Before He Wakes (53 page)

LEFT: Russ’s father, Al, was concerned about Russ and Barbara’s continued lavish spending and repeatedly admonished his son about it. (
Courtesy Doris Stager
) RIGHT: Larry held his troubled marriage together because of his sons. This portrait was taken shortly before his death in 1978. (
Courtesy Doris and Henry Ford
)

LEFT: Larry’s parents, Doris and Henry Ford, were convinced that their son had been murdered, but they couldn’t get law enforcement officers to do anything about it until Russ Stager was killed. (
Vicki Buckner, Greensboro News & Record
) RIGHT: Barbara’s parents, Jim and Marva Terry. Marva expected much from her daughter, and Barbara always turned to her in times of trouble. (
John Page, Greensboro News & Record
)

LEFT: Jo Lynn Snow, Russ’s first wife, was certain that Russ’s death was no accident because she knew something that nobody else knew: Russ feared for his life. (
Joseph Rodriguez, Greensboro News & Record
) RIGHT: Russ had dreamed of coaching at his alma mater, Durham High School, and he put all of his enthusiasm into the job. (
Joseph Rodriguez, Greensboro News & Record
)

LEFT: Russ had a boyish and magnetic personality that endeared him to almost everybody who knew him. (
Courtesy Doris Stager
) RIGHT: Russ’s players were devoted to him, because he involved himself in their lives. Durham High’s annual paid tribute to him after his death. (
Joseph Rodriguez, Greensboro News & Record
)

LEFT: Judge J. B. Allen presided over Barbara’s trial with a firm hand and was never reluctant to set new legal precedents. (
John Page, Greensboro News & Record
) RIGHT: District Attorney Ron Stephens (left) wanted A.D.A. Eric Evenson (right) to take this case. It became the biggest of Evenson’s career. (
John Page, Greensboro News & Record
)

LEFT: Barbara’s lawyer, William Cotter, did not share Barbara’s optimism about the outcome of her trial. (
John Page, Greensboro
News & Record
) RIGHT: After realizing that Russ’s death was no accident, Sergeant Rick Buchanan faced the most difficult investigation of his career. He knew who had killed Russ; his challenge was to find out why. (
Joseph Rodriguez, Greensboro News & Record
)

LEFT: Henry Ford was certain that his son’s death was no accident. He knew that Larry would not have been carelessly handling a gun in bed because Larry had been trained in firearms safety. (
John Page, Greensboro News & Record
) CENTER: Randolph County Sheriff Robert Mason was not in office when Larry Ford was killed, but he closed the case by ruling Larry’s death an accident, allowing Barbara to collect additional insurance money. (
Jerry Wolford, Greensboro News & Record
) RIGHT: Russ’s friend Harry Welch felt obligated to tell Russ that Barbara’s big book deal was a hoax. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. (
Joseph Rodriguez, Greensboro News & Record
)

Acknowledgments

This book evolved from a series of articles that appeared in the
Greensboro
(N.C.)
News & Record
. Libby Lewis and I worked together on that series, which was edited by Cole Campbell. Ned Cline allowed that series to run at length and scrounged extra space for it at the last minute when it ran even longer than expected. The
News & Record
not only granted me permission to use material and photographs from that series in this book, it gave me leave to work on it, and while I have not been employed at the newspaper for several years now, my heart is still there. The title of this book was the title of one segment of that series. It was suggested by Diane Luber. Many people contributed to this book and I am grateful to all. I owe particular thanks to Doris and Henry Ford, Doris Stager, Jo Lynn Snow, Rick Buchanan, Bill Cotter, Eric Evenson, and Ron Stephens. Dot Shoaf of the Durham County District Attorney’s office was especially helpful, and my friend Joe John of the North Carolina Court of Appeals was always willing to answer my legal questions. John Paine’s suggestions made this a better book. Some names in this book have been changed to protect privacy. They are marked with an asterisk on first use.

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