March 28, 2024

On to the next chapter

Sitting in the Des Moines Civic Center watching the new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical “The Phantom of the Opera” was an almost surreal experience for me, packed with emotions, both delightful and bittersweet, in that it marked some major changes in my life.

I first saw Webber’s original masterpiece with my late father several years ago, and it was also one of the first Civic Center productions I attended as a reporter for the Newton Daily News. During last Friday’s performance, this one viewed with my mother, I marveled at this new version of “Phantom” — which premiered in the UK in 2012 with its stunning new chandelier and redesigned sets — and couldn’t help but wish my father was there with us. “Phantom” was one of “our things,” a thing that I, thankfully, can still share with my mom.

What made the experience surreal, however, was the realization that “Phantom” is also the last production I attend as an employee of the Newton Daily News.

On Feb. 12, 2001, I entered a nearly century-old building on First Avenue in Newton, with its creaky floors and pleasant historical atmosphere, as a recent graduate of Truman State University ready to start her first job in journalism. As a Newton native, I was fortunate to have been offered a job after dropping off a résumé and portfolio for then-editor Pete Hussmann once a position became available.

I won’t lie. By the end of the first couple days, I wondered what I was getting myself into and nearly walked out those noisy, heavy front doors for good.

I’m thankful I didn’t, because my 12-year career at the Daily News (interrupted by a two-year hiatus to fulfill a dream of studying theology at Life Bible College in San Dimas, Calif.) has been one of greatest learning experiences of my life and has afforded me many wonderful opportunities.

I began as a staff writer covering education and crime as well as writing feature stories and designing pages for the paper. However, as any member of the newsroom staff knows, you never know where your job is going to take you, from wading through wet, muddy fields to get a picture of a burning barn to spending hours in a musty vault at the courthouse reading through files, taking pictures of political candidates at a pre-election forum, encouraging a quiet War World II veteran to talk about his service or holding back your own tears at a solemn prayer vigil the evening of 9/11 after a long, horrific news day.

My fellow NDN journalists, past and present, I have a tremendous amount of respect for you. Your job is more difficult that most people realize. You are given hours (or less) to become a mini-expert on a new topic nearly everyday in order to turn around an accurate and intelligent story for the public to read the next day, and I know it is not an easy task. To name a few, John Jennings, Jessica Lowe, Andy Karr, Dianna White, Michael Swanger, Patrick Ethridge, Amy Martens and especially Pete Hussmann, thank you for helping me become the journalist I am today.

The production of a newspaper, however, does not end with the reporter. There are many players on this stage, and all of their parts are vital, from the advertising, business and graphic design departments to the composition, printing and circulation departments. All of you — MariJo, Teresa, Kelly, Jeff, Brenda, Cindy, Mike, Chris and Dan, to name a few — were instrumental in teaching me “the bigger picture” of putting together a newspaper, and I am thankful for your patience and guidance.

The community a newspaper serves also plays a major role, and I am fortunate to have been a journalist in my hometown of Newton and to have enjoyed the cooperation of many city, county and school staff members along with a whole community of people willing to share information and their stories. I have seen this community come together for big events — 9/11, Maytag’s closure — and for what may seem small things but aren’t, like the simple acts of giving by so many on Red Pride Day or through the St. Nick’s Christmas Club. Probably the most cherished memory I have is the outpouring of support I received at the sudden and unexpected loss of my father in January 2011. Not only were my NDN co-workers phenomenally supportive during that difficult time, but many in the Newton community I met through my job as a reporter — including my future co-workers, the wonderful ladies in the office at the Newton Police Department — showed me through kind words and cards that they cared. To put it simply, I am truly blessed to live and work in a great place like Newton.

Finally, to the current newsroom staff at the NDN, I know I am leaving the newspaper in fine, capable hands. Mike, Ty, Kate, Dana, Jocelyn, Ben, Jamee and Abigail, you are a talented bunch and kick butt at meeting deadlines! I will miss laughing with you, preserving our own quotes on our “quote board” and joking about our own “O.G.” — not quite an “Opera Ghost” but definitely an “Office Ghost.” Thank you for your support as I move on to the next chapter in my life, and I wish you all the best as you carry on the great tradition of the Newton Daily News.