Many times during my
tenure as editor of OITM peo-
ple have told me I have a
thankless job. I always tell
them I have not found this to be
true at all.

While I am constantly aware
that most people do not realize
how much work goes into the
paper by so many people for
little or no financial remunera-
tion, thanks is something I
have not found in short supply.
In fact, what I will treasure
most from my time at OITM is
the heartfelt gratitude I’ve
heard from so many of its read-
ers.

A man who lives in a tiny
town on the Canadian border

part of the small group of peo-
ple who had gathered in some-
one’s living room in 1986,
Exacto knives in hand, to piece
together the first issue of our
community’s newspaper. He
went on to say that he was very
proud of what the paper had
become, and he included a gen-
erous donation in honor of
OIT M 3 birthday. To have
someone who helped to con-
ceive the paper tell me that we
were fulfilling his dreams for it
was momentous. I’ve kept that
letter on the bulletin board in
the office ever since. It is a
constant reminder of what this
paper really is—~both a product
of and vital tool for our com-

0/T/1/l lives on because you need it to; you
breathe life into it month after month.

told me with tears in his eyes
that receipt of the paper each
month was often his only link
to the GLBT community—the

only sign he had that he was’

not alone. A teenager from a
less-than-liberal community
wrote to say that OITM had
given her the resources and
information she needed as she
struggled to come out to her
family and friends. Our legisla-
tive leaders told me repeatedly
that OITM is a constant and
important reminder to lawmak-
ers that we are hereand paying

attention to what is happening"

in Montpelier. Mainstream
journalists turn to OITM as a
window to our community and
are often forthcoming in their

appreciation of the information

it provides.

It always seemed that just as
I reached the end of my energy,
something new would pop up
to tell me how important our
work was to so many people.
Perhaps the most gratifying of
all the messages I got came just
after OITM celebrated its 13th
birthday. Orie morning in a
stack of mail, I found a short
letter addressed to me. Its
author told me that he had been

munity.

OITM has grown and
matured with us, and with your
continued support, the sky is
the limit. I’m very proud to
have led the paper through its
early adolescence, but I owe
my success to everyone who
came before me. Each editor
has guided the paper through
another stage in its develop-
ment, building on what was
done before him or her. That’s
exactly as it should be.

Please, please continue to
support Mountain - Pride
Media’s work. Subscribe, vol-
unteer, donate money——it’s all
critical to the continued suc-
cess of a publication we would
all be much poorer without.

My first editorial, 26 issues
ago, came outisounding an
awful lot like an acceptance
speech at the Oscars with all
the people I had to thank, and
here I go again...

The board of Mountain
Pride Media is an extraordi-
nary group. Each of them holds
down a full-time job some-
where that actually pays them,
and then gives often equal
amounts of time to this organi-
zation for free. They raise

money, make budgets, stuff
envelopes, deliver papers, and
so much more. I only wish that
all of the very important orga-
nizations that serve our com-
munity were fortunate enough
to have such an amazing group
of people to support their work.
Thank you to all who have
served on the board while I’ve
been editor. I’ll always be
grateful for the faith you had in
me.
The staff of Out in the
Mountains is an ever-changing
and always hard-working
group. Thank you for humor-
ing me and cooperating so
beautifully on my sometimes
far-fetched ideas. We put out a

product every month that

could hold its own in most

ways against publications with

larger staffs that get paid. The

fact that all of you do what

you do each month istestimo-

ny to the necessity of the

paper. OITM lives on because

you need it to; you breathe life

into it month after month.

I’ve carefully avoided nam- I

ing names here, because I will
certainly leave out someone, if
I start to get specific. However,
there are two that must be
named. My preternaturally
patient life partner, Tina
Giangrande, has served the
paper directly as copy editor
extraordinaire and associate
editor. Perhaps more signifi-
cant has been her personal sup-
port of me in matters financial,
emotional, and creative. For
many reasons, I simply could-
n’t have done this job without
her. I

Then there is my daughter,
Courtney; though slightly less
patient, she was the innocent
victim of the schedule we kept
during production and time we
spent away from home cover-
ing events. Not that she really
had any choice in the matter of
my employment, but she could
have made life much more dif-
ficult for me. Thanks, Court,
for putting up with the crazy
life we’ve led.

I’m indebted to all of you

January 2001 | Out in the Mountains |9

I’m So Glad We've Had This Time Together

who have helped make the "

past two and half years excit-
ing, fruitful, productive, and
fun. You are the best!

I genuinely look forward to
watching the paper grow and
mature further under the
guidance of Jason Whipple,

who, I’m sure, can count on '

the same level of support
from the community that I
received. He’s got all the
drive and passion necessary
to do the job well. Please wel-
come and assist him as you
did me.

—BGD V

 

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