We scoured history books and old newspaper articles; we called on a number of lifelong Huntington residents whose families go back generations; and we spent a week debating back and forth about who should make the final cut. That was actually the fun part.
However, compiling a list like this is hard work and filled with potential pitfalls. First, you worry about excluding someone deserving. Then you worry about getting all your facts right. Finally, when the list comes out, you await the reaction of the readers. As with any list of this nature, for every person you please with inclusion, you anger two who are left off. I often field phone calls and emails from those questioning our editorial choices.
For this edition of the magazine, I have a ready-made counter to anyone who challenges our picks. I will simply respond by saying that my own father didn’t make the list. Nepotism aside, Andrew J. Houvouras was an astute businessman who was instrumental in the formation of several local companies including Huntington Plating, Sterling Supply, C.I. Thornburg and Steel of West Virginia. He was active in politics, playing a key role in President John F. Kennedy’s landmark win in the West Virginia primary. He was involved in numerous worthy causes, including the first Civil Rights Commission in Huntington, the Peace Corps, the War on Poverty and the Coalition for the Homeless. In 1999, he was named one of the Tri-State’s “50 Most Influential People” of the 20th century by the editors of The Herald-Dispatch.
Personally, I’ve always enjoyed reading these kinds of articles. Whether it’s the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time or TIME magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, the conversation and debate are half the fun.
I learned a great deal working on our cover story, and I hope you will find it enlightening as well. In particular, I encourage you to read about my personal choices of the 10 most impressive figures in our city’s history. They are Rufus Switzer, Dr. C.C. Barnett, Fred C. Prichard, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Dr. Henry D. Hatfield, Stella Fuller, the Sisters of St. Mary’s, Dr. Albert C. Esposito, A. Michael Perry and Jan Rader.
There’s another thing I’ve learned since founding this magazine in 1989 — you can’t live in fear or publish in fear. As my father used to tell me, “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.” Success in business and life usually involves taking chances. Many of this city’s 50 greatest citizens were individuals who did just that, and Huntington is all the better for it.
