Life is funny sometimes
As any employer can attest, good help is hard to find. We've been lucky. Some of our employees have been here for decades. Others worked here for a short time, left, and returned.
We were extremely fortunate to "find" David Colburn when we were looking for a sports reporter. He came to us with Record experience; he'd worked here briefly in the 1970s. He came with writing know-how and understood the difference between football and basketball — that was about all this editor was hoping for.
What we got was so much more. Not only did he know sports, he enthusiastically embraced any school activity, often showing up with camera in hand to snap several hundred photos. He offered suggestions, brought us a different point of view about various issues, and was just a generally "all around good guy" to have in the office.
His dry sense of humor kept us on our toes. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his sparkling personality. It also helped that he was a born-and-raised Marionite — he knows the people.
David came with the understanding that this was probably just a "stop" along the way for him. We understood that. We felt fortunate to have him for a week, a month, or however long he decided to stay.
All too soon, the time is up, and David is moving on. He'll be moving to the West Coast to take a job in a field in which he is well-qualified.
We'll miss him. We understand the reasons for his decision to take another job and wish him well.
However, life takes a funny turn now and then and it just goes to show that all clouds have silver linings.
At the same time we were hearing about David's departure, we got a call from Mike Norris, asking about some free-lance work. The gods evidently smiled upon us and the planets lined up just right, so we'll be welcoming a familiar face back to the Hoch Publishing family.
Beginning next week, Mike Norris returns to take over the reigns of the sports pages.
After a brief career move to the outer edges of Wichita, Mike has determined that Marion is a good place to raise his family. He's eager to get back to writing and covering sports, and we're glad to have him.
I guess it just goes to show that things DO happen for a reason.
— DONNA BERNHARDT
