Richard W. Story once spent 20 hours in front of a mirror over a span of several days, but not to admire his anchorman-worthy hair. Instead, he was practicing the pronunciation of 500 words for the first Howard County Spelling Bee.
Still, he ended up adding an extra "er" to "embroider," and the unsuspecting student speller was eliminated from the contest by the judge, he said. The girl was quickly reinstated, though, for correctly spelling the incorrect word he'd given her, he added.
But after he mispronounced "tilde," which is an accent placed over the letter "n" in the Spanish language, as "tilled" instead of "til-duh" -- a gaffe that stumped all the students -- he said library director Valerie Gross later told him he was "being promoted" from pronouncer to emcee.
"That really was OK with me," said Story, chief executive officer of the county's Economic Development Authority. "It is my job to be the face of my organization, and hosting an event that stresses literacy is a great way to be seen."
Story, 62, held jobs in economic development in Carroll and Baltimore counties before becoming head of HCEDA in 1993. While he has called Reisterstown home for 18 years, he swiftly added, "I sleep there, but I live here" in Howard County.
With a personal calendar packed with events such as emceeing Saturday's Howard County Heart Ball for the American Heart Association and Wednesday's American Success Awards for the Foreign-born Information and Referral Network, Story is seen at many local events. But he is, technically, better known for being heard.
"I have an instrument that none of my colleagues has," he said, referring to his speaking voice. "If I can use that to my advantage, I will."
Story, who served as news director of WTTR radio in Westminster throughout the 1970s, said he is often referred to as "The Voice of Howard County" for his frequent emcee and voice-over work. But others say he is heard -- and, more important, listened to -- by business owners.
"Because of Dick, businesses are disproportionately choosing to locate in Howard County -- and not just because of its centrality within the state," said Anirban Basu, chairman and chief executive officer of Sage Policy Group Inc., an economic consulting firm in Baltimore.
"As an economist, I try to be as objective as possible," Basu continued. "When I say he is widely credited with creating a positive view of the county, I am not exaggerating."
