Enterprise thrives on your support

Surrounded by family and friends, Friday was a special night for your editor. I was humbled and honored to be nominated and subsequently elected to the Panhandle Press Hall of Fame earlier this year and then finally installed last week.

This accomplishment, like most, is not an honor for me alone. The credit truly goes to my late parents, my wife and family, our dedicated staff members both present and past, and to our readers and advertisers – without whom nothing is possible.

It’s a recognition I never really expected given my great respect for those who have been installed before me. The initial honorees more than 25 years ago were men and women who were legends in the Panhandle Press – giants like Ben Ezzell, Harold Hudson, Morris Higley, and others whom I never was fortunate enough to know. But I certainly heard about them, and they cast a long shadow on the papers in Canadian, Perryton, Childress, and all across the Panhandle.

After I joined the ranks of area journalists, I did get to meet and work with a great many people who joined the Hall of Fame over the years. Don Nelson, Bill Ellis, Garet Von Netzer, Jeane Bartlett, Laurie Ezzell Brown, and so many others. I won’t try to name all of them but suffice it to say that there have been several who have been mentors to myself and others. It is their shoulders that we stand on as community newspaper men and women across this region as we try to serve our readers and advertisers.

That service is an awesome and rewarding task that we gladly undertake week in and week out as we seek to bring you news and information that you can trust. It’s an obligation that we take seriously, and one that we enjoy. We do not do it alone, however. A community newspaper is nothing without the support of the community.

In the simplest terms, we rely on all of you – for news tips, for photos, for advertisements, for subscriptions, and for encouragement. While our staff does the heavy lifting of designing and producing the paper, we also rely on our freelancers and columnists. The Enterprise would truly not have the same character without the contributions of Kari Lindsey, Sandy Anderberg, and other parents and teachers who take photos for us on a weekly basis.

We are still grappling with the loss of the late Peggy Cockerham – who gave us more than 18 years of dedicated service with her ‘Wick’s Picks column. We have always placed in the awards contest for Society & Lifestyles page based largely on her contribution to anchor page four.

Working with our local officials to keep the community informed has also been a great privilege. When COVID-19 hit, it was a combined effort on the part of several to make sure the people of Donley County knew what was happening.

Likewise, when the Broncos made their journey to state – both last year and this year – it was not just our staff that helped cover that event. It was the support of the community that drove us to do it and made it possible for us to do it.

Nothing can discount how fortunate we are to have an excellent staff. Tara Allred is an amazing woman, and I can’t even begin to enumerate what she does for us. Ashlee Estlack – our Contributing Editor – does so much behind the scenes to keep us motivated, on task, up to speed on innovations, and so much more. And of course, Ben and Ella, his columns and her photos give us hope for a continued future for this newspaper.

How fortunate can this paper be to have the talent and support of so many? How fortunate and am I that I get to lead this institution for a brief time in its long and storied history. Thank you, all.