By Staff
Spent eight years at newspaper
By CLAUD HODGES
Senior Reporter
A retired farmer who came to work at the Washington Daily News eight years ago will retire again Friday. But, this time, Jerry Cox, 65, will retire as the circulation director of the newspaper.
Cox began his years at the paper on March 20, 2000, and his retirement date is March 21, 2008.
For many years before Cox came to the paper to work, he said he wrote several letters to the editor that criticized the Daily News for its liberal journalism.
Futrell responded to Cox by saying that people who write scathing letters to the newspaper need to be careful because they might get a job offer to work at the paper.
Futrell said he met Cox when the two of them worked together with the Washington Rotary Club and the Belhaven-Pantego Rotary Club.
Futrell was affiliated with the Washington club and Cox was affiliated with the Belhaven-Pantego club.
Cox said his motto as circulation director was, “Don’t place blame. Define the problem and help with the solution.”
Cox was responsible for the paper’s mail room, where the papers are assembled after they come off the printing press. He was also responsible for the paper’s building and grounds.
Cox worked with approximately 30 carriers at any one time who delivered papers for the circulation department.
Lou Firth, the paper’s circulation manager, works in the Daily News office and is responsible for the daily operations of the circulation department.
Cox said Firth is a very valuable employee and has been a very efficient co-worker.
Cox said that getting papers to customers by 6:30 a.m. every day is critical to the Daily News and he said that it is a major issue if the papers don’t get to their subscribers on time.
Cox, of Belhaven has been married for 43 years to the former Lynne Craige of Marion S.C. They have two sons, Trevor and Sean, and one grandson.