By Gary Dickson —
I have been writing Press On for nearly 23 years. For anyone who hasn”t experienced writing a weekly newspaper column, it can be a joy, a pain in the neck, emotional and rewarding, all in the same week. It has often been the most enjoyable part of a work week for me, except for when I could not come up with a topic and I was pushing the deadline. Well, this may be the last Press On I ever write. I say may be, because once before I thought I had written the last one and I came back for another nearly four-year gig.
As I write this, I am working through my last day as publisher of the Lake County Record-Bee. My dad is suffering from terminal cancer and I am heading back to Wichita, Kan. to be there with him and for him. He is 85 and all alone.
As for Press On, I know that I have some regular readers. There are some fans and there are some people who complain that I write too much “fluff.” Twenty-three years ago when my wife helped me come up with the title of my column my plan was to try and write about topics in which I had observed something that I thought was interesting to me and attempt to present it in a way that newspaper readers might get something of value out of it. I always meant Press On to have a double meaning; turn the press on at the newspaper and press on as individuals and as a community. I have never counted all my columns, but I”m sure I”ve written 1,000 or more during the past 23 years.
I have mostly enjoyed my experience here in Lake County. I remember getting to know people very quickly. My first week on the job was the week of the annual Home & Garden Expo, sponsored by the newspaper. I immediately started shaking hands and meeting readers of the newspaper. I listened to those who wanted to complain and to those who have read and loved the paper most of their life. I tried to use what I heard and make subtle improvements to the paper so that there would be fewer complaints and more praise. While no newspaper is ever perfect, I do believe that the Record-Bee did improve.
Some of the highlights of being part of the Lake County community have been my participation in the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and the Lakeport Rotary Club. They are both fine organizations that contribute much toward making Lakeport and Lake County a better place to live. President Ruth Darling is leading the Rotary Club through another successful year and Melissa Fulton and the Lake County Chamber are involved in more community events than any other chamber of commerce I have been associated with.
It has been rewarding to work with the many dedicated employees of Lake County Publishing, which not only includes the Record-Bee, but also the Clear Lake Observer-American, Willits News and the Penny Slaver. The last four years have not been among the best, economically, for Lake County, but our employees have pulled together to create excellent products that have provided Lake and Mendocino County residents with important news and advertising information to help them survive the difficult times.
I don”t know exactly what my future will be. I don”t plan to return to the newspaper business. I have loved it all my life, but it is time to try something else.
Perhaps I”ll write a book about my experiences. As for where that might be in the future; it could be right here in Lake County. This truly is a good place to live.
Gary Dickson is the publisher of the Record-Bee. Call him at 263-5636, ext. 24. Email him at gdickson@record-bee.com.
