Farewell, Dear Readers
“I read the news today, oh boy…”
It’s my last Thursday night/morning in the newsroom, and, while I am rarely a procrastinator when it comes to The Santa Clara, I haven’t been able to write this farewell editorial for ten weeks due to a formidable melancholia. And so it’s the last second—the office door is closed as the voices of my colleagues float through it for the final time.
Today is the end of my tenure as Editor-in-Chief. Reflecting on the past 27 issues, and (more broadly) the past 100 years, I am immensely proud of what we’ve accomplished in the newsroom, deep in the Benson underground. I am honored to have been the 100th editor during the paper’s centennial year as we resolved to restore the historic newspaper back to its printed distinction.
While publishing a newspaper is, in itself, momentous, it is the people that produce the paper that truly make it so. I am honored to have shared this incredible journey with the most intelligent, humorous, authentic and kind-hearted people I have ever met.
It took quite a bit of fumbling and not a lot of sleep, but together, we have reshaped the paper, created a new culture and may even be getting Santa Clara students to read. Together, we overcame seemingly insurmountable trials and worked tirelessly to put out a paper every single week. Thank you for your talent and dedication, for your long nights and weekend hours, for the laughs and the tears and the discussions about ourselves and our lives. I look back at our collective achievements with a pride that I have never felt before.
Thank you to Max for not just meeting, but anticipating my every need. Your aptitude for and commitment to editorial precision is delightfully similar to your pickleball serve. You are a pleasure to work with on and off the court, and the way you pull no punches is both admirable and amusing. Matthew, I appreciate the genuine manner in which you live your life and have shared it with us. Your famous zero-edit articles will live forever, as will your devotion to Rupig. I will fondly recall your Truckee piercing promises and may hold you to them sometime in the far future. To Clara—your proclivity for wearing cute sweaters is nearly as strong as your need to stir controversy amongst certain demographics. Thank you for not ruining my life by spoiling Succession, even though you could have a million times over, and for making me laugh until my lungs have no air left in them. Thank you Rikesh for explaining the nature of everything to us and for letting us know that fixing our computers really can be as easy as turning it off and on again. Your wisdom and thoughtfulness extends to every facet of you. The paper would not have survived (or, rather, been born) this year without MJ. Your talent, creativity and willingness to learn are unparalleled. I’m sorry for keeping you up until dawn every third Thursday. I hope you can forgive me. And, finally, to Rhiannon, who is the fearless young journalist delivering all the news that’s fit to print to Santa Clara University next year. Thank you for steadying my hand, being my good cop, pushing me to always be better and for reminding me that the world is not all black and white. You certainly will command the position and lead TSC to where it needs to go. I can’t wait to see what you do with it.
To my staff, I will never be able to express my gratitude for taking a chance on my visions and committing to them. I threw you into an unrecognizable structure and asked you all to work very hard and work very often. My concept of the newspaper was little more than a dream before you were all hired. Thank you for having faith in my leadership, my abilities and my thoughts. I couldn’t have executed anything without your faith and. After all, there are like 20 of you. Who would’ve done all the real work?! This school needs truth-seekers, storytellers, creatives, funny people and thinkers more than most. Go get ‘em.
To everyone at Fricke-Parks Press (Especially Lance and Mary) — I’m sorry we kept you all up until dawn even when we promised we wouldn’t. Thank you for helping us make our vision a reality.
To Gordon. Words fail me when trying to tell our readers the integral role you have played as the advisor to this paper. Thank you for not letting us get sued.
Thank you and all of your brilliant genius minds for resurrecting The Santa Clara. Thank you for your trust, your dedication and your unwavering commitment to journalistic excellence. Thank you all for believing in me and for trusting me to be your Editor-in-Chief.
SSS