March 19, 2007, was a great day for me. Not only was it my birthday, but it was also the day I was hired to work at The Salamanca Press. Laura Howard was the managing editor at the time, and she actually hired me on the spot.
The job started out part time, but my new boss soon discovered that I had other useful talents, and within two weeks I was a full-time employee. My job title was ‘editorial assistant,’ which involved a myriad of tasks — too many to list — but laying out the newspaper for publication and eventually writing for the paper have been my favorites.
In addition to Laura Howard, I’ve had the privilege of working under the supervision of several great managing editors, including Chris Chapman, Kip Doyle and Rich Place. Each one has been an inspiration to me in their own way, as well as some of my co-workers over the years.
Most people probably don’t know that many of the reporters who have worked at The Press are graduates from the St. Bonaventure School of Journalism. Although I started on a path to become an art teacher, and the three years of training I received has been an asset on the graphic design end of the job, writing has always been one of my strong suits. These professional writers were my mentors and have helped me develop into a respectable writer. You might say I got a free education to be a journalist and, for that, I thank them.
Chris Chapman gave me my first writing assignment — to cover a town meeting in Conewango with an agenda to resolve a smoke alarm issue with the Amish. I will never forget the day when Kip Doyle gave me the opportunity to interview Tony Orlando, who was coming to the Seneca Allegany Casino in December 2010. I didn’t have to think about it twice and said ‘yes’ right away. Since then, I’ve periodically interviewed celebrities who are coming to entertain at the casino. What a wonderful privilege it is. Pinch me.
I’ve seen many changes in the technology at The Press over the past 10 years. Beginning on a relic of an eMac, then progressing to an iMac was a big step forward. The pages that were once distilled and processed in an ancient, computerized machine in the back room and sent over a server to Olean or Bradford are now all done with InDesign on the computer and through the use of Dropbox. It’s so much easier.
After an 18-month hiatus from The Press, I was called back to solely write, which was an opportunity I was happy to accept. I found that I missed writing about the many interesting people throughout Cattaraugus County and beyond, as well as interacting with the appreciative readers who encourage me to keep doing what I’m doing. It’s been great to reconnect with the community and to make more connections. There are still new places to explore and people waiting to tell their stories.