Idyllwild Town Crier

Becky
Continued from previous page
Literary friend ...
I hold Becky Clark in the very
highest regard personally and professionally,
Personally, when Mary and I
needed her the most during my dear
Mary’s recent health concerns, she
provided supportive telephone calls,
created a Town Crier blog to eliminate
the two hundred plus calls we
were receiving every month regarding
Mary’s welfare and provided a place
for all to express their good wishes.
Becky and Jack will always have a
place in my heart.
Professionally, I admire her great
writing skills and her appreciation
and guardianship of the First
Amendment. There is a reason that
the Founding Fathers made it the
FIRST AMENDMENT. Moreover, I
sincerely appreciate her position on
promoting thought and debate within
the community.
Doug Austin
(friend)
News meeting partner ...
I came to know Becky at the weekly
Town Crier meetings
held at Café Aroma.
I have found her to
be a very interesting
person who is insightful,
cautious in
her thinking about
what is relevant and
who has great rapport
with her staff.
Becky has a great
sense of humor and
a deep feeling of
pride in her family.
It has been my
pleasure to make her
acquaintance.
Annamarie Padula
Best friend ...
My friend Becky
is retiring.
I have watched
her work over these
past six years, and
have had the privilege
to be her friend
for most of those
six years. So I want
to contribute a few
words about her
both professionally
and personally.
If I think of the
professional principles Becky holds
herself to I come up with the following:
Truth. Above all Becky endeavors
to report the truth. Many times the
truth is not something people want
to hear. But Becky is an old-school
journalist. She believes it is the role
of the press to inform the people.
That belief is part what keeps a
community and a country protected
from disreputable acts (remember the
alleged home for battered women).
Courage. It takes courage to report
information she knows will cause a
backlash in the community. People
want to believe the agencies that serve
us are honest, well run, and do what
is best for us.
However, this isn’t always the
case. It is courageous to print the
truth when there is strong pressure
to only print ‘good news’ about the
community. Regardless of this pressure,
Becky has the courage not to
back down, but to uphold journalistic
integrity, which leads me to …
Ethics. Along with truth and courage
is a commitment to professional
ethics. Journalists have an ethical
responsibility to research, report and
stand by their words. Becky does all
these things. When there is an error,
she corrects it. When people disagree
Chimney Sweep
Steve Zaccardi
(951) 313-7710
Hill Resident
Quality
Handyman Service
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Last year in the Idyllwild/Pine Cove area
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with her perspective, she prints their
letters in the paper. When people are
not behaving ethically, she points it
out, because that is journalistic integrity
and a commitment to professional
ethics.
On a personal note, I consider
Becky one of the best friends a person
could have. She is compassionate,
intelligent, loyal, open minded and
a great listener. I am so excited my
dear friend will finally have the time
to explore and create a future that is
all hers.
Cyndi Stackpole
(a close friend and management consultant)
Friend and TC staff member
...
I started working for the paper
in February 1998. For me, the Town
Crier was just another job, and Becky
Clark was just another boss. She
seemed stressed out, unsure of herself,
not quite in control. She seemed
to demand ridiculously long hours
of herself as well as the production
and editorial staffs on deadline days.
But other than feeling gratitude to
her for hiring me, I didn’t really give
her much thought.
Shortly after I began working here,
STUMP
GRINDING
Dave Sandlin
(951) 659-3528
LTO #10076
CSLB #903079
* Government Grant Money/Cost Share Programs also apply to any Fire Abatement needs as well as hazardous trees.
Idyllwild Town Crier, November 12, 2009 - Page 11
Sir Ray Tindle, the new owner of the
Town Crier, flew over from England
for a visit. At a staff dinner, he expressed
high praise for Becky’s hard
work, and great enthusiasm for her
ability to run the paper. He saw
her potential, and it made me take
a closer look. I hadn’t realized that
she was new to that position and its
weighty responsibilities.
It didn’t take too long for Becky
to find her stride. The high demands
of the position drove her to dig deep
to find the source of strength fired
by her passion to attain journalistic
excellence and by her commitment
to serve our community.
Over the years, the challenges of
her role as publisher of our newspaper
have helped to shape her into the
remarkable person she has become.
By extension, the qualities that the job
has brought out in her have helped
to shape the Town Crier into a respected,
award-winning publication.
I have observed how this evolution
of both the woman and the newspaper
she has headed have inspired
others under her direction to discover
their own passion and to strive for
excellence. Not just another boss,
Becky Clark has helped me to find
my own stride.
Juli Burlson
(Town Crier bookkeeper)
Idyllwild
Pharmacy
Serving Our Community Since 1977
Welcome
Back Calpers
Members.
Idyllwild
Pharmacy finally
has a contract
with Calpers.
Thank you for
your patience
and proactive
help.
—Barry, Linda
& the entire
pharmacy staff.