Last night, Latrobe Bulletin staff, writers and guests met at Gino Gianilli’s in Latrobe to celebrate the career of news editor Marie McCandless, who is retiring after 29 years with the daily newspaper. Dave and I were happy that we could be there at the party.
During her 29 years with the Latrobe Bulletin, Marie has worked as a proofreader, staff writer, editor and, finally, news editor. Along with writing her own stories for the paper (including her experience flying in a biplane over Latrobe!) and editing others’ pieces, Marie edited my feature stories and summaries of the various meetings I cover in Ligonier. I can’t remember exactly when Marie and I started corresponding, but sometime during my ten years of writing for the Latrobe Bulletin, we started exchanging strings of emails.
Because I’m a stringer, I don’t work full-time at the Latrobe Bulletin office, so it really has been nice to maintain a personal connection there over the years. Marie has given me vacation suggestions and shared stories of her family (including her dog, Red) and her travels. We also shared our thoughts and feelings on our experiences with cancer, as the disease has touched both of our lives. Marie is very active with the American Cancer Society and participates in Latrobe’s Relay for Life every year with the M&M Melanoma Warriors.
I’d just like to say, thank you, Marie, for editing my stories and sharing your own stories and words of wisdom with me over the years. Thank you for the words of encouragement when I struggled to deal with the cancer that affected my family. Thank you for your support of my book and for cheering me on during my first book talk. Good luck and happy retirement! I’m glad you no longer have to listen to those 4:00a.m. alarms. Enjoy your time and make the most of it in whatever way makes you happy!
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