Dear Lord, how time has flown! As I age and approach the golden age of 78 in September 2011, I find that the time that went so slowly back during my school years has changed dramatically. Now the days, weeks, months and years are flying by at a rate that brings eternity ever closer. The above graphic is an enhanced copy of my very first professional freelance column. Thanks to my friend Wayne Davis, I was placed on the road to freelance journalism. What a journey it has been! In all those 30 years of writing a weekly column, I only missed one weekly deadline and that was due to emergency gall bladder surgery. My stint with the Messenger ended in the early 1990's when the paper ceased publication. At that point, the Princeton Packet's "Hamilton Observer" took me to continue the column and at the same time I was writing a weekly column for the Trenton Times under the byline, "A Look Back." After only a year or so, I left the Times when the editor at that time, Ms. Singer said she asked me what the purpose of my column was. If she didn't understand the public love of things nostalgic, I wasn't about to continue the column. In 2001 Mr. Brian Malone gave me the bi-weekly column I write to this day, "Sentimental Journey." All the freelance articles I have written over these 30 year started out as a personal journal recalling life as I had lived it. It was to have been something that I could leave to my children and grandchildren after I went gone to my reward. Were it not for the aforementioned Wayne Davis, those hundreds of columns would have been in a stack of 8-1/ x 11 journal pages somewhere in the Glover bureau drawer. To all of you folks out there who are interested in writing about your past open that word processor and get going! Start your own personal journal to leave to your children and grandchildren. How often I wished that my mother had logged all the many years she was with us. You will find that once you start shaking the "memory tree" in your brain, you will begin to recall with amazement the most miniscule memories of persons, places and things from your past.
Mack said...
Mack said...- You are a local treasure Tom. Thanks for sharing your memories and observations with us all:)
- Sally Logan Gilman said...
- I second that, Tom. You are a true treasure. You're right. I can think of so many questions I should have asked my grandmother, Emilie Gibney Hutchinson but I was so busy with my life that I never did it. To some extent, I did the same with my mother, Sarah Hutchinson Logan. But, bless her heart, she wrote down a lot of the Hutchinson history so I have that. Happy September Birthday. My husband George turns 78 on Sept. 11. Regards Tom
- Omad said...
- I sure agree that you are a real "gem". For over 40 years I put Trenton out of my mind, due to some bad memories. Looking at all the positive and great memories you bring to us all, I make sure I check in with your site every day. Thanx for constantly reminding me of all the good things about Trenton/Hamilton.
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You are a local treasure Tom. Thanks for sharing your memories and observations with us all:)
ReplyDeleteI second that, Tom. You are a true treasuer. You're right. I can think of so many questions I should have asked my grandmother, Emilie Gibney Hutchinson but I was so busy with my life that I never did it. To s0me extent, I did the same with my mother, Sarah Hutchinson Logan. But, bless her heart, she wrote down a lot of the Hutchinson history so I have that. Happy September Birthday. My husband George turns 78 on Sept. 11. Regards
ReplyDeleteI sure agree that you are a real "gem". For over 40 years I put Trenton out of my mind, due to some bad memories. Looking at all the positive and great memories you bring to us all, I make sure I check in with your site every day. Thanx for constantly reminding me of all the good things about Trenton/Hamilton.
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