7.02.2010

Alaska: June 30

Vacations are not always razzle dazzle. Sometimes they are doing laundry, playing with the dogs and reading a book. Sometimes they are sleeping in because you stayed up too late fishing. Sometimes they give you time to reflect.

Today was one of those days.

Today also held a touch of sadness as my sister-in-law informed me of some tragic deaths in Kalispell. Two reporters at the local paper, the Daily Inter Lake, were killed in an airplane crash near Glacier National Park. Though I didn’t know them, I had noticed their bylines.

I can only imagine the grief and numbness their family members, friends, and fellow newsmen and newswomen must be feeling. A newspaper depends heavily on the contributions of each and every reporter, designer, editor, ad salesman, receptionist and pressman to keep its corner of the world in-the-know. When two members of the team disappear, the loss is felt deeply, and it is likely intensified under the stress of ceaseless deadlines and picking up the slack.

My sympathies go out to my fellow journalists. Callous though the lot may be, I do believe we feel each loss in our community – be it the war reporter shot in the line of duty or two lively young women who were fresh out of college and just looking for a day of escape from the daily grind. I lift my coffee in their honor.

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