'Stamina And Courage'
If we looked all over town and beyond it would be difficult to find a better gift for Christmas and the New Year than the short letters published from Whitt Bradshaw and Cleopatra Bullard.
Newspaper, whether The New York Times or The Journal, do not often get a three-year renewal. And if what our industry friends tell us is true about declining circulation on nearly all newspapers these days, then any renewal is a definite plus.
We thank Mr. Bradshaw for his three-year renewal and for his confidence in us, and also thank Ms. Bullard for her one-year renewal.
We have spoken to Ms. Bullard on the phone. She is delightful. She is the sister of one of our favorite people anywhere, Nottoway Deputy Sheriff Ralph Branch.
We met Mr. Bradshaw briefly at a recent Crewe Homecoming. If we remember correctly, he told us he is an attorney. He obviously also is a member of the famous Bradshaw family in the Crewe-Burkeville community.
We also thank both Ms. Bullard and Mr. Bradshaw for his words. They represent balm to our wounds.
Mr. Bradshaw speaks of courage and stamina, and it takes a measure of both and many other things to sustain this little enterprise week after week.
But without the Whitt Bradshaws and Cleo Bullards, without our other subscribers and advertisers and readers, we could pack it up and heed the advice of one of our recent critics who stormed into The Journal office long past the normal business day and announced that “the only thing wrong with Crewe is the editor of this paper …” And that “the town will be better off when he is gone.”
When you operate in what Mr. Bradshaw rightly calls “a difficult environment,” you don’t take anything for granted. We hang in here not just because people such as Whitt Bradshaw and Cleopatra Bullard support us, but also because we don’t want the jerks and Know-Nothings and cons to win.
This town may yet find its way back from the abyss. We still have hope for it. It all may come together after we indeed are gone, and maybe the next “outsider” who edits this newspaper will have it a little easier than we sometimes have it. But while we are here, we plan to continue to exercise as much stamina and courage as we can muster to help Crewe and Burkeville find their way out of the frustrations they clearly have experienced for too long now.
As we say nearly weekly, we love this work. We love this work in this difficult environment where we are a thorn in the side of some people and a comfort to others.
It can be and should be no other way for a newspaper.
We send Mr. Bradshaw and Ms. Bullard our very best New Year’s greetings and thank them and also thank all of you who subscribe and advertise and read us. This would include those who snort that they don’t read us but somehow know every word we write! Happy New Year, to you, too! Keep reading!
— Rick Gunter
Newspaper, whether The New York Times or The Journal, do not often get a three-year renewal. And if what our industry friends tell us is true about declining circulation on nearly all newspapers these days, then any renewal is a definite plus.
We thank Mr. Bradshaw for his three-year renewal and for his confidence in us, and also thank Ms. Bullard for her one-year renewal.
We have spoken to Ms. Bullard on the phone. She is delightful. She is the sister of one of our favorite people anywhere, Nottoway Deputy Sheriff Ralph Branch.
We met Mr. Bradshaw briefly at a recent Crewe Homecoming. If we remember correctly, he told us he is an attorney. He obviously also is a member of the famous Bradshaw family in the Crewe-Burkeville community.
We also thank both Ms. Bullard and Mr. Bradshaw for his words. They represent balm to our wounds.
Mr. Bradshaw speaks of courage and stamina, and it takes a measure of both and many other things to sustain this little enterprise week after week.
But without the Whitt Bradshaws and Cleo Bullards, without our other subscribers and advertisers and readers, we could pack it up and heed the advice of one of our recent critics who stormed into The Journal office long past the normal business day and announced that “the only thing wrong with Crewe is the editor of this paper …” And that “the town will be better off when he is gone.”
When you operate in what Mr. Bradshaw rightly calls “a difficult environment,” you don’t take anything for granted. We hang in here not just because people such as Whitt Bradshaw and Cleopatra Bullard support us, but also because we don’t want the jerks and Know-Nothings and cons to win.
This town may yet find its way back from the abyss. We still have hope for it. It all may come together after we indeed are gone, and maybe the next “outsider” who edits this newspaper will have it a little easier than we sometimes have it. But while we are here, we plan to continue to exercise as much stamina and courage as we can muster to help Crewe and Burkeville find their way out of the frustrations they clearly have experienced for too long now.
As we say nearly weekly, we love this work. We love this work in this difficult environment where we are a thorn in the side of some people and a comfort to others.
It can be and should be no other way for a newspaper.
We send Mr. Bradshaw and Ms. Bullard our very best New Year’s greetings and thank them and also thank all of you who subscribe and advertise and read us. This would include those who snort that they don’t read us but somehow know every word we write! Happy New Year, to you, too! Keep reading!
— Rick Gunter
posted by Rick Gunter at Thursday, January 10, 2008
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home