Twenty-four years ago, I mustered the nerve to call Dolores Eyler, the founder of The Rye Record. A faithful reader of the fairly new town paper, I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring to cover “news of Rye and its people.”Today, it’s hard for me to fathom I’ve been a contributing writer for over two decades and harder to believe I won’t be covering the beat I’ve loved any longer. Once Robin Jovanovich, our intrepid publisher since 2002, broke the news of her retirement, I figured I’d hang up my journalist’s hat, too.
Having been a stay-at-home mom for some time in 1999, I wanted to get back to writing, my first love. I was an English/Writing major in college, but life’s twists and turns led me in another direction. In that other life of mine before kids, I earned my Master’s in Counseling in Education and worked as a career counselor at a college in New York City. I left the job to raise our three children and once they were 11, 10, and 6, I felt it was time to pursue other avenues in addition to the school parents’ association and volunteer jobs.
Dolores made it very easy for me. I discovered the paper was not run out of a newsroom, but rather from her home. She invited me over and graciously welcomed me into the community paper’s folds. I suggested writing a piece on Rye Psychiatric Hospital Center, about which I was always curious. In her infinite wisdom, she warned me that it wasn’t easy penetrating the walls of that institution, formerly on Boston Post Road, but she gave me carte blanche.
Right, she was. It was probably the toughest assignment I’ve had in all my years with the paper, but my article appeared in one of the first issues of the new millennium and the rest is history. Since then, I’m pleased to say there has never been an issue without my byline.
Before long, I began working with Allen Clark, the inimitable co-publisher at the time, and Robin, in whose home all the writers would gather in the old days. Having been out of the work force for a while, it felt great to be surrounded by colleagues, all accomplished and committed reporters, editors, and photographers with Rye as a common denominator.
I remember Robin visiting me at home one day, glancing at all the framed photos on my shelves and recruiting me to take photographs to accompany my articles. That’s how it’s always been at the paper – pivoting, evolving, reinventing.
I’m grateful to her for indulging me during my tenure by giving me the opportunity to share many personal milestones with readers, from “Sleeping With the Enemy” when my husband renovated our home, “A Lot To Live Up To” about my mother’s legacy, and “Helping Our Dog Through Cancer” to “A Sentimental Journey” about our trip to Cuba, “Last But Not Least” about our youngest college grad, and “Our Double Header” when both our daughters had babies at the same time.
I love the process of sitting at my laptop and transforming a blank page into an article, being so engrossed in what I’m doing that I lose track of time. Crafting grammatically correct sentences with metaphors, alliteration, and other “dazzling” literary devices is one thing, telling someone’s story is another.
What I never anticipated when I began my journey with The Rye Record was just how strong an impact the stories of countless members of our community would have on me. I discovered that our little piece of Westchester has an endless well of incredibly engaging, passionate, and open individuals who have dedicated their lives to making this world a better place, in big ways and in small.
I have cherished highlighting them all in a variety of columns over the years, from “Downtown People” to “Slice of Rye”. Invariably, I fall in love with all my subjects. Fortunately, my editors, Robin and the remarkable Tom McDermott, have always overlooked my ineptitude at being a detached journalist.
To those who took the time to sit across from me to share news about upcoming endeavors and ruminate about old ones, I would like to express my gratitude. I give thanks to the many unwavering CEO’s, program directors, and volunteers I interviewed about the tireless work they do to support our nonprofits; the stupendous community organization leaders who make our town hum and humored my routine requests to churn out content for my “Around Town” column; the dedicated educators and the children they teach, all of whom I felt privileged to feature in our Schools section; the talented painters and authors who promote the arts with their infinite creativity and perseverance; the innovative restaurateurs who met me with their signature hospitality and the chefs who shared their recipes for my “Secrets of the Chefs”; the zealous anglers I chatted with at many a bait shop for my fishing column; the inspiring pastors who summoned words of wisdom right before my eyes; and the entrepreneurial merchants who have the fortitude to keep our downtown alive with a colorful array of brick-and-mortar shops.
It has been my honor to record moments in your history for The Rye Record. As I bid farewell to the paper, I eagerly look ahead to making history with my five grandkids. Now, I’ll have time to show them the fruits of your labor and all Rye has to offer.
