After almost 48 years in the newspaper business (I started in November 1974 with the Jefferson County Daily News-Democrat), I’m finally writing my first editorial column.
It comes not a moment too late, as I’m retiring, effective Thursday, June 2.
I want people to know what the Leader means to me, and to give my thanks to those who’ve helped make it happen.
The Jefferson County Leader was born in August 1994. Even before that first issue, though, Glenda O’Tool Potts and I walked Festus Main Street, telling everyone about our new endeavor.
We went to community events, including the chambers of commerce around Jefferson County, explaining with pride that a new, weekly source for local news was coming to town and the strong advantages it would bring to advertisers. We believed in our motto: “Once a week, but never weakly.”
We couldn’t hide our excitement and our eagerness, but we also felt a little anxious because we would be the new kid on the block.
We understood the importance of establishing a good relationship with those we hoped would become our advertisers. We knew that they would be the backbone of our success.
It’s gratifying to look back and see what’s happened in the last 28 years. I knew it would be hard work, but I have been amazed to see how well it has paid off.
As an informational outlet for our entire county, we have done our best to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information – the good, the bad and the ugly alike – to all of our readers.
As an owner-operated business, we only answered to each other, and not to a big corporation. We got to decide what kind of news mattered, and how we could best deliver it.
Because we are there for our readers, because we tell the truth, because our doors are always open, we have built a strong trust with our community. Most of our employees live locally, and we care deeply about the area and have all been a part of it through countless meetings, festivals, ceremonies and the like.
We have tried to make a space where people can have and voice different opinions and still be respected.
And we have tried to do all these things with a sense of humor. We try to treat important topics with the respect they deserve, but we try never to take ourselves too seriously. We like to have fun.
Over the years, the Leader staff and our extended families have melded together to become one big family. We are there for each other through triumphs like winning a Gold Cup award from the Missouri Press Association, through weddings and the birth of children and now even grandchildren.
And we’ve been there for each other through bad times, such as the deaths of some beloved staff members, through illnesses, through fires and burglaries and a pandemic that threatened our very existence.
After a very successful 28 years (21 as business manager and the last seven as publisher), I want to give my personal thanks to all the loyal advertisers who made it possible for us to produce an award-winning newspaper. Without your continued support, the Leader would not have become the staple in our community it is today.
The appreciation I have for our advertisers, readers and all-around supporters goes without saying. A special shout-out goes to the local post offices for carrying the load of getting the paper into your mailboxes on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Those who know me understand that I am all about keeping things short and sweet. So that’s what I’ll say: Thank you for being a friend.
