F
or me, The Union-Recorder was the place where I learned what community
journalism truly was, and I was encouraged to learn and grow.
I began work at The Union-Recorder in 1993, starting out as a lifestyle
reporter, then moving on to lifestyle editor and finally night news editor.
During my time at the U-R, I launched the “Lake Oconee Breeze” and a now-de-
funct weekly teen section called “What’s Up?” I also had the opportunity to write
theater reviews and columns, something I loved.
I learned so much from friends and mentors.
Former design editor Alan Gibson taught me everything I know about layout
and design. The wizards in paste-up helped me through many nights when stories
refused to fit at a time when we still pasted stories on pages – now computers and
pagination have alleviated that aggravation (although bringing new kinds of grief).
Managing editor Dan Baker used to drive me crazy when we were proofing pages
and he’d find things I’d overlooked. Maddingly, he was always right, and I became
a much better editor and writer because of him. I also ended up marrying him in
2011.
The guys in the press room – Moses, Keith and so many more – were my broth-
ers and always looked out for me.
There also was a time when the newsroom was a true family affair – I was night
news editor, daughter Anna was a news clerk and my first husband and journalist
extraordinaire Don Schanche was city editor.
And of course, there was Miss Patsy. She was the den mother for all of us, always
there with a smile, lots of encouragement and sometimes even a gentle rebuke
when we got too rowdy.
Although I left the U-R for other opportunities, I always came home to Milled-
geville. I felt like a real journalist in that newsroom, where we worked together as a
team to serve our community to the best of our abilities.
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