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Some Stuff I Wrote (2001) H. Morris Williams

Special Friends

October 13,1992

This past week my life crossed paths of several special friends.
Gene Cox

Gene Cox is a Hall of Fame high school coach. Last week I sat in the rain to watch his
undefeated Aucilla Christian Warriors defeat Branford. After the game, we talked of his former star

Leon High.player Tamarack Vanover, who had run a 96-yard kickoff return for FSU against Wake
Forest. Gene said, “Keep watching. He may do it again.” The next day Vanover ran the opening
kickoff back for a 94 yard touchdown against Miami.

Ed Montgomery

Ed Montgomery, retired pastor of First Presbyterian, stopped mowing his lawn long enough
to tell me about the dedication of the park next to Lake Montgomery, named after his Dad. Ed said,
“Lake Montgomery used to be called Lake Hamburg. Dad was a scoutmaster and had a “scout hut”

in the woods by the lake. To preserve the future of the scout hut and scouting activities there, a man
gave Dad an indefinite lease on the land. When time passed and the scout hut was no longer needed,

Dad voluntarily gave up the lease. They wanted to honor Dad for his scouting work and his
graciousness in giving up the lease so they renamed the lake Lake Montgomery.”

Nick Hyder
Nick Hyder coaches the Valdosta Wildcats. He is the best known, most successful high

school coach in Georgia. He met Bob Harkness just before the CHS game and took an instant liking
to him. When Bob was hospitalized, Nick inquired immediately about Bob’s condition and, as a

devout Christian, offered his prayers for Bob’s speedy recovery. Coach Hyder also said to “tell all
those wonderful Columbia County people how much we appreciated their gracious hospitality and

we plan to return the favor when you visit Valdosta next year.”
Eddie Joe (Tiny) Long

Eddie Joe Long, as everybody knows, was CHS’s first All-Southern football player and later
a high school coach. He told me this story: “My first coaching job back in 1938 was at Jasper. The

school was broke and had no money to buy football equipment. One day Valdosta High School
called and offered us $70 to play them in a football game. I knew that $70 would buy us a lot of

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