UP LATER TONIGHT, REPORTING LIVE FROM THE NORTH SIDE ERIK AVANIER CHANNEL 4 THE LOCAL
STATION.
>>TOM WILLS: FROM FORMER POLITICAL LEADERS TO BUSINESS EXECUTIVES TO OLD FRIENDS
TODAY, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
GATHERED AT A CELEBRATION OF
LIFE FOR FORMER MAYOR
JAKE GODBOLD THE PEOPLE’S MAYOR
AS HE WAS KNOWN WHO WANTED
EVERYONE TO CALL HIM
JUST JAKE DIED LAST MONTH AT
AGE 86 HIS MEMORIAL WAS HELD AT
THE CONVENTION CENTER WHICH WAS
CONVERTED FROM THE OLD UNION
TERMINAL TRAIN STATION TO
AN ASSET FOR THE CITY UNDER
GODBOLD’S LEADERSHIP.
4 CHOIRS PERFORM DURING THE EVENT AS WELL AS JAZZ MUSICIAN LAUNCH
PARSONS.
>>TOM WILLS: THAT BODES CASKET
WAS CARRIED INTO THE EXHIBITION
HALL FOLLOWING BEHIND A NEW
ORLEANS-STYLE JAZZ BAND
SPEAKERS INCLUDED FORMER MAYORS
DELANEY IN
PAYTON A LONGTIME BUSINESS
LEADERS AND FORMER STATE SEN
THAT HE HOLDS THE DOOR.
>> JUST LIKE ANY OF THE 5.
YOU KNOW THE WORKING
CLASS PERSON. BUT HE DID IT
EXTRAORDINARY THINGS. HE MADE
THIS CITY. WHAT
IT IS.
>> I DON’T THINK ANY OF US CAN
IMAGINE HOW WONDERFUL HAVEN’T
IS AND THAT NO ONE REALLY IF
THEY’RE UP THERE WHATEVER
REALLY WANT TO LEAVE. BUT IF
JEAN WEREN’T ALREADY THERE IN
HEAVEN. I COULD SEE JAY TALKING
TO GOD AND SAYING THIS NOW GOT.
THIS HAPPENS A VERY NICE PLACE.
BUT IT COULD USE A LITTLE
IMPROVEMENT. MAYBE A BIG RIVER.
MAYBE
SOME MORE CATFISH AND BASS AND
REDFISH.
MAYBE A FOOTBALL TEAM, AND I
DON’T CARE IF IT WINS OR LOSES.
>>TOM WILLS: JANE OF COURSE WAS JAKE GODBOLD’S LOVING WIFE WHO DIED IN
2013 NEWS 4 JAX REPORTER JIM
PIGGOTT SPOKE WITH SOME OF
THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE
CELEBRATION OF LIFE AND IS
JOINING US LIVE ON THE SOUTH
BANK JIM.
>> YOU KNOW TOM LOTS OF PEOPLE CAME UP TO ME BEFORE THE CEREMONY AND AFTER JUST WANTING
TO TALK ABOUT JAKE AND THEY HAD
IDEAS ABOUT HOW
HE SHOULD BE REMEMBER ONE MAN
WAS SAYING HEY HOW ABOUT
BUILDING
THE STATUE HERE ON THE SOUTH
BANK WITH JAKE DOES WAVING AT
THE CITY OVER MANY OF THE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF
THINGS THAT HE BROUGHT TO THE
CITY THE CITY THAT HE HELPED
BUILD.
>> AS JAKE GODBOLD FAMILY ENTERED THE CONVENTION CENTER BEHIND THE BAND PLAYING WHEN
THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN
HUNDREDS OF JAKE’S FRIENDS AND
OTHERS WERE ALSO THERE
THEY WANTED TO BE PART OF THE
CELEBRATION OF JAKE’S LIFE AND
THEY HAD PLENTY TO SAY ABOUT
THE FORMER MAYOR.
>> OH YOU GOT A LOT GOAL.
I WOULD BE HERE.
IF THEY HAD A BODY THEY KEY
THAT AND A LOT FOR THE PEOPLE
TO PEOPLE AND I THINK SOME
PEOPLE UP TO WASHINGTON TO THE
JAKE GOBBLE.
>> JAKE WAS NOT ONLY A
POLITICIAN THEY SAY, BUT A
FRIEND THAT THEY COULD COUNT ON
WHAT DO YOU THINK WITH HIS
BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT.
>> WE HITS LITTLE BIT I WOULD
WHAT HE PUT IT WITH THE TEAM.
BACK IN THE DAY YOU
GET A USE THE BARBECUE OUT TOLD
PIGGY IS NOT DID A MOLD A
LITTLE TURN TO THEIR. ITS
ROUTE.
IT’S JUST A GREAT INDIVIDUAL.
SO BE IT COMES TO TV.
>> I THINK I KNOW THAT ABOUT J
IS THAT HIS PART.
THE A
GOOD MAN.
>> THIS MAN SAYS HE HELPED WITH
ONE OF JAKE’S BIGGEST
ACCOMPLISHMENTS CONSOLIDATION
WHEN GODBOLD WAS ON THE CITY
COUNCIL. THANK YOU NOT HAVE TO
SUFFER.
>> A FINAL VOTE TO DECIDING
VOTE IN THE CONSOLIDATION.
IT WAS IT WAS 9 IT WAS SPEED
AND EVEN IN THE HEAD. AND I WAS
A BLACK HAIR AND A SWITCH
TO BUT WHITE PASS IN
THE PAST AND YOU KNOW NOBODY
EVER KREWE SAYS HE SAID ONE
WORD ABOUT IT WAS JUST THE
GREATEST THING I EVER MADE IF
YOU HAD TO
SUM UP JAKES ACCOMPLISHMENTS
HERE WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WOULD
BE HIS BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT.
♪
♪
ZOOM THE DESIST ENORMOUS THING HARD TO PICK OUT JUST ONE. HE WAS ALWAYS THERE AND ALWAYS
TOLD
THE TRUTH.
>> AND THAT TRUTHFULNESS IS
WHAT MANY PEOPLE SAY THEY LOVED
YOU GET A LOT
OF JACKSONVILLE. AND HE GAVE MY
GRANDMOTHER, A KEY TO THE CITY.
MAYOR LOUIS. WHY DID HE
DO THAT BECAUSE SHE WAS SUCH A
GOOD PERSON AND I REALLY
MISS HER. AND NOW I’M GOING TO
MISS HIM BECAUSE HE DOES SO
MUCH.
>> AND THAT’S WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE TOLD ME THAT HE DID SO MUCH FOR THE CITY THAT JAKE IS
JACKSONVILLE AND WILL BE
REMEMBERED. WE’RE LIVE FROM THE
SOUTHBANK JIM PIGGOTT CHANNEL 4
THE LOCAL STATION.
>>MARY BAER: THE STATUTE AND
WAVING I CAN JUST
PICTURE IT I PERSONALLY I JUST
I MISS HIS VOICE TO BE COMING
TO THE NEWSROOM. YOU KNOW YOU
JUST KNEW HE WAS HERE FELT HIS
PRESENCE TOO. I
DON’T THINK.
>> I’VE NEVER MET ANYBODY WHO
HAD MORE FRIENDS THAN JAKE
GODBOLD DID AND AS WE STOOD
AROUND TODAY I WAS PROUD TO BE
ONE OF
HIS FRIENDS AS WE STOOD AROUND
A DAY BEFORE THE CEREMONY BEGAN
WAS UNCANNY. ALL OF THIS SAID
THE
SAME THING. WE MISS IS PHONE
CALLS A WHOLE MONTH HAS GONE BY
AND THERE’S BEEN NO PHONE CALLS
FROM JAKE.
I TALKED TO HIM TWICE THE
WEEKEND BEFORE HE DIED ONCE ON
SATURDAY WHILE MY WIFE AND I
WERE TO WEDDING A WEDDING
RECEPTION AND THEN AGAIN THE
NEXT DAY HE DIDN’T ACTUALLY DID
AN E-MAIL HE PICKED UP THE
PHONE AND HE CALLED AND HE
LOVED CALLING HIS FRIENDS.
AND WHENEVER YOU SAW THAT IT
WAS JACOB WILL CALL YOU ALWAYS
IT’S WHAT I CALL A A AND THE
FASCINATING THING WAS
HE ALWAYS KNEW WHAT YOU WERE
INTERESTED IN HE HE KNEW
INSTINCTIVELY THAT I HAD DID
NOT CARE FOR FISHING YOU NEVER
TALK TO ME ABOUT FISHING, BUT
HE KNEW THAT I WAS FASCINATED
BY POLITICS AND CITY AFFAIRS
AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT
THE THAT HE TALKED TO ME ABOUT
IT. WE ALL