Dear Goodbye, It is the time when I have to say farewell to the staff and readers of The Minaret.
Though I have not attended UT four full years, I have connections to this place that I will take with me everywhere. Since coming here in 2005, I watched myself grow not only to a better journalist but a better person. The Minaret was a huge part of that. I know it wasn’t easy to trust someone to be an Assistant Editor-in-Chief and an Arts and Entertainment editor who you barely knew. Charles McKenzie, Victor O’Brien and the staff of The Minaret, took a chance on an island girl with a lot of experience. However, no experience prepared me for The Minaret.
Learning Adobe Pagemaker was something new. Most journalists, like myself, tend not to deal with the layout aspect of the newspaper. Because I became Arts and Entertainment editor, more than anything else I had to learn how to do so. I was the baby at everything. I didn’t know how to layout a page, lay out an online page or have a keen eye for great headlines. Charles McKenzie drove me insane at times, but he drilled in me to keep trying to make the paper better. Everyone has flaws. When it comes to journalism, Charles picked out mine and made sure that I knew them. But most of all, I will never forget his jokes which is usually about me being a Bahamian. Despite all the corny jokes and the smart comments, I knew Charles is one of the most passionate journalists that I ever met. He is never satisfied because he believes there is always more that we can add to the story and make The Minaret better. He has been a great adviser, and I will never forget him.
Victor and I married and divorced in the office so many times I lost count(Inside Joke). Victor played so many roles in that office. At one point he would act like a father who is always giving advice, yet he was always towering over to make sure that paper was right. Other times he would be like a fly that you keep trying to shoo from your ears. But most of all, to me Victor has been a great friend. He was always there to make you laugh.
Then there is Josh Kratovil who is the rebel out of the group. Josh was the first person who I came in contact with at The Minaret. Before I was Asst. Editor-in-Chief or Arts and Entertainment editor, he was my editor. Josh is tough and has his head on his shoulders. He works hard and still keeps a cool demeanor in doing so.
Steve and Phifer were the dynamic duo of commentary. I’m sure that next semester will be great with the two of them bickering over how commentary will look. Commentary is a great part of the paper. Besides being the most controversial part of the paper, it is hilarious and educational. Simos, with others like Alex Davis comes in with something great every week along. I’m sure Alex got under everyone’s skin by now, including mine. However, this is advice for everyone who reads the paper. If commentary actually happens to get you angry, please write a letter to the editor.
Sports has also done a great job with great photos and stories every week. Peter, who is mean to everyone in the office but me, does a great job and I hope he will continue.
Tripptree, our calm but energenic copy editor, will surely be missed by all. She has also taught me a lot over the past year. Even though I was familiar with AP style writing, no one has a keener eye than she does.
Over my year, I learned things from The Minaret that I would not have learned in any classroom or real newsroom for that matter. My gift to The Minaret was the beginning of the podcasts which is now available on the website. I want to thank all the staff at The Minaret for putting their confidence in me over the last year. I also want to thank all of the writers of the A’E section for being consistent and professional. I’m sure that The Minaret will reach even greater heights in the future. Goodnight and good luck.
Sincerely,
Kendea Jones