It's Time to Pass the Torch
I hope that I have followed the “Hippocratic Oath” and have done no harm to the Bulletin during my tenure as Editor and maybe actually added a little something! This is my twentieth and final column, and now my countdown is over. Over these past two years I have had the opportunity to share my thoughts with you on three things of importance to me – volunteerism, continuous learning, and mentoring. Each of these items were discussed several times and will remain an important part of my professional life. I hope that they will be part of yours as well. Remember that they are important components of our technical development and we all should continue to develop and advance professionally no matter how many years it has been since we were awarded our degree.
These past two years have been a true learning experience for me. I really didn’t know what to expect when I stepped into the job. I have been a reviewer and a member of the editorial board for several different journals. In those roles I was largely asked to comment on technical issues. Deadlines were present but were generally soft. A note to the editor was usually enough for an extension. As the Bulletin’s editor, my role was much more as publisher. Content was important, but so were a broad range of items such as the number of pages, the placement of advertising, consistent style and format, and the selection of the cover art. I learned what a “pulled quote” is, and that part of my job was their selection, as well as the creation of titles for many of the contributions received. It wasn’t always easy selecting that impactful phase or sentence or creating that catchy title. It also became very clear what the definition of a hard deadline was. Missing delivery to the printer could mean late arrival to your mailbox, which would be unacceptable. I learned when I took office that the job description and responsibilities of the Editor were limited, but well defined, with one, true, sole function ensuring timely delivery of the Bulletin.
The importance of a good team became very clear because the Bulletin is much more than the product of a single individual. There were a number of people that provided support throughout my tenure. As always, I will share in the success of my team, but take full responsibility for the hiccups that we had over the past two years. In addition to the President and myself, there have been a number of regular monthly contributors. These include Winona LaBrant- Smith, Henry Wise and Arlin Howes. They kept us informed of HPAC activities and government actions that impact our industry. There were also those that funneled monthly contributions to me for each of the HGS meetings – Amy Sullivan, Matthew Cowan, Justin Vandenbrink, Steve Getz, Jory Pacht, Dan Bendig, and David Tonner. These individuals kept the wheels on track and provided the forward motion needed. Our many contributors, too many to mention, provided the content, and provided the primary purpose for the Bulletin to exist.
And, finally there was the” behind the scenes” team. Sandra Babcock and Gabriela Henriquez, our HGS office staff, provided assistance with handling that all important advertising and making sure that the lines of communication were open. Although, as Editor you hope that every member reads each issue from cover to cover, I know that is not the case. But there are a handful of individuals that do. James Ragsdale and Charles Reville have provided editorial comments on all contributions received. Their editorial comments have helped to provide technical clarity and a consistent style. Then there is Ron Waszczak, your Editor-Elect. As part of the annual transition from Editor-Elect to Editor, Ron has been responsible for the review of the “final” copy of the Bulletin before going to press. He provided a much needed, fresh pair of eyes. Typically after reviewing several draft versions of the Bulletin, I am either seeing things that aren’t there or missing things that are. There is one more member of the team that reads the Bulletin cover to cover, after the fact. Fang Lin, has the role of compiling the annual index. The construction of the index is no small task. Look for this feature in the September issue of the Bulletin.
The team also included Lisa Krueger. Her job is to assemble all of the bits and pieces of content that I provide into a product that the HGS membership can be proud of. More on Lisa later in this issue. She will be receiving the Editor’s Award this month.
There is yet one other individual that needs to be thanked; my wife of 34 years, Terry. There are more reasons than I can count that I am thankful to her for, but at this time I will focus on those related to the Bulletin. Probably first and foremost is her willingness to let me invest my time to carry out my duties as Editor. She gave up many a weekend activity so that I could complete an issue on time and was understanding about my Friday editorial meetings at the HGS office. She was also there to discuss my thoughts about each column before I took pen to paper and then critiqued each column. She ensured that my thoughts were clear, and possibly of greater importance, that my tone was correct. There were a few columns over the past two years that underwent major rewrite after Terry read them. Paraphrasing Jerry Maguire, she made me and my columns “whole”.
I now pass the torch to the new team – Editor Ron Waszczak and Editor-elect Patricia Santogrossi. I have full confidence that they will continue the tradition of the Bulletin and will bring it to new heights!
And in closing, I once again search for an appropriate quote. This time from Edward R. Murrow.
“Good night, and good luck”