Jeff Kaley
WAURIKA — One reason I treasure writing is that the printed word often reveals a true representation of a person’s heart and soul.
During the past decade, Evelyn Herron’s heart and soul were on display to readers of the News-Democrat in her weekly column The Barefoot Philosopher. What was wonderful to discover is this: The caring, sensitive, astute, approachable person who came across in print was the same person outside the printed word.
With Evelyn, who died Saturday at age 86, what you read was what you got. She was genuine — in print and in person.
If my memory serves — and it doesn’t serve me all that well anymore — Evelyn and I first met at a Duncan Banner/News-Democrat Christmas party sometime in the 1980s. But I really got to “know” her in the early part of this decade, when I was associate editor at The Banner.
As many of you are aware, The Banner and News-Democrat are sister papers. During the three years I was associate editor in Duncan, one of my tasks was to help edit some of the copy that went into the WND each week. Occasionally, that meant “editing” Evelyn’s column.
The word “editing” is in quotes because Evelyn’s copy was consistently “clean,” which is something that delights editors. There might be a word usage or grammar error, but those were few and far between.
Almost without fail, from the first time I proofed one of her columns a half-dozen years ago until the last original piece she produced on Oct. 28, 2009, “editing” The Barefoot Philosopher meant putting down the red pen and sitting back to enjoy what I was reading.
Over the years, her fans and I read were slice-of-life columns from someone who obviously held the printed word in high esteem. Evelyn’s style was folksy and down-home; it was concise and easy to digest.
Essentially, Evelyn held a running conversation with her readers.
Often, The Barefoot Philosopher spoke to members of her generation, the dwindling group of what is called “The Greatest Generation.” Her tales from back in “The Day” resonated among her peers, including my mother, who lives 800 miles away and never met Evelyn, but who developed a bond with The Barefoot Philosopher through their similar backgrounds.
At the same time, Evelyn’s reflections crossed the generations and were reminders that while a lot has changed, much of the human condition passes on from generation to generation
The Barefoot Philosopher avoided being “preachy,” but was able to get a point across. And true to her spiritual nature, Evelyn’s observations left room for human error and inconsistency — even her own.
When I became editor of the News-Democrat in December 2005, Evelyn was among the first people to come by the office and wish me well. Knowing how highly regarded she was in this community, it was like being given a seal of approval.
Evelyn’s endorsement meant even more when I found out she had worked as a reporter for the WND in the 1960s and ’70s, so she knew what it was like to have to “pound the pavement” for a story.
Even when I committed a huge blunder in a column a couple years ago, referring to her as Evelyn “Johnson,” the person with the best sense of humor and true empathy was The Barefoot Philosopher.
Over the years, I would get phone calls or e-mails from Evelyn, saying she liked something I’d written or how I’d turned a phrase. And no praise is more gratifying to one who writes than that from someone else who practices — and treasures — the written word.
As a writer and a human being, Evelyn was generous, gracious and stately. I will always think of her that way, and we’re blessed that she left us with so many reminders in black and white.
In coming weeks, the News-Democrat will be rerunning selected columns from the heart and soul of The Barefoot Philosopher.
