the editor talks with you

Chris Harmon called me at home early one morning last week. He apologized for the hour but said he knew me to be a restless soul who could not sleep late. “I just wanted you to know my Uncle Dan passed away,” Chris said. “I know the two of you went back a long way.” Chris is our county’s auditor. His and Dan’s roots go deep into local soil. I would not doubt their family may include half the people who live in Lexington County When our family first came to Lexington County, our news editor Vicky Jennette told us about Dan and the columns he used to write for The Dispatch-News. “You ought to convince him to start writing for us again,” she said. “He wrote about ordinary people in an extraordinary way and our readers loved it.”

She said Dan was a talented musician who played at Aun’s Feed Stable. That evening when he took a break we struck up a conversation and discussed the possibility of Dan writing for us again. That led to a series of columns Dan called “Around the Apple Barrel” about just plain folks like the rest of us and Vicky was right. Readers loved his column. When we launched the Chronicle in 1992, Dan was one of the first writers to join us. “Around the Apple Barrel” continued to win readers for our newspaper. We couldn’t afford to pay Dan a lot but that didn’t matter. Dan marched to his own drummer. Money was of scant concern.

One night he invited me to ride with him to the Wilcox Inn in Aiken where he was booked to play. Afterwards, walking back to the car in the darkness, we heard men singing in a foreign tongue. They were Russian engineers who had come to Aiken to see what they could learn from fellow engineers at the Savannah River plant. We joined them and Dan picked out the melodies of Russian folk songs while the Russians sang their hearts out. We were doing our bit for diplomatic relations. We probably didn’t have a lot to do with it, but the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union imploded months later. When the history of the Cold War is written, Dan deserves at least a foot note.

After Dan moved to Spartanburg, he would send me chapters from his book, “The Chalktown Train,” a collection of Victorian era mystery stories set in the Midlands. The sleuth was, of course, a newspaper reporter who solved mysteries. It was an honor when Dan asked me to write an introduction to his book. He would generously drive down I-26 to speak to my writing students at Midlands Tech’s Harbison campus. The only pay he got was a sandwich and drink at the Piney Grove Waffle House. Dan didn’t care. He liked helping others, especially aspiring writers.

Chris’s call was a shock. Dan Harmon was one of those guy you figured would live forever. He didn’t let life bother him. He loved people, music and stories. He was a good role model for lots of us.

Special offer for our readers

Jerry Bellune shares role model stories like this in his book, “Lead People, Manage Things.” Chronicle readers can buy personally autographed copies of his $27 book for only $20. Call Jewel or Katie at 359-7633.