It is with some melancholy that I just read Chris Flood’s Jan. 3 article about Dennis Forney and Trish Vernon’s retiring from the helm of the Cape Gazette. But I also send my sincere gratitude to these wonderful people whom I regard as true public servants. I know that they have journalists’ ink in their blood, and I always found the reporting of the paper to be courageous and true. I also was delighted to see, in the electronic version of the article, a photo taken by the paper of some of the cross-training work which Woody Marderwald and I, along with Todd Fritchman of the Dewey Beach Patrol, and Bob McMahon and Jeff Evans of the Delaware State Police Aviation Section, got going in the early 2000s. Those efforts included flying in U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona from Washington, D.C., to participate in the training. He said it was his best day in office. The efforts have continued to pay off to the present time.
Dennis Forney and Trish Vernon, along with the rest of the staff of the Cape Gazette, were always supportive of our efforts in public service, and they supported many other such efforts as well. The public doesn’t realize how hard running a newspaper is.
Truly “free” papers depend on advertising revenue to continue their vital work, and obtaining that revenue gets tougher every year as other means of news (or what passes as news) clog up peoples’ minds and attention.
It’s impossible to say enough thanks to Dennis and Trish for their loyal support of the community, but I still say “thank you!” anyway. Also for having the most beautiful office building I have ever seen – both inside and out – with a true rural feel! I hope that that imagination serves as inspiration for other new structures in the area.
Fair winds and following seas, my friends. The Cape area, the state and the world are a whole lot better for your being here.
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