The Rappahannock Record was founded in 1916, and from 1920 until he died in 1993 the publisher was J. Emory Currell. He insisted that he was the publisher and not the editor, inasmuch as he did not write for the paper, although he read every line that went into it. He was quite supportive of local businesses, especially with respect to start-ups, giving the owners additional time to settle their accounts when needed.
In 1959 a retired Army general, Rothwell Brown, who had moved to Lancaster County with his wife, Tillie, a few years earlier, proposed writing a local commentary column for the newspaper. His items were of general interest, often politically directed.
He and Tillie were dedicated volunteers at many of the area’s charitable endeavors. His daughter, the late Ginny Adcock, continued that tradition, serving three times as the interim director of the Lancaster Community Library. The general wrote his last item while in the hospital shortly before he died in 1974. His column had become a local institution.
After his passing, Gene Rook, a retired Navy Captain, stepped to the fore, and began writing an item, which he entitled, “Rejoinder.” Gene had been born in Pennsylvania in 1902 and was a 1924 graduate of the Naval Academy where he was a star on the baseball team. During the Second World War, he had commanded the U.S.S. Sierra, a cruiser that had been commissioned in 1941, which later inspired him to build a house on Barrett’s Creek with everything necessary in any emergency, including a basement room that could double as a bomb shelter, if needed. He equipped the house with the latest technology, all of which by now would be considered obsolete.
Gene was involved with numerous aspects of community life in the lower Northern Neck, and in each of his activities he was not bashful about speaking his mind. He had been a founding member of the Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club, later serving as its president. He researched the history of the clubhouse, which had been the home of the actress, Helen Vinson. Although he did not have a boat, did not play golf, did not swim and did not drink alcohol, he said he belonged to the club for two reasons: to eat and to criticize. I assume he meant “to critique.”
“Rejoinder” was the exposition of his political views, be they local, regional, national, or global. The late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Thomas P. O’Neill, better known as “Tip”, who had succeeded John F. Kennedy in the House when Kennedy was elected Senator in 1952, was the recipient of many of his barbs. Gene Rook was possibly the most knowledgeable individual on Tip O’Neill and definitely one of the most negative.
Each week “Rejoinder” resounded with his musings on the current scene. In those pre-internet days, he would type the column and drive it into the Record office to hand deliver to the publisher. Those occasions often produced interesting, friendly banter between the captain and the publisher, usually with the latter coming out on top, according to witnesses.
Gene was a frequent patron of the late George Urban’s barber shop on Main Street, enjoying the opportunity to engage in local barbershop conversation. In 1985 his wife, Edith, died after a brief illness, after which he moved to Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury. There he met Marguerite Marchant, whom he married two years later. Gene died in 1994 at the age of 92, ironically the same year that his ship, the Sierra, was scrapped, having been decommissioned the previous year. At that time of decommissioning it was the longest-serving Navy ship still in use, having completed over a half-century of active duty service.
This synopsis brings us to 1984, and next week’s item will follow from there.
