By Jack Houvouras
HQ 124 | WINTER 2024
The cover story in this edition of the magazine about products “Made in Huntington” was educational to say the least, and it reminded me why I am proud to call this city home. I never truly appreciated how many indispensable products that are used around the world are produced in this region. From the West End of town where Heiner’s bakes bread to the East End where Special Metals manufactures nickel alloys used in military fighter jets, Huntington still makes a lot of cool products.
Looking back, I have always been both proud and fond of this area. Unlike a lot of young people, I was never one to criticize any of my hometown’s shortcomings. It never really occurred to me that I was missing
out on much. I had a great time riding the bus downtown with my best friend Rich Creamer, having lunch at H.L. Green, shopping for toys at McCrory’s, then grabbing some snacks at The Peanut Shoppe before catching a movie at the Keith-Albee. On other trips downtown we would shop for records at Davidson’s, bowl in the basement of the Arcade and grab a bite to eat at Bailey’s Cafeteria. If we were feeling particularly adventurous, we would hop the bus to Camden Park and take a ride on the Big Dipper. There were always enough things to do to make a day of it.
If we weren’t wandering around downtown, Rich and I were most likely at Ritter Park. In the summer we built a fort tucked away in the woods between the old Snake Road and the Ritter home. That fort kept us entertained for years. In the winter we’d glide our sleds down the Lion’s Den or take a long ride down the snow-covered road beside the tennis courts. There was always something to do at the park — tennis, soccer, football, skateboarding, you name it. We never felt deprived.
In high school I was never one of those teenagers who longed to “get out of here.” My parents insisted I attend an out-of-state college, and my two years away only served to bolster my appreciation for Huntington. Maybe there’s something wrong with me? I never really bought into that oft-repeated theme in movies, songs and novels where the protagonist can’t wait to escape his or her small-town life. “Did you ever make it out of that town where nothing ever happened?” asks Adele in her hit song Hello. My answer to that would be, “Yes, but I chose to come back. That town suits me.”
Today when people ask me where I’m from I proudly say “Huntington, West Virginia, the home of Marshall University.”
I then ask them if they ever saw the movie We Are Marshall as a point of reference, and most of the time they reply, “Yes, I loved that movie.” Thanks to Matthew McConaughey and Warner Bros., I no longer have to explain that Huntington is not near Richmond.
I was made in Huntington. Any success I have found in my career is the direct result of my experiences growing up here, the education I received and the relationships I forged. All of that explains why I chose to start a magazine 35 years ago that embodies what Huntington means to me and, hopefully, many others.
