Rome pays tribute to World War II veteran, Rome News Tribune Columnist, Author, and optometrist Jack Runninger. Jack was a man of many trades and Rome was lucky to have him. He lent his talents to Rome through his profession and humorous writings. He truly brought art and laughter to the community.
Jack made Rome his hometown after graduating in 1948. He began working in optometry and not long after opened his very own practice. After helping people with their sight for almost 45 years, Runninger decided he wanted to share another talent, comedy. He began writing a humor column for the Rome News Tribune which lasted over 30 years.
He has written several journals, columns, and books, two of which,”Funny Female Foibles” and “Fixing Stupid” are available at the Last Stop Gift Shop. They are humorous, truthful, and a wonderful read for everyone.
A doctor with a writer’s heart describes him best. He achieved so many things in his lifetime and was awarded not only for his success in optometry but for his written works as well. He loved to write so much that he actually pre-wrote his own obituary in the Rome News Tribune.
He had a kind, hilarious spirit and a such a way with words. Rome will truly miss Dr. Jack Runninger.
Rome has lost several other wonderful artists and the Last Stop Gift Shop would like to pay tribute to those special people—Bill Bussey, Debbie Brown, Rhonda Saddler, James Birdsong, Greg McCary, Sherry Pass, Knox Wilkinson, and Cirrece Sullins.
About the Author
Our Georgia's Rome tourism team works hard to curate content to help you discover and explore our beautiful town! We want to ensure our content is up-to-date and accurate; so please let us know if we ever overlook an important detail! This post was originally written by Kristi Kent and is updated by staff.
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