By Jack Houvouras
HQ 125 | SPRING 2024
The decision of what to feature on the cover of the magazine can be challenging. As an example, in the last edition we decided to publish a cover story on products made in Huntington, and on the inside of the magazine we had planned to include a profile of Courtney Proctor Cross and her work at Huntington’s animal shelter. However, after I finished reading the article about Courtney, I was so amazed by her tireless efforts to save thousands of dogs and cats every year that I told my staff, “This woman deserves to be on the cover.” We then decided to postpone her article by three months.
As editor I run into situations like this often. There are so many deserving people who could be featured on the cover, but when you are publishing a quarterly magazine that means there are only four slots available each year. This edition of the magazine is a perfect example. While Courtney is certainly an ideal choice for the cover, there are other stories in this issue worthy of covers of their own.
1. Marshall’s new baseball stadium: Both the university and the community have been waiting 57 years to see this dream realized. The impressive new facility finally opened in March to great fanfare. National, state and local leaders were on hand for the game as well as some former Thundering Herd greats who played in the major leagues. Huntington residents can finally go catch a college baseball game — and, if all goes according to plan, minor league baseball as well.
2. Geoff Sheils: The regional president of the newly opened Summit Community Bank is a lifelong Huntingtonian who epitomizes what it means to be a leader. In addition to his role at the bank, he is the current chairman of the Marshall University Board of Governors — one of the most powerful posts in our region. Over the span of his 40-year career in banking, Geoff has volunteered his time and talent to dozens of local causes including the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Huntington Museum of Art, United Way, the Huntington YMCA and the Huntington Area Development Council. As if that weren’t enough, he is one of the nicest gentlemen you could ever hope to meet.
3. George Smailes: Looking back at his 50-year career at the Huntington YMCA, perhaps no one in our community has done more to impact the lives of our area youth than this man. From basketball to soccer to baseball and beyond, the soft-spoken Smailes has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make it all happen. Whether it’s raising millions of dollars for the Y, finding ways to help our region’s underprivileged youth, building a temporary home for the Marshall baseball team or cutting the enormous grass fields at the YMCA’s Kennedy Center, if he sees a need in the community, he rolls up his sleeves and fills it. You would be hard-pressed to find a finer person than George Smailes.
Over the years we’ve had the opportunity to publish cover stories about some of the region’s most accomplished individuals: Mike Perry, Bill Campbell, Marshall Reynolds, Joan Edwards, Chuck Yeager, Verna Gibson, Troy Brown, Bob Shell, Charlene Farrell, Dan O’Hanlon, Bill Noe, Carter G. Woodson, Woody Williams, Jan Rader, Brad Smith and many more. And while I’m proud of all these choices, it also pains me when I fail to put someone deserving on the cover. At some point, however, you come to the realization that you are working under deadline pressure and must make a decision. That’s simply the nature of the business.
For generations, this community has churned out an extraordinary number of innovators, leaders and activists. And in the end, having an ample supply of cover-worthy stories to choose from is a good problem to have. It’s a dilemma I hope to have for years to come.
