15 recognized with 2006 Excellence Awards

By John S. Wolfe

Teamwork. Commitment. Learning.

Those are just three of the traits demonstrated by some of the 15 winners of Independent Newspapers Inc. Excellence Awards for 2006.

In what has been another year of change and growth for the INI family, these individuals stood out for their dedication to the company, its products, their co-workers and their own continuous improvement:

ARIZONA:



Kristin Doetsch

Ad Services. Apache Junction office. Self-management. Kristin can be counted on to complete her duties by deadline, no matter how grueling the task. She is very knowledgeable and often solves graphics or production-related problems on her own. Kristin is talented and dependable, completing her duties with few errors, which saves the company time and money.



Jill Goodman

Assistant Managing Editor. Commitment. Each day Jill arrives at work with a positive attitude and looks to accomplish as much work as possible. In the past year, she went above and beyond in meeting INI's mission. She wrote stories on a number of school and road issues that promoted community involvement, which changed the outcome of several decisions. She looks for ways to make a positive impact on the products, such as soliciting timely guest commentaries. She has embraced the Newsroom Guidelines and strives to implement those strategies with her daily coaching of Arizona news editors.

VaRonda Krusemark

Valley Newspapers. Self-management. Ronda stepped up to the plate to assure continuity in the administrative department. What was originally a two-person responsibility became more complex as a result of the extended absence of the other team member. Ronda’s initiative to take on the additional responsibilities helped Valley not only adjust to the change but become stronger in the process. She learned about the month-end billing, the month-end process for corporate services and otherwise became familiar with all functions of the bookkeeping department. She has also shared her knowledge with others so that we have additional depth in the department. Ronda has shown that when a challenge to time and knowledge comes on a moment’s notice, we can respond by learning quickly, asking questions and sharing the responsibilities with others. This is self-management and consensus-building at its best!

Zenaida Matute

Valley Newspapers. Self-management. Zenaida has worked her way up through Valley’s inserting and mailing department by learning and sharing what she knows with others. She has taken the responsibility for not only learning but practicing and sharing knowledge of each facet of the mailroom operation. When other staffers are unavailable, she steps up and manages both time and materials to assure the jobs get done right and get done on time. Her acceptance of ownership of her responsibilities sets a great example for others. She has a good work ethic and can be counted on to be at work under even the most challenging of situations.

John Salvate

Valley Newspapers. Shared leadership. As first shift press team leader, John has helped coordinate team development and training. He has worked with Press Coordinator Rob Giarraputo to develop an atmosphere of enthusiasm for excellence and opportunity for growth. He leads by example and sets a tone of fairness with his staff. He represents the company well and understands and respects the objectives and standards of management.

DELMARVA:



Nancy Broeg

Advertising Services. Dover office. Teamwork. Nancy is constantly looking for ways to increase sales, whether it’s turning leads over to the ad managers or selling a contract herself. She is always looking for ways to help her customers get results. She is very aggressive about obtaining the "retail or classified" ad schedule for the 13-week rate the customer receives as added value for signing a 52-week Dining Out contract. Nancy always has an ear to the ground and her eyes open for new prospects for the Dining Out guide, since she sort of views this as "her baby." She also is always looking for ways to improve ads to ensure the customer is getting the results they are looking for. She shares her success stories with her teammates and let’s them know she is there to help them if they need it.

Bundle Top Crew
(Brian Swetland, Kevin Mabrey,
Lisa Pippin and Tim Herard)

DPC Mailroom. Learning. Earlier in the year the mailroom took over doing bundle tops. There were two employees who are from the original team of the bundle top crew, Brian Swetland and Kevin Mabrey, and two newcomers, Lisa Pippin and Tim Herard. The bundle top crew had to work many long hours in learning each step and procedure for the printing of the bundle tops. Each faced this challenge and continues to show the ability to do anything asked of them -- and always with a can-do attitude. They are dependable and thrive on learning new tasks in the mailroom.

Kimberly Flynn

DPC Mailroom. Shared leadership. Kim has been with DPC mailroom for seven years, most of that time in charge of the nightshift. Despite the challenges, she is one of the key people making sure that all jobs are done correctly. She is self-motivated and comes to work every day knowing what to do. She also trains her crew in areas of need, in particular the zoning of inserts. She trains the new night employees and has earned the respect of her co-workers with her work habits, knowledge and dedication.



Marty Gilliard and Dianne Baur

Advertising Services. Cambridge office. Teamwork. Marty and Dianne work as a team. They not only service the advertisers as far as running down copy and payments, they also actually "build" the ads for publication. They keep up with the daily book of business very well and never hesitate to go the extra mile when needed. They suggest new ads and are constantly striving for more ads or larger ads to help the advertiser. They know this is a win-win situation, as the customer gets better results and we get an ever-lasting advertiser. They always step up to the plate and get the job done.



Kitt Parker

News assistant. Seaford office. Results. Kitt was given the challenge of boosting the amount of submitted content appearing on the pages of the Sussex Post and The Leader & State Register. Without question, she has done an outstanding job of reaching out to all types of community groups. The number of briefs, calendar items and submitted photos has added to the strength and relevance of our Sussex publications. Kitt's success is now being built upon as she works on content for all of the Delaware publications, incorporating a web-first mentality that also is building up the amount of content posted at newszap.com. Kitt possesses the "Say Yes!" spirit we encourage.



Cat Werner-Porterfield

News editor. Harrington. Purposeful newspapers. Cat has raised the bar on quality, quantity and coverage area in The Journal. She has the pulse of Harrington and the Lake Forest School District, developing useful and relevant content for readers. Her success with the Journal has allowed the publication to live up to its promise of covering the greater Lake Forest community well, while not giving up its strength in Harrington. She has become a great leader, by example, and offers encouragement to others. She embraces the role of news editor as an ambassador to the community and has gained the respect of many people in the Harrington-area through her commitment to serving them with great community journalism.

FLORIDA:



Angie Bridges

Ad services. Okeechobee office. Learning. Angie started her career with INI as a circulation assistant, working part-time. Her mission was to update and rejuvenate the Daily Discount Program, which she handled very well. She then was asked to become a fulltime customer service rep for the front office. An opening in the advertising department brought Angie to the ad services team and PBS order entry. Her ability to learn has made the transitions seamless. She also handles sales for the Frostproof News, using the RAPS program, and helps out with Call a Pro ad sales. No matter how busy we are or what deadlines or challenges the ad department faces, Angie can be counted on to do what's needed and then some in her quiet, professional manner.



Christine Brown

Circulation assistant. South Lake/Okeechobee. Results. Christine excels in a number of areas and has been particularly successful in her role in adding new store locations and outlets for single copy sales in our South Lake Newspapers. Chris may not regard herself as having great sales skills, but in reality she is an extremely talented and persuasive sales person. She recognizes opportunities and is able to relate successfully to the wide variety of people she encounters in her work. She possesses versatility and creativity. An example is during the hurricane crisis when Chris managed to keep our fleet of racks from being destroyed by convincing store owners to move our outside racks inside their stores for safekeeping. Above all, she is a great champion of our newspapers.



Marie (Dee) Gaudin

Circulation/Single Copy. Okeechobee office. Commitment. Dee is a fast learner and very dedicated to continuously learning and improving. She is never satisfied with the status quo and is always looking to find better ways to do things. In her relatively short time with the company, Dee has become very adept at filling in virtually every area of the circulation operation. In doing so, she displays a great attitude and a “do what it takes” approach that makes her an outstanding contributor. Much of the work being done in circulation departments occurs behind the scenes or in a fashion invisible to many in the company. Dee serves our customers, even if her fellow staff members aren’t up in the middle of the night to appreciate the superb and committed effort!



Donna Meister

News assistant. Caloosa Belle/Immokalee Bulletin. Teamwork. Donna is a sports-minded person so the concept of teamwork comes naturally to her. As small papers with small staffs, the Caloosa Belle and Immokalee Bulletin value teamwork, as does INI. Donna works well with everyone in the office and even brings community members into the "team" by recruiting them to provide news items and pictures, freeing up staff for other things. With more and better community news (any community newspaper's life blood) success just naturally follows. The better, more comprehensive our coverage, the more people read the paper, which makes advertisers more aware of the paper. All because staff members like Donna and her perky personality, which helps keep other staff members upbeat.

PBS AdPlus upgrade on schedule,Call A Pro adds new advertisers

Left to right, classified team members Vicki Rosado, Sherrie Sinex, Janet Levy, Logan Anderson, Karla Akmentins, and Dianna Sellers.

Weather can't stop upgrade

Neither rain nor hail nor sleet nor snow nor weekends can keep the Delmarva classified team from ensuring the PBS AdPlus upgrade installation remains on schedule.

The entire team arrived at the Dover daily's offices on a Sunday during a February snowstorm this past quarter to "touch" more than 1,200 ads for the system upgrade within a three hour time frame.

Call A Pro continues growth

The classified team also has been focused on bulking up the Delaware State News’ Call A Pro directory. Handling both call-in advertisers and making outbound calls to new prospects, the directory now has well over 40 clients promoting local products and services.

“Great Teamwork Classified Department!!” said Jen Wright

Big media can’t be trusted with our freedoms

It’s sad to witness the demise of yet another independent publisher of newspapers. In its heyday, Knight Ridder was a proud organization that brought credit to journalism.

With size and success, some of the K-R newspapers fell victim to elitism, industry groupthink, and snobbery --- all of which the marketplace might eventually have corrected. But the fatal mistake was to go public with Knight Ridder’s ownership. Once Wall Street and the money managers got in the door, profit margins were destined to become the driving force instead of courageous journalism.

Knight Ridder’s demise is simply the latest in what appears to be an irreversible trend for newspaper publishing. When Wall Street gets involved, money trumps everything.

INI is one small exception, due to our unique ownership structure. We’re owned by a non-profit journalistic trust that is pledged to perpetuate our independence and allow us to continue to pursue journalism as a public trust.

We have no ambition to operate on a grand scale, partly because doing so might risk our own independence. But we have something to contribute as a modest laboratory for journalistic service at the grassroots level.

Years ago, when the elite journalists started working their editorial agendas into their coverage, INI took a contrarian approach -- banning editorials and recommitting ourselves to purposeful neutrality in our coverage, free of any self-serving political motives. We felt it was essential that citizens make their own decisions and feared the consequences if people abdicated to would-be “professional” opinion shapers.

When the elite journalists started imposing “political correctness” on what citizens could say in print, we went the other direction by inviting the anonymous expression of opinions via our Speak Out and Sound Off telephone lines. Many in the industry looked down their noses at us, but the back-and-forth exchanges stimulated, provoked and informed --- and got regular citizens involved in developing their own opinions about the topics of the day.

Of course, some members of the local "power structure" didn’t like our Speak Out/Sound Off columns. Because the country has fallen so far away from its rich heritage of anonymous free speech, many community leaders simply weren't accustomed to any public criticism. (Many smaller communities, especially, can become closed societies where voices of dissent simply aren't tolerated.)

Then along came the Internet. Not surprisingly, the mindsets of the big-time newspapers publishers haven’t changed -- they aren’t allowing free speech on their websites, either. Once again, INI has taken the contrarian approach by creating Public Issues Forums at newszap.com for nearly 100 communities --- bringing the Speak Out/Sound Off freedom of speech concept to a new platform.

Like the newspaper column, the online public issues forums give citizens a voice in their community, and a place where their opinions can stand or fall on their merits. The forums tend to be “self-policing”: when somebody says something illogical or outrageous, other posters are quick to point it out. Once again, we are providing dynamic forums that are involving more people and broadening the range of ideas for community discussion.

A bit of historic perspective might be useful here. The American Revolution might never have occurred or succeeded without the publication of anonymous opinion. (King George didn’t like it any better than today’s critics.) The most famous political discussions in this country's history, the Federalist Papers, were first published under a pseudonym.

During the Revolution, Thomas Paine warned: “If the freedom of the press is to be determined by the judgment of the printer of a newspaper in preference to that of the people, who when they read will judge for themselves, then freedom is on a very sandy foundation."

Most of today’s publishers don’t trust the people to “judge for themselves.” Paine would probably flip in his grave to see how today’s media has limited and sanitized the general public’s expressions of opinion.

As media critic Jon Katz has written, “Journalism's exclusion of outside voices and fear of publishing any but moderate opinions has made it difficult for the country to come to grips with some of its most sensitive issues -- race, gender, and violence. Media overwhelmed and monopolized by large corporations, inaccessible to individual people and motivated primarily by profit, is the antithesis of Paine's life, his work, and his vision for the press.”

Critics of anonymous expressions of opinion often invoke another traditional American value: the right to face your accuser. But that principle -- quite properly -- applies to the courts. It was never intended to limit free speech.

In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has noted a "profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open" and ruled that "an author's decision to remain anonymous, like other decisions concerning omissions or additions to the content of a publication, is an aspect of the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment" and "the anonymity of an author is not ordinarily a sufficient reason to exclude her work product from the protections of the First Amendment."

Paine would love what’s happening on the Internet today --- and especially the public issues forums as newszap.com.

No longer does freedom of the press belong only to the big Wall Street-controlled media. With the Internet, every community can have what INI has brought to a few communities with our Speak Out/Sound Off columns and the public issues forums at newszap.com.

The Internet is bringing freedom of the press back to the people --- where it belongs.

I'd love to hear from you at JoeSmyth@newszap.com. Do you agree or disagree with the thinking outlined above? Do you have other ideas you think we should consider?

Audrey Marie McMahon

ANNIVERSARY PROFILE



Name: Audrey Marie McMahon

Newspaper: The Leader & State Register, Sussex Post

Position: I'm retired, but on-call when needed. I have worked in Ad Services, Editorial and the Office, helping when needed. I mainly now work at the Front Desk.

Number of years in the newspaper or printing business: 40 years - started in Dec. of 1966!

Job description: I always worked in Ad Services, until retirement.

What I like best (about my job): The position I do now I enjoy - talking and seeing people.

Most memorable moment with INI: Too many to mention!

Hobbies/Interests: Love to travel, spend time with my family. I have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren! Keeps me busy!

Fun fact (about myself): Last year, I started a Red Hat Society Chapter here in Seaford and we have lots of fun and laughs. I love to be busy!!!

Wrapper assists hand inserting during DPC move to new plant

KUDOS to Nancy and Sherry for a job well done!

Delaware Printing Company turned to hand inserting supplements into Delmarva newspapers this past quarter, while their 12 pocket Harris 1372 inserting machine was moved to the new plant on Horse pond Road.

The process was made just a little easier, thanks to Delmarva’s Ad Services creation of a “wrapper” to contain the inserts.

“This ‘wrapper’ was used to hold the inserts to make the hand inserting a little easier,” explained Danielle Musser.

It proved profitable, too. Nancy Broeg and Sherry Luff found advertising clients to purchase both sides of the “wrapper”!

“Not only did we get the ‘wrapper’ we needed to help with the move of the insert machine, but we also offset our expenses by getting advertisers to purchase the advertising space,” Danielle said.

Kurt Ploudre

ANNIVERSARY PROFILE
10 years



Kurt and his daughter Peighton strike a pose in the shadow of the world famous Space Needle during a visit to Seattle.

Name: Kurt Ploudre

Newspaper: Arizona Group

Position: Director of Advertising Development

Number of years in the newspaper or printing business: 21

Job description: I spend the majority of my time increasing the awareness about our 14 Phoenix area newspapers to advertising agency media buyers and the media directors of regional & national accounts through outreach, sales and marketing efforts.

What I like best (about my job): I don’t have to wear those orange shorts like those girls at Hooters.

Most memorable moment with INI: That’s a tough one. Have to boil it down to two…Falling through the conference room table at the Apache Junction office & falling down while carrying a ladder in the Chandler office -- just when others in the office were asking me not to get on the ladder. I figured I’d go ahead and get the fall out of the way first.

Hobbies/Interests: The three M’s. Martial Arts, Motorcycles and Music.

Fun fact (about myself): I fall down a lot.

Frick picks his moment to retire

George Frick and his wife, Gladdie, are welcomed at a surprise party in honor of his retirement on March 4. Wesley College President Scott Miller hosted the fete to George who retired after 12 ½ years of writing “Frick’s Picks” for the Delaware State News.

Longtime sports columnist wraps it up today

By Jenny Maher
Delaware State News

DOVER - Most people spend their retirement years relaxing with loved ones, traveling to sunny destinations and enjoying freedom from the stresses of work.

Dover resident George Frick isn't most people.

After retiring from the public relations business in the early 1990s, the former sportscaster accepted an invitation from the Delaware State News to write a once-weekly sports column highlighting local athletics.

The column, Frick's Picks, became an instant hit.

After just a few months, Mr. Frick was asked to produce three columns a week.

"I enjoyed it and people seemed to accept it," he said. "It turned out wonderfully."

Today, after nearly 12 years with the State News, Mr. Frick will bid adieu to his beloved readers in a final column.

With his 80th birthday approaching, he has decided to take another stab at retirement.

"I'm anticipating it, but I know I'm going to miss the athletes, the coaches and all the good people of the Delaware State News," he said Friday.

Mr. Frick's wife of 56 years, Gladdie - who typed his 1,600 columns - said she is looking forward to the break. She admits it hasn't been easy dealing with deadlines through much of her retirement, but she's glad her husband found a job he loved so much.

"I think he got more out of it than any other job he had," she said.

"This is George's thing - to be in the community and to go to sporting events."

A graduate of Temple University, Mr. Frick began his professional career as a sportscaster with WDEL-TV in Wilmington.

The job allowed him to meet and interview some of the world's greatest athletes, including Gil Hodges, Johnny Unitas, Jackie Robinson, Julius Erving and Margaret Osborne.

After WDEL-TV folded in the 1950s, Mr. Frick pursued a career in public relations.

However, the lifelong sports fan and former basketball player missed the world of athletics.

He said he was happy to return to the business in 1994 as a sportswriter, although he had no idea his column would become such a success.

During his time with the State News, Mr. Frick attended countless local sporting events and befriended many Delaware athletes and coaches.

In 2002, he was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2004 the press box at Wesley College was named in his honor.

"Those were all things this job cemented," he said.

Although Frick's Picks will no longer be published regularly, Mr. Frick said he hopes to write some guests columns in the future.

For now, however, he is going to focus on retirement.

He and his wife plan to travel to Florida later this month and to California in June.

Mr. Frick also hopes to improve his golf game and catch up on some reading.

As he heads into his retirement, he will surely take with him his many fond memories as a sports columnist with the State News.

"It's been very rewarding working with the players, coaches, administrators, athletic directors and fans," he said.

"I want to thank everyone for the good times and for the joy of the whole experience."

Mike Pelrine and Tammy Brittingham enjoy a moment
with George Frick at the retirement celebration.

'Fricks Picks': So long for now, and thanks

Wesley College President Scott D. Miller pays tribute to
George Frick at a retirement celebration.

Note: The following tribute, written by Wesley College president Scott D. Miller, appeared in the March 3, 2006, edition of the Delaware State News.

By Scott D. Miller

We don't choose our family, it's often said, but fortunately, we do get to select our friends. Over the years, the Miller family couldn't have asked for better friends than Delaware's first television sportscaster, George Frick, and his terrific wife of 56 years, "Gladdie." Both have been there for us in times of triumph and loss, in good times and bad, for me, for my two scholar-athlete daughters and for Downstate athletics of all stripes.

Maybe it's because I began my career in higher education as a college sports information director many years ago, but I have a special appreciation for George because he is something special to athletes and sports enthusiasts throughout the State. Although I haven't known George for very long in the great scheme of things - just nine short years -he has become a dear and valued friend. We first met at a field hockey game shortly after I arrived at Wesley in the fall of 1997, a couple of years after he began writing his column. Since then, we have made up for lost time, as George and I have attended just about every kind of banquet and sporting event on the Peninsula together.

George and his wife, Gladys, known to all as "Gladdie," very quickly became a part of the Wesley family and the Miller "extended" family. When my two daughters enrolled at Caesar Rodney High School and played sports there, George became part of our regular family "car pool" to volleyball, basketball, cross country, soccer, lacrosse and baseball games. Years later, with both Katie and Ashlee away at college, we'll always remember fondly that George was with us for the disappointing losses as well as for those special wins.

He was there when Katie set the state soccer record for goals in a season; he was also there when Ashlee's cross country team twice won the state championship. George was there when Katie and Ashlee's boyfriends, Gary Sanders and Justin Upp, experienced their own special moments in baseball and lacrosse, respectively. We will always cherish these memories that George shared with us.

Through it all, George has been a tireless and effective advocate for sports in southern Delaware. Another "car pool" mate, Dr. David Robinson, retired superintendent of the Caesar Rodney School District, perhaps said it best: "Nobody has had a greater impact as an activist of Downstate athletes than George Frick."

Camera in hand, always smiling, George covered the positive side of sports, as much a friend of lesser-known athletes as of the "household words." He made incredible contributions to so many sports at the high school and collegiate levels, serving as the voice of Dover and Caesar Rodney high schools and the Temple University Owls, among others. At Wesley, we honored George with the prestigious Pat Knight Award in 2003 and recently, with the George Frick Press Box on the occasion of the dedication of the upgraded Wolverine Stadium, where he and I have enjoyed so many great contests.

There's not enough space in this column to list George's contributions to both church and community, but suffice it to say that from his arrival in Delaware from his native New Jersey in 1950, he has adopted the First State as his own. All of us have been entertained and enriched by his presence.

It's almost impossible for me to believe that George will soon celebrate his 80th birthday, because he remains so vigorous and young at heart. In fact, I suspect that he would still be writing his column had not Gladdie, his typist as well as his wife and helpmate, announced her well-earned "retirement" as his devoted secretary. The First State certainly won't be the same without "Frick's Picks," but I look forward to many more sporting and family events with George - my "pick" for a great friend, sportswriter and citizen.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dr. Scott D. Miller is president of Wesley College.

Arizona picnic is great fun for team members and families

By Emily Soccorsy

On Jan. 28, the Arizona group held its first annual company picnic at the McCormick Stillman Railroad Park in sunny Scottsdale.

About 150 of our team members attended the event along with spouses, friends and family members.

Teams compete in the three-legged race.

All who attended enjoyed the grilling expertise of Vice President of Operations Bret McKeand, who flipped burgers, hot dogs and chicken. In addition to the sandwiches, attendees pitched in with side dishes. Everything from Asian tossed salads to baked beans made for plenty of good eats and leftovers.

INIers with sweet teeth couldn’t have been more happy with the desert options. In addition to brownies and cookies, there was a cake decorating contest. Caitlin Hodges, 10, won the contest with an expertly decorated fondant Louis Vuitton purse, an editor’s coffee mug and a rolled-up Independent newspaper. All of the entries were delicious and beautiful to behold. Jill Goodman won second place for a Miss Pac Man cake.

Picnic organizer Ann Deal, takes a break from the action, to admire daughter Morgan’s picnic tiara. Ann and Morgan are sporting two of the award-winning name tags.

The littlest members of the picnic were treated to tremendously fun kids’ games organized by Grace Hodges. There were fierce and friendly competitions during Pin the Headline on the Newspaper, Paper Delivery Relay and more.

Kids were also able to make their own tiaras or visors during the event. INIers tied one on as they participated in the three-legged race, which was won by a very speedy duo, Tina and Danny Pendexter.

Josh Garber’s wife, Alisha, brought along her face paints and was a hit with the children and Kurt Ploudre alike.

Alisha Garber, wife of Josh Garber, paints the face of Mercedes Heetland, daughter of Emily Soccorsy, as Veronica Sepulveda, daughter of Dan Sepulveda, waits her turn.

There were door prizes for many and a name tag design contest, which the Chandler and Apache Junction teams won. Their name tags each featured unique dinosaurs which were “devouring the competition.”

A fantastic time was had by all! Independent Arizona plans on making this a yearly event. Planning for the next picnic will begin in May.

He’s still a kid at heart: Kurt Ploudre takes a turn getting his face painted as Lindsey Yentes looks on.

Thanks go to the planning committee, which was headed by Ann Deal. Other planning committee members included Emily Soccorsy, Charlene Patti Bisson, Dan Sepulveda, Nancy Tudor, Grace Hodges, Kim Rose, Angie Mendez, and Lisa Grassie.

Chris Engel

That’s me, Chris Engel, on the billboard for the Delaware State News. But it’s not a true family scene. Click here for photos of my wife and “our girls”.

Name: Chris Engel

Newspaper: Corporate Services

Position: Director of Research & Development

Number of years in the newspaper or printing business: 39. I spent many years as an ad rep, before acquiring a series of highfalutin titles like ad director, general manager, operations director, VP/marketing, Press Lines editor, CFO, R&D director, and board member. I’ve held these positions for Independent in Arizona and Delmarva at weeklies, dailies, printing plants and Corporate Services. It all means that I know only a little bit about a lot of this business with some depth in sales.

Job description: Primarily assisting operations in the design of advertising and sales plans, while very enthusiastically onboard for the transition into the new world of new media.

What I like best about my job: What I enjoy most is the ongoing development of greater thinking skills: focus and concentration, analysis, and arranging ideas in a sensible order. I like learning how to simplify and systematize, then presenting ideas persuasively in a way that, if successful, proves compelling and useful to others. These processes are all part of the R&D duties that I have by no means mastered. Every day new plans are unfolding, and new challenges popping up, while our industry is radically evolving, continually offering so much more in news, information and advertising to an increasingly empowered readership. It’s an exciting time for R&D.

Most memorable moment with INI: One "remarkable" moment was an invitation to witness the Mosaic browser on the Internet at a Del Tech extension office with Tammy Brittingham in the early 90s. At the demonstration, documents residing on servers across three contents instantaneously appeared on a computer screen with a simple click or two. That may be common now, but it was absolutely astonishing then. (Mosaic would evolve into Netscape that would be eclipsed by Microsoft Explorer.) There on the screen that day was quite obviously (to me) the harbinger of new media and all that is being played out now.

Hobbies/Interests: Dodgers baseball fan, writing a family blog (that’s too much work and I might quit any minute), fiddling around with digital photography (and posting it online), daily swimming, non-fiction books, Internet surfing, and constant family activities at evening, weekend, and occasionally, weekday events. I’ve been married to my wife, Joan, for 32 years. Our daughters, Nora (22), Molly (20), and Lily (10) are students at local schools and colleges.

Fun fact (about myself): I’m a ghost buster! Well, not really. Actually, I’ve never seen a ghost and I’m not psychic at all. Still, largely because of my older daughters, I have attended my share of ghost talks and walks. I even slept with Belle, a 19th century spirit, in the attic (fourth floor) of a well-worn Victorian hotel. (My two older daughters fled the room well before sunset!) Click here for a photo account of it.

Maggie Welch

Maggie Welch

Name: Margaret S. Welch, better known as "Maggie Welch"

Newspaper: Delaware State News

Position: Librarian

Number of years in the newspaper or printing business: 25 years

Job description: Archive the newspaper by putting it in the computer.

What I like best about my job: It keeps me busy. I like that.

Most memorable moment with INI: My most memorable moment? I would like to put it as my most memorable years. I have seen the many changes that have taken place in the Delaware State News since I have been here. The walls that have come down, the technology that has occurred from electric typewriters, paste up banks, cameras, etc., to present day computers. Also the many people I have met who have come and gone, and the ones who have stayed, some longer than myself. I find all of this very memorable.

Hobbies/interest: I sew, knit, renovate old houses and garden. Gardening has taken over my main interest because it not only creates beauty but keeps me sane. I don't have the time to get involved in charities right now, but I am a lifesaver for the Blood Bank.

Fun fact (about myself): I like entertaining friends and family, reading good books, relaxing, sharing time with my best friend, George, and when I can, traveling. Also I have three daughters that think I need to get out a little more often and take me to the beach, shopping or doing something they think I would like. I love my family.