This issue of BOOM! holds a special place in our hearts. My father, Clyde James “Jim” Watson II, who founded BOOM! fifteen years ago, went home to be with his Savior on October 27, 2024. As I write this, I’m reflecting on the vision he held and the remarkable journey he embarked upon to create BOOM!—a magazine dedicated to celebrating the lives, experiences, and dreams of those in their prime years.

Three years after my wife, DeAnne, and I purchased Montgomery Parents (now River Region Parents) from Dad, we began discussing the idea of a lifestyle magazine for the 50+ community. Together, we shaped the layout, cover, and column ideas, but it was clear this would be Dad’s baby. He was 59 at the time, rediscovering what it meant to live fully again after my mother’s passing just a few years earlier.

Dad took the reins with passion, convinced BOOM! would resonate deeply in our area. And indeed, 184 issues later, it’s clear he was right.

In publishing, you don’t always hear directly from your readers, but since Dad’s passing, the responses have been overwhelming. His work with BOOM! gave a voice to the seasoned generation, people whose stories, dreams, and insights too often go uncelebrated in a world that can prioritize youth. Dad understood that reaching “over the hill” wasn’t an end, but a new beginning. He built BOOM! as a tribute to that idea, constantly encouraging readers to see these years as an opportunity to reignite old dreams and pursue new ones.

For Dad, life after 50 was a vibrant new chapter, not a closing one. I can still hear him talking about the importance of shaping each issue around inspiring his peers to live life to the fullest, to dream bigger and brighter. Just two days before he passed, he and his wife, Sandy, had returned from a two-week road trip out West—a testament to the way he lived what he preached.

Next month, we’ll feature a special tribute to honor Dad’s life and legacy. As DeAnne and I step into this role, now also in our 50s, we are honored to carry forward his vision. BOOM! will continue to be a space to inspire, to encourage, and to remind all of us that the best years are the ones we’re living right now.

Thank you, Dad, for the legacy you left us and the reminder to keep dreaming.

With gratitude,
Jason Watson