Roy R. Reynolds, 1967-2021

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Roy R. Reynolds, 1967-2021

Sat, 06/05/2021 - 19:45
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Roy R. Reynolds, publisher of the Madisonville Meteor from March of 2019 through December, passed away at his Huntsville residence this week. He was 53.

Roy was a West Texas native and a member of Levelland High School’s Class of 1986. He often expressed fond memories of growing up on the family’s farm and working with his father, Ed.

He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas Tech University and took great pride in his Red Raider fandom. He also received his MBA from Tech’s College of Business Administration.

Roy’s opinion columns appeared in major publications across the state of Texas, including the Houston Chronicle and the Dallas Morning News. He was also an energy reporter for Dow Jones and Co., covering oil and gas matters for four years.

He worked in media relations and business development for Haynes and Boone, one of the nation’s largest law firms, for over eight years.

Along with the Meteor, Roy held stints as publisher at Sealy News and the Liberty Vindicator and wrote for the Amarillo Globe-News.

His entire career, which spanned over 35 years, involved news reporting in some way, beginning with a job at a small weekly in Levelland in college.

I worked under Roy during his entire tenure at the Meteor and quickly became close with him on a personal level. When you operate in a small atmosphere with a limited number of people, you tend to click instantly with your fellow workmates. As two outsiders in a small town who shared a number of the same interests, Roy and I were no exception.

He was someone who stood steadfast and firm in his ways while also showcasing an open mind on a number of issues. He had the rare ability to hold a conversation or engage in civil discourse with individuals from all walks of life. Whether it was current events, film, television, literature, or the best restaurants in different cities he had lived in or visited (none of which considered cilantro a necessary addition to any meal), he was a skilled conversationalist and thoroughly appreciated the art of dialogue.

I first met Roy on my 24th birthday moments after learning I’d be working under a new publisher. Since I also had a positive relationship with my previous boss, I was extremely nervous when he first walked through the Meteor’s doorway and into my life.

He quickly put these nerves at ease and stifled any thought I may have had of moving on from Madisonville after the sudden transition. His vast industry knowledge and life experience made me a better writer on a daily basis. His talent in this craft and ability to find the exact right word for every situation has convinced me that I will never be the writer he was at his best, but I am forever grateful for his tutelage and will never stop trying.

My best memory with Roy did not come as his employee, but as his friend. It was in July of 2019 when he had recently transitioned from the Meteor’s interim publisher to its full-time publisher. As avid Quentin Tarantino fans, we both rushed to the movie theatre to catch his new blockbuster Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a film we had openly anticipated together in the prior months. We had first enjoyed a meal at Red Lobster where he, of course, cracked a cringe-worthy joke or two to the server. It was a simple day on paper, but it’s what sticks out most when I look back on it all. He had been through a lot in his life to that point and there were even darker days ahead, but all was well on that summer Saturday.

A story, Roy often said, was as long as a rope. This meant that each story should be as long as it needed to be and discouraged the practice of aiming for a word count before telling it. His 53 years will never feel long enough to those of us who loved him, but when you consider the substance therein, perhaps they were enough to make the impact they were supposed to.

Roy is survived by his father, Ed Reynolds, and stepmother, Evelyn Reynolds of Lubbock, Jill Karnicki of Houston, and many friends. A memorial service will be held Thursday at Sanders Funeral Home in Lubbock at 2 p.m.

"A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” —Oscar Wilde