>>JENNIFER READY: LAST MONTH, JACKSONVILLE’S OLDEST FORMER MAYOR JAKE GODBOLD PASSED AWAY.
HE SERVED AS MAYOR FOR THE
RIVER
CITY FROM 1978 TO 1987 HE WAS
86 YEARS OLD WHEN
HE DIED.
>>ZAC LASHWAY: AND ON THURSDAY
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ATTEND
A CELEBRATION OF LIFE MEMORIAL
SERVICE. JOINING US NOW WITH
MORE ON HIS LEGACY
IS HIS LIFELONG FRIEND IN TIME
PRESS SECRETARY AND FRIEND OF COURSE, MARTHA BARRETT MARTHA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TO
YOUR THANK YOU FOR KNOW, WE’RE
WE’RE SO EXCITED TO SPEAK WITH
YOU ABOUT
HIS LEGACY. WE ALSO WANT TO
KNOW HOW THE 2 OF YOU MET TAKE
US THROUGH THE HISTORY OF YOUR
FRIENDSHIP. WELL I WAS IN
WASHINGTON DC WORKING FOR THE
CARTER ADMINISTRATION BACK IN
1978.
>>ZAC LASHWAY: AND I HAD READ
THAT A J COBB WAS GOING TO COME
AIR BECAUSE MAN
SMEAR CHANCELLOR HAD HE WAS
RESIGNING TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR
SO JAKE AUTOMATICALLY
BECAME AIR. ANYWAY OF GREAT
FRIEND OF MINE AT HOLT FROM THE
EAST SIDE I CALL SAID CAN I
HAVE LUNCH WITH YOU SO THE 3 OF
US PLUS MIKE TOLBERT HAD LUNCH
AND HE WANT HIS SAID TO ME
AFTER LUNCH. I I LIKE YOU I’D
LIKE TO HIRE YOU I DON’T KNOW
WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO THAT.
>> GOT THE JOB I GOT
THAT IDEA AND FOR THOSE OF US
WHO DON’T KNOW HIM WHAT WAS HE
LIKE HE WAS WONDERFUL IS LOTS
OF FUN, VERY HARD TOUGH TOUGH
DON’T THINK. >> THAT HE WAS EASY TO WORK WITH I MEAN IT WAS WONDERFUL
BUT YOU YOU KNEW YOU HAD TO
WORK AND WORK HARD AND WHEN YOU
DID HE REALLY APPRECIATED IT.
HE WAS LOTS OF FUN THOUGH HE
HAD A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR.
HE REALLY LOVE THE CITY.
AND HEY ALL SEE ONE IT WAS THE
BEST QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL OF
OUR CITIZENS AND IT
WAS REALLY VERY OBVIOUS THE WAY
HE
LOVED JACKSONVILLE.
>>ZAC LASHWAY: I NEVER HAD THE
OPPORTUNITY OR THE PLEASURE OF
THE MAYOR BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS I’VE MET SEVERAL PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THIS COMMUNITY WHO
HAVE YES OF ALL WALKS OF
AND IT WAS NOT IT WAS SO
SURPRISING TO ME TO MEET THESE
INDIVIDUALS AND SAY OH YEAH.
I MARRIED MAYOR JAKES NUMBER 8
HERE WE
DO LUNCH.
>> EVERY WEDNESDAY OF EVERY
MONTH I WILL TELL YOU THAT HE
HAD AN OF AN UNLISTED PHONE
NUMBER HIS ENTIRE A HALF YEARS
AND WE KNEW ON MONDAY MORNINGS
TO BE TO
BE READY BECAUSE HE WOULD SAY
CALL MARTHA BARRETT OUR CALL SO
AND SO AND SO AND SO A LOT OF
LOVE TO DO THAT YOU KNOW HE WAS
VERY GOOD ABOUT LISTENING TO THE PUBLIC ANY LOVE THE TELEPHONE SO OF PEOPLE HAD A
PROBLEM I CALL HIM AND THEN HE
WOULD HAVE THEM
CALL US.
>>ZAC LASHWAY: AND THAT’S NOT
SOMETHING YOU HEAR WITHIN ALL
IT TAKES TO UNDERSTAND I KNOW
HER WELL AND HE WAS SO WE’VE
HEARD ALL THESE STORIES OVER
THE PAST FEW WEEKS HE WAS SO
INVOLVED IN THIS COMMUNITY AND
MAKING CHANGES THAT REALLY
MATTER TO PEOPLE IN THE
COMMUNITY. YEAH, WHAT WERE SOME
OF THE MOST NOTABLE ONES THAT
YOU CAN RECALL WELL I THINK ONE
OF THE MOST INTERESTING ONE WAS
OF A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE
CHAMBER OF
WALKED IN AND RIGHT AFTER HIS
ELECTION IN 79 AND THEY SAID
YOU KNOW MISTER MAIR WITH NONE
OF US WERE FOR YOU. SO YOU
COULD REALLY JUST ALL SHE COULD
DO IS KISS
BABIES AND AND REALLY KICK US
THAT THE WHOLE NEXT 4 YEARS HE
SAID OH NO, I DON’T HOLD
GRUDGES YOU’RE GOING TO BE
MY PARTNERS AND BECAUSE MY MY
PART IN LIFE IS TO HAVE QUALITY
A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR
ALL OF OUR CITIZENS, JOBS JOBS
JOBS. YOU HAVE THAT SITUATION.
I WANT TO BE YOUR PARTNER AND
YOU’LL BE MY PARTNER NOW THAT
WAS THE KIND OF PERSON HE NEVER
HELD A GRUDGE AND THAT WAS A
HUGE HUGE. REASON THAT HE WAS
SO SO SUCCESSFUL AND HE LOVED
THE CITY BEING A CONFIDANT AND
A FRIEND OF HIS DID
HE EVER. CHIME IN
OR GUIDE YOU ON HIS OPINIONS OR
THOUGHTS OF OVER YES, OH YES,
AND WELL OF ONE OF THE FUNNIEST
THINGS HE YOU DON’T REMEMBER
THIS, BUT BACK IN THE 80’S.
IT WAS A WHITE STOCKINGS WERE
POPULAR FOR WOMEN
AND I WORE THEM ONE DAY TO A
STOP IN THE HAAS AND MARTY ARE
YOU
A NURSE.
>> LOOK TERRIBLE YOU KNOW IT’S
A VERY VERY YOU KNOW HE WOULD
LET YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE
THOUGHT NOT ONLY WHAT HOW YOU
DRESS, YEAH, IT WAS JUST THAT
WAY I
LOVE THAT HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF
HUMOR IS GOOD, BUT YEAH, WHAT
WILL YOU MISS
THE MOST.
>> HIS PHONE CALLS YOU KNOW IT
WAS ALWAYS CALLING PEOPLE AND
AND ALL OF HIS FRIENDS KNOW
THAT I MEAN HE
WOULD CALL ABOUT SO IF
SOMEONE’S SON WAS HER DOOR IF
YOU WEREN’T FEELING, WELL AND
AND WHEN HE WAS MARY CALL ME AT
2 OR 3 IN THE MORNING IF HE HAD
AN IDEA AND I GOT TO A POINT WHERE I COULD WRITE IT DOWN AND GO BACK TO BED HAS HE JUST
ALWAYS WAS THINKING BUT I
REALLY MISS THE PHONE CALLS AND
THAT
GREAT LAUGHTER THAT GREAT SENSE
OF HUMOR THAT HE HAD BUT HIS
LOVE OF THE CITY WILL
REMAIN FOREVER.
>>ZAC LASHWAY: ABSOLUTELY WELL
MARTHA WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
COMING AND LEISURE SPEAKING AND
HONOR THANK YOU THANK YOU
VERY MUCH.
>>JENNIFER READY: AGAIN THE
MEMORIAL SERVICE WILL BE THIS
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20TH AT THE