Not to bore you with the understatement of the century (literally), but it’s a privilege to be a Postie.
It’s been a fun year celebrating our centennial, one that kicked off this spring when about 200 former Post employees gathered in Athens to celebrate. Now, for those of you who don’t know, we do hold a similar event annually for Posties looking to reminisce; but with the help of former Post editors Brittany Kress and Wesley Lowery (along with countless others), this one had a special energy to it.
Posties would continue to gather through the autumn months in Columbus, New York City and most recently our nation’s capital. I had the pleasure of joining the folks in Columbus, and from what I hear, the other get-togethers were well-attended.
That energy culminated yesterday, however, when I caught news out of the Washington, D.C. reunion that Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) had entered a commemoration of The Post’s 100-year anniversary into the Congressional Record (a collection of proceedings and debates from the 112th Congress’ second session).
No matter how you skin it, that’s significantly cool.
Addressed to “Mr. President,” the commemoration reads: “It is no secret that a free press is critical to strengthening and preserving our democracy. For 100 years, students at Ohio University have celebrated their First Amendment rights by creating a newspaper that informs … Athens County about vital news on campus, around Ohio, and throughout the world.”
It feels wrong for me to even be writing to acknowledge this honor, as it was earned by 99 years’ worth of extremely bright and talented writers and journalists before this year’s staff and myself — not to sell any current Posties short.
They’re great.
Except for Jim Ryan. That guy stinks.
Just kidding. He smells great.
Anyhow, on behalf of the staff, I’d like to thank every alumnus who came to this year’s set of reunions. I’d like to thank every editor, every reporter, every designer, every photographer and every copy editor who ever spent a late night putting this thing together back to the days of The Green and White. Also, naturally, thank you, Sen. Brown.
And to the four of you actually reading this column in print, thanks for making this a truly special place to grow in knowledge, wisdom and love here at Ohio University.
Pat Holmes is the editor-in-chief of The Post. Email him at ph835608@ohiou.edu.
