EDITOR'S NOTE: In June 2004 I began a new venture as managing editor of both Northfield News and Faribault Daily News. This column originally appeared in the Northfield News on Dec. 8, 2006.
25 column inches. 25 column inches to sum up three years ... It seems an impossible task. But in one last column today, I will attempt to tell you how much this community has become a part of my life the past three years and how sad I am to announce this news. After what I think has been a successful three-year run here at the News, I will be leaving in June to take a position with The Forum, a newspaper in the Fargo-Moorhead area close to where I grew up. The announcement has been made to the News staff, and a few others know, but it was also important to me that you all, our trusted and valuable readers, know the news as well. It's not a secret and we don't intend for it to be. A couple of months I ago, I started talking with The Forum - a 55,000-circulation daily newspaper - about a position that would put me in charge of a team of reporters who were responsible for essentially covering the state of North Dakota on a daily basis. It's a tremendous career opportunity, and thankfully, additionally will move me closer to family and bring the boys within a couple of hours of their grandparents. As my boss, Publisher Sam Gett, said when I told him, the stars really did align for this all to happen. The downside, obviously, is that means it's time to exit the News, stage left. That means that a new managing editor will move in to take my place, to work with the staff that I am so proud of and to carry on the many good things that are happening here at the News. That's not bad news to you, the readers, because you still have a talented newsroom full of people who are responsible for getting the paper out twice a week. But it's sad for me: It's never fun to walk away from something you've worked so hard at for so long. But I also know it's time: I can't turn down the opportunity to work for a paper that's 10 times the size of the News and no more than an hour from where I graduated high school. However, leaving doesn't erase the three years' worth of memories that I take with me. The great thing about working at a newspaper is that it gives you a magic ticket into groups of people and into the inner workings of a community, because deep down people do want to share with news folks their hobbies, their passions, their work, what makes them unique. And so being a reporter, you find your way into a community faster than most other newcomers. And I feel that's happened here for me with so many groups and individuals. I am grateful to so many people who have made my time here special. I want to thank the DJJD family which welcomed me in to their various circles, and have invited me back to stay a part of the celebration; the movers and shakers who have worked with me and the News staff on so many important stories the past three years; the individuals who have opened up their homes and their personal lives for us to share their stories with the entire community; and on a more personal note, the close friends whom have been there to assist me and to support me these past three years. It's not easy work being the editor of a small paper - quite frankly it can be very hard - but it's beyond rewarding. I can tell you, after having worked at about eight small community newspapers, that there is no more rewarding newspaper community than Northfield. You readers make the job enjoyable and challenging and make every day I come to work worthwhile. I am proud of the work we've done during the past three years, and I am proud of each of the staff members for how they've responded to the challenges asked of them. I am proud because although as the managing editor I often receive credit for the good work we've done, the reality is that it's the staff that matters. I don't do much more than sit in my fish bowl and watch very talented people bring it all together, so it's unfair that I receive the praise. I hope you, too, are proud of the News staff and the work they do. I can tell you that there are many communities this size that would love to have a newsroom team this dedicated and skillful. I am told by Sam that a national search is underway to find my replacement, and considering the gem the newspaper picked up in Mr. Gett, I can't wait to see what dynamo fills my chair. They, no doubt, will improve upon our work so far. In the newspaper business, we often use the analogy that we are the captain of a ship. We don't own it; we are just charged with its care and operation for a certain amount of time. Well, following that line, I hope that the News is a better vessel because of my time here, and now it's time for another captain to take the News on the next leg of its voyage. Thank you, Northfield. Thank you for making this chapter of my life so memorable and thank you for giving me a wonderful place to come back to visit. All that said ... and in 25 inches, exactly. - Devlyn Brooks is managing editor of the Northfield News. He can be reached at dbrooks@northfieldnews.com.
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