Leaving is difficult, but it’s the right step for us

My tenure as the managing editor of The Highlander and the Burnet Bulletin has come to an end, five and a half years after my wife Betty and I first came to Burnet and Llano counties.

I have accepted the position as publisher of the historic Gonzales Inquirer in Gonzales, Texas. The newspaper is one of the oldest in the state of Texas and dates back to 1853. My last day in Marble Falls and Burnet was Friday, Aug. 27, and I begin my duties in Gonzales on Wednesday, Sept. 1.

Leaving these newspapers and this community will be difficult because we have invested so much of our hearts and lives here, but this is a fantastic opportunity for me and one which has been a long time coming.

This will be the second time in my life I will be a publisher, which is the highest position at the newspaper and is responsible for oversight of all business — editorial, advertising, circulation, finances and more.

From 2005 to 2007, I was the publisher of the Grand Saline Sun and Edgewood Enterprise in Van Zandt County. Promoted from a managing editor position in New Boston, Texas, I was one of the youngest newspaper publishers in the state at the tender age of just 34 years old.

I succeeded at that time because honestly I was too ignorant to fail. I was learning on the job what to do and I didn’t know what you weren’t supposed to do as a publisher. So I tried new promotions and new ideas and they worked, both because of and in spite of my efforts.

My boss at the time, the late Bill Holder, probably put up with unorthodox methods because I got results and my team liked working for me. And I didn’t forget them, either. I got a large bonus for my efforts and gave all of my team members money out of that to thank them. It only made sense to me to reward them because I couldn’t have earned that without them. I later found out I wasn’t supposed to have done it. My response at the time was the equivalent of “sorry, not sorry.”

I got divorced in 2005 and my exwife moved to Grayson County. In 2007, my daughter Madeline became a freshman in high school and I knew I wouldn’t be able to see her every weekend if she was involved in band and other activities and I was living three hours away. So I made the decision to leave my “dream job” and go to work for Cigna Health Care in Denison. It was the right move and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Fast forward to 2015. After eight years at Cigna, I was ready for a change. My girls had grown up. I found love again and had gotten remarried. I needed new challenges so I left Cigna, not sure what would happen next. I worked several odd jobs. I even provided event security for several events in the DFW area, including at SMU basketball games and in front of the stage at a Vanilla Ice concert.

After what turned out to be an unintentional sabbatical year, I was hired to be the managing editor of The Highlander and the Burnet Bulletin in March 2016. Betty encouraged me to take the job, knowing how ink practically runs through my veins.

In the past five and a half years, I have worked hard to make sure The Highlander and Burnet Bulletin have been held to the highest journalistic standards and have reflected the values of the Highland Lakes community.

We have been rewarded with many awards from our peers, including winning multiple Community Service awards from the Texas Press Association and the coveted Sweepstakes Award for the Burnet Bulletin this year. In 2020, I was honored by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas with their highest award for shining a light on efforts that could have curtailed citizen participation in open meetings.

We have been a leader in news coverage in Burnet and Llano counties as the newspaper of record for most of the communities in the area. Our team coverage of the 2018 Highland Lakes flood was outstanding and noteworthy and, despite conditions which impacted some of our own, we never missed publishing an issue. We also never missed an issue due to COVID-19 even as we felt the economic impact of the shutdown and made sacrifices to ensure the viability of our business.

In the community, I have enjoyed being a part of the Hill Country Community Theatre in Cottonwood Shores. I was fortunate enough to have appeared in five shows at the theatre — “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Murder Weapon,” “State Fair,” “A Twisted Christmas Carol” and “The Addams Family Musical” — and to have served as secretary on the HCCT board of directors for two years.

You may also have seen me singing karaoke, along with Betty, at Rae’s R Bar and Grill, or the VFW in Marble Falls, or at Mr. B’s or the former Buchanan Dam Beach Club, or at Wakepoint LBJ. That’s one of our favorite things to do and a great way to blow off some steam.

Now, an opportunity has come up to once again have that “dream job” I loved and I am ready to see that a dream delayed is once again a dream fulfilled.

I thank each and every one of you for allowing me to be a part of your lives for the past five and a half years. I forever will cherish the memories made here and will never forget the warmth and support we have received from all of you.

Perhaps my wife’s favorite expression is “Namaste.” It is a Hindu word which many translate to mean “the divine in me recognizes that which is divine in you.” While it is commonly used as a greeting, it also is used to express gratitude or to thank another for their kindness and can be said in departure as well.

Therefore, I say to all of you, “Namaste.”