One of the most important keys...

My older sister, Sharon Garey, taught school in Ulysses for almost three decades.

In a chance conversation one day in 2022, I expressed to her how I was really in need of something to do. My husband, Michael, had passed away in 2020 of cancer. The grieving process had taken its toll on me and I needed to "keep busy" as it were.

Sharon knew I had worked in the world of media and marketing most of my life, so she told me about a job opening - with The Ulysses News.I thought about it a little while  and decided it might be time to come out of retirement.

I spoke with then Publisher Sarah Loewen about the job. Sarah asked me if I thought I could work for someone younger than me, and my response was quick - my dad had always told me when we quit learning, we are most likely no longer living. She, in turn, said she felt there were things she could learn from me. It was, in my mind, a win-win situation.

Since that time a lot of changes have come to pass. Employees have come and gone - each leaving behind a lesson or two of their own.  One of those employees was Josephine Jellison. Josephine and I met by chance one day in Bear Creek Coffee when she overheard me say the paper was in need of  an employee. She approached me and said she was interested and asked how to apply.

Josephine was soon hired as a part time reporter, but she was much more than that. I say was, because her last day was Monday. Josephine was the kind of employee every employer wishes they could find. She was dedicated, a hard worker, and not afraid to help wherever she was needed - a true blessing. She is a kind hearted lady who quickly became a valued part of The Ulysses News family. We wish her well in her future endeavors and will miss her greatly.

Tyler Hook is another "chance" encounter that continues to be a blessing for this newspaper. I was introduced to Tyler through Ginger Anthony at the Historic Adobe Museum. He started out submitting history articles for us to publish he had researched.

Today, he is a contributing reporter doing a job not for the pay, but because of his love of writing. He reminds me a great deal of myself when I was younger. I would turn in five to six stories a day at a daily publication. Tyler only has to hear of something interesting and before you know it, he has pen (actually his laptop) in hand and he is letting the words flow like a fountain.

Tyler is a great asset to The Ulysses News and proves it as he works around several other jobs - another thing we have in common, as I have worked multiple jobs most of my life.

Shawn Yorks worked here for awhile before his health challenges steered him in a new direction. Shawn and I have worked together in news media. He is an excellent photographer and writer (even though he himself isn't as confident in his writing abilities as he should be). Shawn, like Tyler, never had to be told what needed to be reported on - they just knew.

Jamie White is another who I have worked with at other media locations. Unfortunately, we weren't able to keep her long as she had other obligations pulling her in other directions. Jamie will always be like one of my "adopted" kids.

My daughter, Amanda Wallace-Murphy came to work here almost three years ago. She came partly because she was worried her mother was going to have a stroke or heart attack and partly because she was looking for something that understood she was a parent first.

Amanda was not initially hired by me. I merely suggested her when asked if I knew someone who could do bookkeeping. I told them there was my daughter, but she was my daughter after all so I wasn't sure how all that would work out. After talking with her, they hired her and she became a valued part of the team.

I say that not just because she was my daughter, but because as a supervisor I saw the value she brought. She was hard working, talented, dedicated and not afraid of a challenge. She kept things going in a lot of ways.

It didn't take long for me to realize just how talented she was. She proved she was very good at graphic design, and with writing. As her media mother - it gave me great pride to see what she could accomplish.

I say was and could because Amanda passed away suddenly in February. Her passing has left a great hole behind, not just as her mother, but as her supervisor. She was an important part of not only my "blood" family, but also of my work  "family".

I'm glad to have had the time to get to know my daughter on a "professional" level as well as from a mother's viewpoint. Too many times as employers I think there is not enough emphasis put on the "glue" that makes it all work. Amanda understood the numbers part of the business and why it was important. However, she was also a big part of the "family" part of The Ulysses News - the glue which was invaluable to keep us going even when it was getting tough to go on .

Money has to be made for a business to be successful; however, one of the important keys to that success is the people behind the numbers. The ones who truly care about their work and who don't just look at it as just another job.

I am thankful for Amanda, Josephine, Tyler, Sarah, Jamie, Shawn and all the others who made this "family" what it is, and who realized it's not just about money, it's about the team.