I shaved my legs for this

Upon being hired at the Southern Standard, editor James Clark told me to expect sparks at some of these government meetings. He said, and I kid you not, to expect someone to throw a chair. James told me, if needed, dive under the nearest table but please snap pictures as I did so. If I dropped the camera, we would recover it later, he said.

Looking back on it now, I should have known he was joking. However, at the time, I assured him that I could handle myself in any situation. News reporting was predominantly a man’s profession, except the lifestyles section, so I felt the need to prove myself. Initially, I must be honest here, that was false bravado.

I spent 17 years covering thousands of McMinnville City and Warren County government meetings and not one chair moved from the floor. Not sure if I felt disappointment or relief as the weeks, months and years passed and not one person got angry enough to toss a chair across the room.

There were sparks, however. During one city government meeting, former Alderman Billy Wood attempted to bypass protocol to get something on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s agenda without first going through committee. Former Mayor Royce Davenport called him out on it. Wood argued. Davenport threatened to have Wood removed from the room. Wood replied, “I wished you’d try it.”

James wanted to use the headline “Davenport rubs Wood wrong, sparks fly.” While I was in full support, I believe the publisher wasn’t. I can’t remember what headlines prevailed, but that one was logged into my memory rolodex.

Speaking of Davenport and Wood:

Davenport always seemed to be so alert during government meetings. Sometimes I struggled to stay awake. While some meetings lasted 15-30 minutes, others could go over two hours in duration. The Saturday planning session, which only happened once a year, was approximately six hours long. Most of the time, government meetings were akin to watching paint dry. I found myself wishing someone would throw a chair.

One day, I asked Davenport, “How do you stay awake during these meetings? You always seem so alert. I assume its caffeine, but I’d really like to know.”

He replied, “I pinch the hair on my leg through my pants.” He demonstrated by using his thumb and forefinger and pulling at his pants’ leg. That admission made me laugh every time I felt sleepy during meetings. I should have taken advantage of the wise advice and stopped shaving my legs.

As for Wood, he gave me the best compliment up to that point in my career. There was a newcomer to the board and he/she asked about me. Wood said he stated, “Lisa will treat you fairly, but if you do something wrong, she will land on you with both feet.” That was the best synopsis of how I view my job responsibilities. 

Billy Wood passed away in 2024, while Royce Davenport passed away in 2014. Gone, but not forgotten. I miss them both.