A FOND FAREWELLTO HUGH COYLE

(leading him to refer to himself as a

__ra._

JANET K. BROWN, M.A., C.A.C.
Licensed Psychologist
Certified Alcohol Counselor

Milton, VT
(802) 893-4816

ACOA * IDENTITY ISSUES * TRAUMA AND LOSS * DEPRESSION

Individuals Couples Families

 

by Sage Russell

Few readers of Out in the Mountains re-
alize how much of the success of the
paper since its rebirth in February, 1990
is due to work of one person, Hugh
Coyle, editor from then until last month's
issue. It is quite possible that the paper
would not have survived the year with-
out him. Out in the Mountains is much
stronger now than it was a year ago, and
we feel confident at this point that we
can continue in his absence. Nev-
ertheless, it has taken at least four people
to replace him.

Hugh has been deeply committed to
01TM’s mission, and has put endless
amounts of his time, talents, and im-
pressive capacity for hard work into the
paper, working, like everyone on the
staff, as a volunteer. Many of the chang-
es readers have noticed over the past
year are the result of his leadership:
among them, the current 24 page format

JEAN TOWNSEND, M.A.
Certified Mental Health Counselor

2 Church Street
Burlington, VT
(802) 863-8162

"size queen"), the focus on Vermont
news, and the paper's own "coming out,"
with the increased use of signed articles
and a masthead.

His behind-the-scenes contributions
have been no less important. In addition
to his editorial skills, Hugh is a talented
writer, with an insistence on quality and
more than a touch of perfectionism. He
did most of the copy editing and, when
necessary, worked with contributors to
improve their writing. When promised
articles came in late, or sometimes not at
all, he wrote copy to fill the gaps. Many
of the unsigned articles and cover stories
this past year were his. On at least one
occasion, he raided.his journal for ma-
terial. Last November, when the situa-
tion looked especially dire, he threatened
to fill the entire issue with hand turkeys
(outlines of his hand).

Hugh laid the paper out in marathon
weekend sessions at his home in Ripton,
assisted principally by Mocha, the won-
der dog, featured on the front page of the
May issue. When the layout fell on a
holiday weekend, as it often did, Hugh
gave up his holiday. His patience and
good humor could wear thin on these oc-
casions, but were usually restored by the
time he picked the paper up from the
printer.

Hugh is definitely not all work and no
play. He felt strongly that working on
OITM should be fun. The paper is
mailed out once a month on a Saturday
morning, and an editorial meeting fol-
lows in the afternoon. It is not clear how
the practice of ending the day with an
obligatory visit to Ben and Jerry's start-
ed; what is certain is that Hugh was
deeply involved in the decision. He was
a prime mover behind two staff parties
that were held during the year, as well as
the 5th anniversary celebration at Pearls
in February.

As of September, Hugh will no longer be
out in the Green Mountains; he will be
out in Big Sky country instead, as a
graduate student in English at the Uni-
versity of Montana. There is a lingering
suspicion among the staff that the real
reason he is leaving is because OITM
burned him out. That may not be the
case, though. Recently, he was heard to
mention that there is no gay/lesbian
newspaper in Montana...yet. V