Bill McGoun, former CT writer, remembered as gifted writer, mentor and friend

William "Bill" McGoun, a longtime Citizen Times editorial writer, mentor to journalists — and a guy who just couldn't seem to retire — has died at age 84.

McGoun, who spent two decades penning local editorials and columns, died May 4, "with his son and daughter-in-law by his side in Coral Springs, Florida," according to his obituary. Born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and raised in South Florida, McGoun resided in Bryson City in Swain County for two decades after retiring from a long career with several papers in Florida.

Jim Buchanan, who worked at the Citizen Times from 1987-2016, including a run as editorial page editor, said McGoun "probably wrote more editorials in his 'retirement' than most writers did in their active careers."

"Bill was a consummate professional who wrote on issues ranging from I-26 traffic woes to the environment to national politics," said Buchanan, currently an editor at the Sylva Herald. "He was involved in Citizen-Times editorial board interviews with hundreds of candidates over the years, and was known for tough but fair questions."

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Virgil Smith, publisher of the Citizen Times from 1996-2006, lauded McGoun's journalistic skills.

"He was a professional journalist and great commentary writer," Smith said. "Bill was a kind and thoughtful man, and he contributed greatly to the opinion pages of the Citizen-Times."

Another former Citizen Times editorial page editor, Joy Franklin, said McGoun was "a principled, insightful editorial writer." Franklin was at the Citizen Times from 1998-2008,

"He was a humble man, yet a master of his craft," Franklin said. "His adopted home, Western North Carolina, has lost a great journalist."

McGoun, who held a Ph.D. in anthropology and authored seven books, worked as a journalist for the Ft. Lauderdale newspaper, the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post. He worked as a contributing editor at the Citizen Times until October 2021.

While McGoun didn't grow up in the mountains, he came to love this area. He and his wife, Bonnie, "moved to their dream location in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina," his obituary states, and McGoun "said many times this was his dream home, a place with a great view and a large in-home library."

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"Though Bill didn’t settle in the mountains until later in his life, from the time I started working with him on the editorial board he was my encyclopedia for the Citizen Times’ and really Western North Carolina’s history," Casey Blake, a former Citizen Times reporter and editor, said of McGoun. "I swear he remembered every editorial and A1 story we ever printed, and he took the paper’s institutional power very seriously."

Blake, who spent a decade at the Citizen Times and now works for Gannett's North Carolina state team, added that McGoun always wore a suit and a snazzy tie, and he never missed a meeting.

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"That was Bill’s idea of ‘retirement,'" Blake said. "He loved these mountains and all of its little hamlets; he saw the best in its people and believed in uplifting marginalized communities long before that was a phrase we even knew to use. He was a gifted writer and mentor, and we’re lucky that this is where he chose to write his last chapter."

McGoun was preceded in death by his wife, Bonnie, and his parents, Edwin and Dorothea McGoun. He is survived by three children, Michael McGoun, Brandy Knisley and Desiree Ballard, a sister, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Born Aug. 31, 1937, McGoun graduated from Lake Worth High School in Florida in 1955 and attended Palm Beach Junior College, "where he discovered his love for writing," his obituary states. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 1981 with a master’s degree in Anthropology and from the University of Florida in 1989 with his Ph.D. in Anthropology

"He was a committed Gator fan and enjoyed watching games with his son," the obituary states.

Bill and Bonnie McGoun "loved to travel and experienced all the world had to offer, according to the obituary.

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"Even after her passing in 2015, he continued his travels," the obituary notes, adding that McGoun loved to visit family in Florida and Dallas, Texas, as well as grandchildren in college in the U.S. and in Okinawa.

"Bill was a lifelong learner and believed in the power of an education," according to his obituary. "He loved the arts, music, his family, and books. He volunteered for many years at the Friends of the Marianna Black Library Used Bookstore in Bryson City, North Carolina."

The family will hold a private service at a later date.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Bill McGoun, former CT writer, remembered as gifted journalist, mentor