AUGUST 2012
03
FROM THE EDITOR Journalists, Friends, Fathers
When we three took over
STAFF DAVID LILLARD, Editor/Publisher DOMINIC VALENTINE & AUNDREA HUMPHREYS, Art Direction TARA SANDERS LOWE, Director of Advertising
PROOFREADERS: HALI TAYLOR, ED ZAHNISER
CONTRIBUTORS THOMAS HARDING CHRISTIAN & DAVID ASAM CLAIRE STUART ELIZABETH WHEELER JEFF FELDMAN STEVE CHASE
DOUG HUMPHREYS MISTY HIGGINS
The Observer in 2007, we im- mediately saw how much there was to learn. We learned quickly what responsibilities come with community journal- ism, that shedding daylight on politics in a small community is a delicate balancing act, that community organizations de- pend on local newspapers and magazines to tell their stories, that locally owned businesses are the heart of a community even as big ones are often the engines—every edition, a new lesson. We learned a lot about what
makes a community tick, and tried to put what we learned into practice at The Observer. We sometimes declined to cover stories that we were concerned might harm an individual with- out helping the community; or gave a lot of ink to a story that could be uplifting to the com- munity even if we didn’t know whether anyone would care.
ADVERTISING SALES TARA SANDERS LOWE
For advertising and more information
304-876-2414 (Mon-Fri, 9-5) or email
Sales@wvOBSERVER.com
The Observer prints signed letters-to-the-editor of uniquely local interest. Letters containing personal attacks or polarizing language will not be published. 300 or fewer words, please. Letters may be edited. Send letters to
Editor@wvOBSERVER.com, or mail to the address below.
The Observer PO Box 3088
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
www.wvOBSERVER.com Sales@wvOBSERVER.com Editor@wvOBSERVER.com
SEPT. DEADLINE Aug. 15th
Apples, peaches, grass-fed beef, eggs, fresh local veggies, fruit, cheese, breads, honey, teas, herbs, salsa, spices, soaps, flowers, baked goods!
When you are three guys
working closely together on such an enterprise, you get to know each other. You accept each other. David has a frightful temper, Thomas can be abra- sive, and Dominic—has anyone seen Dominic? His voicemail is full and he’s not responding to email! For us, our friendship with
our community has been part of our own friendship—the late-night conversations about our concerns for where we live, our desires to make our little place a better place for our kids, to see our schools thrive, to support arts and activities that nourish young people. Sure, it’s the same things
other friends talk about, but we came to see our friendship as a calling—to spur public dialogue and elevate understanding of and within our community. Maybe that’s because, whatever your job or business, when you are a parent, you see the world
through the eyes of a parent. And when you are someone’s friend, their children are yours, too.
On July 25, Thomas Hard-
ing and his wife Debora lost their son Kadian. Sam Harding lost her brother so full of love. Many kids in our community lost a great friend. Thomas is a wonderful jour-
nalist, but an even better fa- ther. That will always be true. His loss is our loss. None of
that changes when business partners become former busi- ness partners, when people move away, when lives change. Perhaps this seems all too personal for public printing. But The Observer is part of our community, and Thomas—in- spired by Kadian and Sam, just as we are inspired by our own children and our friendship— helped make it so.
Dominic Valentine and David Lillard
TOMATO
CONTEST August 18
See Facebook for details
Shepherdstown Farmers’ Market
Sundays 9-1 Shepherdstown, WV
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