I called them the Three Wise Men. They came not bearing gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense. They brought service, dedication and integrity. And as with all wise men, they lived their example.
No exotic names like Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar. Theirs were ordinary names: John. Roy. Raymond. But they were anything but ordinary. Although they were never to meet, they shared a common bond. They were members of the Greatest Generation, strong family men, devout in their faith and highly successful in their particular fields of endeavor. They made this a better world by their presence and made me a better person for having known them.
Some years ago, I wrote in this space about John Jacobs of Gainesville, Roy Hodnett of St. Simons Island and Dr. Raymond Cook of Valdosta, referring to them as the Three Wise Men. Thank God that they were around to read it and to know what they meant to me. Today I come to honor their memory.
A eulogy for three extraordinary wise men