BJ Murphy: The Model Mayor - Mayor O.A. “Buddy” Ritch
My remarks at Mayor Buddy Ritch’s funeral at Westminster UMC on Friday, November 15.
I would like to thank Stella, Rena and the entire Ritch family for allowing me the honor of speaking here today. The last time I spoke in this pulpit was at the funeral for my adopted grandfather, Lowell Dupree, in December of 1997. A faithful member of this church, WWII Veteran, Kiwanis Club member, and downtown business owner, I’m certain Lowell and Buddy held many conversations about their military service, what civic duty meant to them, and the future of downtown Kinston.
See, because of Grandpa Dupree and my own late grandfather, Rev. Emmett Murphy, who had previously owned Kinston Fish & Oyster on North Herritage Street - known today as Reynolds Seafood - I often joked when I became mayor that I used to run up and down these streets in diapers.
I was born in 1980, started Kindergarten at Northwest Elementary School in 1985 and graduated from Kinston High School in 1998. These dates are important because Buddy was Mayor of Kinston throughout my entire journey through our public school system.
I remember seeing Mayor Ritch on the campus of Kinston High School and by his presence alone one could tell someone special, someone important was in this place. Understanding his impact on me, helped shape my own approach to speaking with students when I became mayor.
See 5-8 year olds, they may know who the President is, maybe the Governor, but the next in line is Mayor. They’d ask what kind of plane did I fly in today or how cool was my limousine.
Watching Buddy as mayor made me realize what kind of model mayor he really was. It helped form the foundation of the role - one I used in my own way during my 8 years of service.
One area of modeling after Buddy came in the area of visiting churches. I grew up at First PH Church on Phillips Road and it was very common for Rev. W.J. Forehand to pause our service and welcome Mayor Buddy Ritch to the congregation.
Turns out his visitations to our community’s churches was a common theme for Buddy. I’d hear about him at Bethel, Tanglewood, First Baptist, then into the black community at St. John’s, the Tabernacle, St. Augustus and many more.
Buddy understood, and maybe it was MaryMac that understood - ok, yes, it was most likely MaryMac - that to be an effective leader of the people, you had to be with the people. And, in the south, church is where the people are on Sunday mornings.
His attendance in local churches shaped my own approach to service. Admittedly, as a young, white, Republican the first couple of times visiting predominantly black churches was a touch out of the norm - both for me and the congregation. What I ultimately found was acceptance, and that acceptance came because Mayor Ritch laid the groundwork for the expectation that the mayor is the mayor of all people - cared about all people - worshiped among all people.
In fact, this week I showed my bride, Jessica, and our oldest daughter, Gracyn, a picture of Mayor Ritch with his arm around Gracyn in October 2017 at St. John FWB Church. Because of Buddy, even my 9 year old got to experience the community culture of our black churches here - something most young ladies in white families do not experience.
Buddy - Buddy was that model.
I guess one of the biggest differences was that when I visited churches or community events in general, I was on time.
If Buddy was coming, he was always 10-15 minutes late.
He walked all the way to the front pews.
And always found a way to leave before the altar call.
I will say that Mayor Ritch taught me my first political lesson too. When I decided to run for mayor at 25 in 2005, it wasn’t to oppose Mayor Johnnie Mosley or Mayor Buddy Ritch, it was simply to give people a choice.
And what negative thing could I say about Buddy? I guess the only thing I figured was he was 50 years my senior - so I tried in my “wet behind the ears” neophyte way to say maybe he wasn’t physically fit to serve.
Well, I’ll be - Buddy’s comeback on the Reece Gardner Hour was that he still did 100 pushups every morning. Something even to this day, I cannot do. Needless to say, I never tried that political stunt again, as it taught me well to never underestimate my opponents.
Of course, I was expected to lose - and did - but Buddy’s final tenure as mayor achieved yet another All America City designation for our beloved community.
Another area I modeled Mayor Ritch was in attending Eagle Scout Courts of Honor. Just like how elementary students looked up to the mayor, these moments in a young man’s life deserved to be recognized by their mayor.
I attended many of them right in this very church, speaking at this very microphone. In fact, I would give the new Eagle Scout a proclamation on behalf of the City of Kinston, probably modeled after language Buddy used, and gave the Scout my own City of Kinston lapel pin to symbolize their contributions to our community.
Buddy was a model mayor.
He was great friends with Guy Skinner, a man I greatly admired and loved. They probably flew around town a few times together.
He loved baseball - he loved the Kinston Indians. And, there was no question, he’d be involved when we convinced the Texas Rangers to join us here in eastern North Carolina.
Buddy’s record of service is unmatched and may never be in my lifetime. A close second, in my opinion, is Linda Rouse Sutton, whose husband Clyde - my first cousin - took Buddy fishing all the time. And they loved each other’s company.
Another way I modeled Mayor Rtich was through the giving of the Golden Keys to the City. You see in our form of government, commonly called a council-manager form, where the council makes the decisions and the manager is charged with executing them, our Kinston Mayor is powerless in many ways and ultimately serves as the chairman of the board.
Yet, Buddy found ways to lead and give back to the point you never realized he actually didn’t get a say in the vote. Maybe MaryMac was the force to be reckoned with - yes, of course, it was her - she was the force, no doubt. But Buddy knew how to inspire people and to thank people for their service.
It was only fitting that in 2011, when I decided to bring back the Keys to the City at the BBQ Fest on the Neuse, that Buddy was among the group I gave it to first. You see, even in his 80s he was giving back.
The infamous Eight-Eighties, which included Chester Stocks, Dr. Junius Rose, Mayor Ritch, Robert Paul, Guy Skinner, Wililam Whittington, John Hood, and Fred Hunneke, were all war-time veterans who were still finding ways to give back.
Wow! What a model of men. Who am I to follow them?
Yet, a big part of me always asks, who’s next?
Who’s next to follow in these footsteps?
Who will serve on boards Buddy Ritch helped create?
I tried my best.
He helped found the Pride of Kinston organization in the mid 1980s. I served as an intern and later as its Executive Director.
I tried my best.
He modeled what the mayor of Kinston should be. From chairing the meetings, to attending churches, to speaking to our youth throughout the county, to advocating for our community at Electricities, in the halls of the General Assembly, and even during flooding -
I tried my best.
He advocated for the North Carolina Global Transpark - a decision that absolutely changed my life. Because of Buddy, Mr. Felix Harvey, Gov. Jim Hunt, and countless other leaders the vision you cast of a bustling economic center opened my eyes in the 7th grade of Rochelle in Mr. Herman McLawhorn’s class.
Because of you, I pledged in those moments to return to Kinston and give back no matter what. And, I did. I have. And I continue to - try my best.
Buddy leaves us with an unmatched legacy. The epitome of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, Mayor O.A. “Buddy” Ritch was a legend of a man. A man worthy of infinite praise for his contributions to our community.
A man who chose his bride well.
A man who loved his family dearly.
A man who cherished his adopted hometown.
A man worthy of being followed.
Worthy of his accolades.
Worthy of saying, “job well done.”
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