It’s always hard to say goodbye, especially when one is leaving something they have been doing for a quarter of their life.
After 10 years of covering East Peoria as editor of the East Peoria Times-Courier, I am taking on a new role as executive editor at TimesNewspapers.
I have mixed feelings.
It is difficult to give up my “baby” — the East Peoria Times-Courier, a newspaper I helped shape over the years, and one of which I can say, I am honestly proud. And while I am happy to receive a promotion at work, I am also sad to leave East Peoria.
Over the course of a decade, I’ve developed great relationships with people in the community — even some friendships.
As a journalist, we are taught to observe, but not take part in our surroundings. We view a community — its people and happenings — from the outside, but after 10 years, it’s hard not to get entrenched.
The reason I think this happened to a degree is because I really enjoyed my work and the people I dealt with on a daily basis. In fact, one of the things I told Stephanie Gomes, my replacement, is that she is lucky to cover East Peoria, not only because it is a happening community with lots of new growth, but more so because of its people.
Of all of the aspects of my job, it is the people in the community I will miss the most — from the detectives I saw each week when I picked up the police reports — to the city council and mayor and the business people I mingled with at Business After Hours.
There are many more, but just like the Oscars, I am limited to those I can mention due to space, not time.
I’ll also miss hearing and sharing people’s stories. I love stories — whether they are ones handed down from generation to generation, books, movies or articles in the newspaper.
So, I will wrap up this column up by doing what I love, sharing my story — the story of memorable moments in my career.
While I know that many East Peorians are going to groan when they hear this, one of the most memorable stories I covered was white supremacist Matt Hale. Hale and I shared different viewpoints and battled with the pen.
He wrote letters to the editor and I wrote editorials in response. I interviewed him in his front yard when he decided to run for city council (he later withdrew) and covered his trial in Chicago, in which he was found guilty of soliciting to hire someone to kill a federal judge. I later interviewed Hale’s father in his home.
My dealings with Hale were at the start of my career, and while some may have been intimidated by him, I was not. However, there were some scary times in my career.
One year, an understandably upset woman cursed me and ran toward me while I was taking photos of divers looking for a drowning victim in the river near Creve Coeur. I never understood why she chose me to target when the TV news cameras were rolling next to me. It may have been that she didn’t realize I was with the media, and thought I was some deranged gawker.
Just as there were moments of shock and awe, there were happy and sad moments. Reporters write about life, and, of course, life contains many sad stories.
One of the saddest stories I recall was when city employee Josh Jones was killed in an accident at work. It was tough. I interviewed his co-workers and friends shortly after the accident. They shared stories with me about Josh while they wept. Somehow, I managed to maintain my composure until I got to my car, where I sobbed.
Another sad story I covered involved a teenage girl dying of cancer. I interviewed her parents, Stan and Sandy Valentine, and I could not believe how great they were. I was so nervous to talk with them, but they made me feel so at ease, even in their time of grief. They sat on a loveseat in their living room and shared stories about their daughter. There was laughter and there were tears from all of us.
There were more sad times and stories, but the happy ones far outweighed them.
Being a reporter had its advantages. I got to experience other people’s happy moments.
I loved seeing children's faces at Easter during the annual egg hunt and during the Shop with a Cop at Christmas. I loved experiencing the teamwork and resulting efforts of the Festival of Lights (although I hated standing in the inclement weather). I also enjoyed judging students’ spooky stories each year for Halloween.
Another advantage: I got to drink alcohol at the East Peoria Police Department for a story about DUIs for New Year’s Eve. How many people can say they’ve done that?
Any downsides of my job were overshadowed by upsides.
I got to see Rick Springfield in concert and even touch the rock star. I interviewed the rock group Tesla and met them at their concert. I interviewed the rock group Chevelle.
I ate dinner at the governor’s mansion when I won a writing award in the Illinois Press Association’s contest.
I tagged along with paranormal investigator Rob Conover to a haunted cemetery.
There are many more perks, but I don’t want to make anyone too jealous. However, the biggest perks came from appreciative readers. I have a folder with “thank you” cards and letters of appreciation for stories I wrote.
Along with the memories, I will save them. They make me feel like I made a positive difference, even if it was a small one.
East Peoria, Ill. —
