Ten years ago today my first column was published by the Free
Lance. How time flies.
Ten years ago today my first column was published by the Free Lance. How time flies.
Ten years ago I anxiously waited to see my name in print. I was a total novice in the newspaper world. I didn’t know what a mug shot or a byline was. I had a pretty good idea that deadlines were the only way I’d ever get any writing finished (I was right) and I was absolutely terrified.
Yet editors Mark Paxton and Wayne Norton seemed to think I could handle the job. They hired me after I’d written a few letters to the editor. Well, I thought they were letters to the editor, yet they always seemed to end up on the opinion page with my mug shot. Jed Logan was around way back then. Bill Satterlee, too.
Since those humble beginnings, the staff at the Free Lance has changed many times. Even the owners have changed in the decade I’ve been around. Yet one thing remains constant, and that’s the fabulous community we live in. Sure, it’s grown a lot, yet the core of people who live here are still extremely welcoming and downright amazing.
Thanks to the assignments the Free Lance has tossed my way, and the hundreds I’ve come up with on my own, I’ve been privileged to interview some fascinating people. The first person I ever interviewed was Eileen Garske. I worked at school with her daughter, Janet, and watched as she volunteered year after year to play keyboard for the Christmas programs. I was downright overwhelmed at the thought of interviewing anyone, but Eileen agreed to be my guinea pig. We both survived and I got a great column.
Since that time I’ve interviewed hundreds of people. It’s true that we all have a story to tell. I got many of my first interviews from the people I knew personally. For example, one of my co-workers, Carrie, mentioned that during his time in the military her husband Jose flew with Chuck Yeager. Jose was a mechanic and Yeager’s mechanic got airsick, so he’d occasionally ask Jose to ride with him. An interesting story for sure.
Then there were those who took the challenge to improve themselves. Rebecca Salinas found herself a young mother in the barrio, with dim prospects for the future. Yet one of her children’s teachers saw something more in Salinas and encouraged her to go to college. Slowly, and in spite of the demands of her family, Salinas not only finished college, she went on to become a school administrator.
There are countless others – Liz and Naz Martinez who built their own home; George Crenshaw, creator of the “Belvedere” comic strip; Bob Rocco, one of many caring doctors in our community; Pinkie McCann Willis and Cindy Boyer, who try to improve the lives of people in other countries.
Most of the people I talk to are not celebrities, but I like it that way. I’ve always been much more interested in what goes on behind the scenes. Yet, I’ve had the chance to interview former pro football player Dwight Hicks, actor Cesar Flores and the Reverend Reg Hammond, who merits a chapter in Tom Brokaw’s book “The Greatest Generation.”
Businesses have also opened their doors to me. I’ve been invited behind the scenes at manufacturing companies, restaurants and more. I’ve ridden along with the CHP and gone up in a CHP plane. OK, so I’m known as the writer who turned green within 30 minutes of being in the air; there’s a story behind that, too long to tell here. I still hope to ride in a helicopter one of these days and this time I will take the anti-nausea medication.
All in all, my experiences have been overwhelmingly positive at the Free Lance. I get to write the fun stuff. I still have my column, down from the four a week I started with to a more manageable one. I write a weekly Enterprise story, the Recreation Line and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and often add stories to special supplements. It’s work, but incredibly fun as well.
Thank you, Free Lance, for having faith in me. Thank you to all my wonderful friends who put up with me zoning in on their conversations and picking their brains. Most of all, thanks to a community made up of wonderful folks who’ve invited me in your homes on a regular basis.
I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years brings.
