In life, we meet people who make a difference in who we become. In life, we have influences that shape us and experiences that temper what kind of person we develop into. When I was growing up in Six Mile, I didn’t ever once think that I wanted to be a newspaperman.

Sure, there were things I wanted to be. A superhero, an artist, a professional wrestler and even a mechanic, but never once did I say, “Mama, I want to be a newspaperman.”

As a comic book collector, I knew what newspapermen did. For crying out loud, Clark Kent was a reporter at the Daily Planet and Peter Parker was a photographer for the Daily Bugle. So I knew the people who worked at newspapers were mild-mannered, smart and interested in everything, but that was about it. As many of you know, Clark Kent had a night job, too — in his off time he would put on a red cape and save the world as Superman. Peter Parker did the same thing, too, but his moniker was Spider-Man.

So being a newspaperman and a superhero were somehow connected in my mind.

In 1983, God gave me an incredible blessing. That was the year I saw an advertisement in the local paper in Pickens looking for a graphic artist. I was doing a lot of drawing, with hopes of a future as a comic book artist. When I saw that advertisement that day in the Pickens Sentinel, I thought, “I can draw.” See, that was how naive I was — I had no idea how a newspaper actually worked or even what a graphic artist was.

On the day I went for a job interview, I met a man who would change everything in my life. Jerry Alexander molded me into the man I am today.

Jerry was a man with incredible charisma. He was a country boy. He was a businessman, a salesman, a father, a husband and an incredibly hard worker. He was a man who fought for what he believed in.

He was a historian. He was a Rotarian. Jerry was so much, yet when you talked to him — even if it was the first time you had laid eyes on him — you couldn’t help but like him and you could feel the importance that was all around him. Jerry was the best people person I had or will ever met. Never did he meet a stranger.

Jerry, you see, was a newspaperman. Not a fictional one like Clark Kent or Peter Parker. He was an actual, real-life newspaperman.

On that day and the days that followed, Jerry made me fall in love with the business. From X-Acto knives to pica gauges, from dark rooms to paste-up tables, selling ads, cover stories, building pages, delivering papers … I loved it all, and I owe that to Jerry Alexander.

Jerry always wore a nice suit — he always looked like a professional. Yet when he started talking, you would immediately realize he was common man and a country boy at heart. He would quickly tell you he was raised in Cateechee and worked at the mill along with his dad and siblings.

I discovered over time how much Jerry and I had in common. He and I had deep roots in Pickens and Oconee counties. We were both raised by a single hardworking parent, we both loved our family and we both loved Pickens County. Jerry had started out in newspapers as a cartoonist working for the Anderson Independent, and later for Gary Hiott at the Pickens Sentinel. He didn’t pigeonhole himself into any single position and went on to write for the papers and sell ads.

During his early years, he developed a close relationship with the Hiott family, and when the time came for the Hiotts to sell the Sentinel, which they had owned for more than 75 years, they agreed to with the stipulation that Jerry be one of the primary owners.

Jerry, Ben Bagwell and a group of investors took over the paper in 1978. Jerry went right to work as the advertising director, while Bagwell edited the paper. During that period, the Sentinel had many ups and downs, but that did not discourage him, and Jerry would later buy out all his partner investors and own the Pickens Sentinel lock, stock and barrel.

In 1983, I was fresh out of college and had no idea what I was going to do. I first went to work for Ryobi in Pickens. I didn’t like it there and knew I had to find something I liked if I was going to make it in life. That is when I saw the ad. Thirty-five years later, thanks to Jerry’s mentoring, I can proudly say I am the only person to have been the publisher of every paid newspaper in the Pickens County, and I’ve never been fired by any.

That is because of Jerry. You see, Jerry took a chance on a poor boy from Six Mile with absolutely no experience in the newspaper business and made me the man I am today. I owe so much to Jerry Lamar Alexander — from how I treat people to how I react to the character I possess to the fairness I try to always show.

On Wednesday of last week, I got a text that I had been dreading to receive. It was Jerry’s daughter, Ginger. The text read “Daddy passed away last night. Daddy loved you so much.” Those lines, along with the funeral information, made me falter and tears come to my eyes. Jerry was gone. The man who made me who I am had lost his battle with cancer. I don’t believe I will ever get over getting that message last week.

Jerry may not have been Clark Kent or Peter Parker, but he was my superhero. I will strive for the rest of my days to keep honoring him by providing the news to the people of Pickens County.

A newspaper records history. I think that is why Jerry loved the business. I know that is why I do today. Thank you, Jerry, for the many things you did for me over the years and the many times you gave me advice when I needed it most. I am a much better man because of you. Rest in peace, Jerry, and know you will live forever in the words and pictures you created and the people’s hearts you have touched.