I just learned that one of my favorite people in the world, Rolland Wrenn, has died. I first met Rolland when I got her to write a column for The Chapel Hill Herald in 1988. Her homespun humor and sometimes biting wit regarding local politicians made her a local star. After every lengthy phone call with her I’d tell people that she’d run circles around those Southern commentators that NPR likes to trot out.
Every editor of The Chapel Hill Herald came under Rolland’s spell. First me, then Tim Marema and then Mark Schultz. Here’s a column Mark, now with the Chapel Hill News, wrote about Rolland in December.
I was going to call her the other day but put it off for some other seemingly pressing thing. I had watched an episode of the 1964 TV series “Combat” that featured Jack Hogan as Kirby. Hogan lives in Orange County and was one of Rolland’s good friends, and I wanted to tell her I was thinking about her.
I wish I had made the call.
