Macon Magazine

Remembering a Truly Good Man (Who Loved Dogs) May 3, 1943-September 2, 2026 Laurence W. Fennelly I N M E M O R I A M STORY BY PAIGE HENSON " It's hard to believe he has le the planet," his many, many friends, including me, are wont to say. Such a brilliant fellow; a passionate leader; an advocate for goodness; a champion of the arts; and a friend with advice so exceptional and imparted with such wisdom that he became a sort of Socrates figure within his circles of influence. Larry Fennelly held an important place in my life since the early 1980s, when I returned to college as an adult. I quickly became assimilated into the school's vibrant culture when I joined the staff of The Commuter, Macon Junior College's student newspaper. Professors Fennelly and his colleague, Dr. Whitney McMath (now deceased), were the paper's advisers. He served as my bridal escort when I married Johnny Henson in November 1987 at the former location of Pilot International Headquarters on College Street. He and his wife, Wanda Eanes, had married four years earlier and were already the parents of a son, Thomas Eanes-Fennelly, the first of four precocious children that Larry could not have predicted he would ever have. Both of our families were busy with growing households, work, and school, but we made the effort to convene when we could. I remember Fennelly vs. Henson so ball at a public park, and we saw one another by chance at various local functions or at our children's tennis lessons. Larry penned a well-read weekly entertainment column and contributed to other sections of the daily, such as Clara Eschmann's popular food section. He was a performing arts advocate and supporter, and he and Wanda attended nearly every local theater show presented in and around pertaining to social welfare. He stressed we should all be a part of the change required. Maybe it was the melancholy Irish within him, but Larry took things seriously, seeing his life as a big mission trip to take on civic and social responsibility. He despised inequality and injustice… and he believed all life to be sacred. I took his British Lit class at MJC, and one day, Professor Fennelly was running late. Eventually, he sauntered into the classroom carrying an obviously dead duck by its neck. He was angry. With a catch in his throat, he related that he had been driving into the school only moments before when a duck from the school's pond began slowly crossing the roadway to reach the other side. He then looked up when he heard a motor rev up and witnessed the driver of the car in front of him deliberately speed up and hit the duck. We were spellbound and devastated by this story and how dramatically it was being communicated to us. Larry and Wanda loved animals, especially dogs, and especially unwanted dogs — greyhounds too old to race; large, drooling black Labs rescued from being chained out back with their dried-up water dishes nearby; stray pups wandering around in a cemetery. Larry and Wanda's oldest daughter, Marie, says her father stressed many times the importance of keeping "The Golden Rule" — treating people and animals with dignity, being nonjudgmental, and respecting others' ideas, their human rights, and their lifestyle choices. Larry was a convincing and compelling speaker, and when he spoke, people listened. I can picture him today holding forth in conversation, his right arm Central Georgia. His vast collection of play scripts will soon be housed at historic Washington Memorial Library, according to Kate Aultman, the library's head. Larry's pointed op-eds and other journalism for The Macon Telegraph gave readers the critical information he felt they needed to make sound decisions on issues 72 maconmagazine.com | October/November 2026 Larry was a convincing and compelling speaker, and when he spoke, people listened. I can picture him today holding forth in conversation, his right arm extended in earnest, the palm of his hand turned up. Fennelly as a young man.

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