Published: July 17, 2008 10:31 am            

Big Apple Countdown — Week 5

It’s been a long road, but we have finally made it halfway through the list of things I will miss most about Corsicana. With only five weeks until my big move, I take this opportunity to celebrate something that has been a huge part of my life for the past year: the Corsicana Daily Sun.

Over the past year, I have been able to obtain so much hands-on experience in the career I hope to pursue into later life, and I have learned invaluable information about journalism, this town, and the ways of life itself – none of which could have ever occurred if not for the fabulous group of people who made my stay in the Corsicana news industry so incredibly enriching: my co-workers.

Each member of the Daily Sun staff has been such a valuable part of my experiences here in the news room, but I think the people who influenced me the most were those whom I worked with on a daily basis: the editorial staff.

From Camille McClanahan’s entertaining stories and red-ink heavy corrections on my every article to Loyd Cook’s sagely words of advice to a young writer and man, I really did pick up a lot of lessons for both my career and my life in general.

Camille was never afraid to offer a small story about life in the news room or to offer a correction on grammar usage or proper formatting for news writing, and I do not think I would have ever progressed so much as a writer without our little talks about this and that in our downtime.

And what can I say about Loyd other than that I have never met a man quite like him — be that good or bad — but I am very glad that I have, and I really appreciate all his words of wisdom because whether I took his advice or not, he was always there to offer it when I needed it the most — as did our editor, Bob Belcher.

Bob really taught me a lot this past year, especially after taking up the role of editor several months ago. Since his promotion Bob has been a really cool boss of sorts, and although he has sent me out on some crazy stories (remember the Buffalo Dancer?), I am really glad to have had him as an overseer of the various projects I have worked on in the newsroom.

Another great part of the newsroom for the past year has been the sports guys. Even though they’ve been circulated in and out, I think our current staff (Shawn Edwards and Michael Adams) is doing a fine job, and keeping me entertained while doing so.

And so has our photographer, Kevin Wynn. Being the closest in age to me, Kevin has become a friend of mine, especially in the news room, mainly based on the age factor, I guess, but nevertheless, I have had some great conversations about teenage life with this guy that I will never forget.

Speaking of great conversations, Janet Jacobs has been a true inspiration to me as a writer and a person. Through our numerous back-of-the-office chats, I’ve grown to love Janet as a wonderful friend and influence in my life and career — plus she’s great at kidding around and having a good time, even at work!

This brings me to Deanna, my best friend in the news room and basically one of the greatest women alive these days. I think I worked more for her and exp magazine in the past six months than I did for the Daily Sun, and it’s truly been and edifying experience with a lot of fond memories. Deanna has been a great mentor and co-worker as well as a phenomenal friend and cohort — Deanna, I am truly going to miss you when I leave.

But I know that this hometown paper will always be here when I get back, and I will be able to stay connected to this fabulous place through the online version of the paper.

I still have a few weeks left at this paper though, so keep reading — here is to many more memories to come!

—————

Chase Springer is a Daily Sun columnist. His column appears on Sundays.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.