-- Senior Goodbyes -- (part 1)
January 30th, 2004
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win
glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take
rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer
much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory
nor defeat.”
— Theodore Roosevelt, 1899
Definitely not your usual college experience, but I
wouldn’t trade it for the world. To all those with whom I
worked: Thank you for making this experience as wonderful as it has
been and giving it your all. To our readers: Without you, it
wouldn’t have been possible.
Louie Meizlish
Editor in Chief
“McCollough, get those TPS reports to me before 5
p.m,” says my boss, who worked his way up the corporate
ladder by kissing the right asses.
I scramble around my cubicle, trying to remember the Statistics
formula that I learned back at the U of M that will help me
complete these very detailed TPS reports. I get the job done in
time, whew (that 30K a year at the ‘U’ really did pay
off)! I leave at 5 p.m., after eight hours of grueling work with a
calculator. My index finger is killing me.
This would be my life — had I not walked into the Daily in
January of my freshman year. The Daily breathed life into me the
minute I walked into the building. I leave with the knowledge I
will be happy with my work for the rest of my life — what job
could be more fun than being a sports writer? I go to games, sit in
the press box, stuff down a hot dog and try to express the emotions
and implications of a game — a game for little boys, as we
all know.
And that’s why sports writing will always make me happy
— the little boy inside me will forever have an avenue to
come out and play.
I leave the Daily after two years of writing football and a year
of running the Sports section not with sadness because this chapter
of my life is over, but with anxiousness about a future
that’s as wide open as the Louisiana cotton fields I came
from.
“McCollough” won’t cut it anymore. It’s
J. Brady, thanks to the Daily.
J. Brady McCollough
Managiing Sports Editor
This is the only place in the world where I’ve ever gotten
away with acting like a responsible adult and a lighthearted child
at the same time. Props go first and foremost to my Creator, for
giving me the strength to bring sunshine back into the building
every single day, even after so many of those never-ending
late-locking nights. Then there’s my family, for refraining
from saying “I told you so” every single time I said
something that deserved such a comment. To my friends and KMB, for
convincing me to do this, and reminding me that “you
can’t fit a square peg into one of those circle
thingies.” To the Daily and my staff, for teaching me how to
distinguish constructive criticism from malicious garbage, and the
success that comes with giving from your heart. The best life
lesson I ever could have learned from working at a daily newspaper
is that life doesn’t stop.
It’s time to move on now, and I look forward to what the
future holds (I see Surah Shams and a lot of yellow!) Good luck,
Team Thugged Out and YAYTEAM!!!!
Shabina Khatri
Managing News Editor
Gollum Todd: If you know me at all, and let’s face it I
know everyone on campus, you know I hate The Daily. Hate, hate,
hate it. I fully supported the Daily Boycott and burned papers
along with my cross. I continuously apologize to my college
roommates for never seeing them and never doing my weekly task from
the Chore Wheel. College was supposed to be an educational
experience, and instead I wasted my time critiquing the very field
I one day want to be a part of The Daily consumed my soul and
snacked on my still-beating heart. Fuck you, Daily. Fuck you.
Smeagol Todd: I never wanted to be a part of The Daily, but
thanks to the weezer.com message board and fellow user Luke Smith,
I took one step in 420 Maynard and could never leave. Partially
because they wouldn’t let me, but mostly because I fell in
love with it. I love the past: Erin, Fogelj, Robin, Lyle, Luke,
Jeff, Andy, Matt, everyone else. And I love the future: Jason,
Alex, Adam, Zach, Jason, Andrew, no one else. The present
wasn’t so bad either…Berkley represent! And for all my
time here, this is all I’ve learned: “For relaxing
times, make it Sontori time.”
That’s that.
Todd Weiser
Managing Arts Editor
My college experience has consisted almost entirely of me
stumbling into exactly the right places at exactly the right times.
I stumbled into the Daily, a wide-eyed freshman, and I’m
about to stumble out for good — a wide-eyed senior.
Words are not enough for this place, this fabulous dilapidated
old building and the people who pass through it.
I am grateful to the Daily for every piece of hatemail, every
irate phone call, every all-nighter, every shouting match, every
headache it brought into my life. These things have made me
stronger.
And for the people I’ve met here, people I’ve been
honored to call my editors and humbled to call my friends
…
Words don’t cut it. Nope. Not even close.
Aubrey Henretty
Editorial Page Editor
“We were killers with the cold eyes of sailor”
— SM
Heght: 5’ 11.’’ Weight: 175. Articles written:
about 90. Deadlines missed: about 73. Personal heroes insulted in
print: 5. Times my mother asked me to stop saying
“shit” and “damn” in articles: 56
Older kids who bought me beer the first night they met me and
gave me history to live up to for the rest of my tenure: Lyle,
Keith, Luke, Jeff and Andy
People I never told that I was in awe of: Todd, Jason, Joel,
Aubrey and Zac (also see above). Hours wasted: 1,026. Star ratings
changed without writers’ knowledge — 201
Friend who waited for a column way too often: Charles and
Rebecca
Free CDs: 91
Kids encouraged to keep shit real: Andrew, Alex, Sean, and
Sravya. People not named but deserving thanks: 12
Girlfriends through all of it: 1
Scott Serilla
Arts Editor
First off, I want to say good luck to everyone on sports staff
that will be here next year or is leaving. I want to thank Courtney
and Kyle for everything this year, and I wish you too the best of
luck in the future. And finally, to J. Brady and Burke, you guys
really made my time here worth it, so thanks for everything.
To my best friends, I want to say thanks. Sahil, good luck next
year, I’ll miss you buddy, but I know we’ll see each
other. To Aaron, we’ll always have NHL 94, and even when
we’re 70, I’ll still own you. To Sumit, thanks for
always being there for me. You’re the man. To Rahul,
you’re my hero. Don’t go too far away, I’m going
to miss you. Good luck with SAAN this weekend you guys!!
To Avani, you’re the greatest, and you’ve made this
year very special for me. Thank you.
And finally, to Sharad and Nathan, good luck next year. And
Nathan and Susan, congrats on your engagement. I love you guys.
Naweed Sikora
Sports Editor
I’m saving my goodbyes for later, so I offer all of you
this advice: Do it because you want to, have fun, be happy, and if
you want to find the meaning of life, call 989-892-5557.
Kyle O’Neill
Sports Editor
Thanks for holding my hair while I chunked off the balcony
Seth Lower
Photo Editor
Who would have imagined that the Daily would turn out to be a
better experience than studying in Rome? (Not that I can actually
vouch for this) Who needs art, real espressos and Italian
boyfriends when you have pages that you put together, fifty-cent
Diet Cokes and Todd, Charles and Scott — you guys are like my
brothers!
Thanks to everyone who made my experience here amazing. I know I
could get really slap-happy and whiny, and I appreciate you all for
putting up with me. I seriously freak out when I think about one
day having different co-workers. To those who helped me understand
what this was all about: you are all appreciated. To my housemates:
we will now get to see each other! To the BHS crew (Jon, Aubs and
Todd — yeah, longest friendship!): may we always dominate the
Daily. Good luck to the new editors. Ciao!
Rebecca Ramsey
Weekend Editor
They’ve kept me locked away in the basement since my
sophomore year, made me eat Magic Wok and forced me to write news
stories. Three years later, not only can I say that I survived, but
that I am also more informed, extremely paranoid and infertile.
Thanks, Daily.
Kylene Kiang
News Editor
As for me, the Daily had a relatively small impact on my life
other than wasting more of my time watching movies. Two years ago,
a nameless friend of mine – we’ll call him T. Weiser,
or Todd W. for short – brought me in because he needed a
writer, so I wrote. Then they let me become an editor because there
was nobody else, so I edited. Now my time is up and they’re
kicking me out, but with my hundreds of hours of free cinema-going,
thousands of dollars worth of free DVDs and a person who thinks
expressing opinions means the castration of editorial freedom, I
fade away satisfied. So thank you Todd, Scott, Chuck, Becks, Jeff,
Luke, Katie, Joel, other people and, most of all, myself. Peace, we
out!
Ryan Lewis
Film Editor
I showed up at the Daily as a freshman because I promised
someone I’d check it out. I wasn’t sure I’d stick
around, and I had no idea that three-and-a-half years later,
I’d be able to say I went to a Rose Bowl and a Frozen Four
and I chatted with legends.
But the games and the stadiums will fade. It’s the
remarkable people that will stay with me. I’m grateful to
everyone who has pushed me to be better. To my seniors, it’s
impossible to sum up everything Daily Sports means to me, but
what’s important is that you’re my guys and
you’ve made this unforgettable.
Courtney Lewis
Sports Editor
To the left wing of the Michigan Daily — I bid you
farewell, you real people of valor — you who gave the finger
to the Man, you who wrote for good — not to see yourself in
print or to have a pulpit, not as a pundit or as an impartial
cynical outsider. This is a thank you to those who wrote with
purpose, who believed in justice and someday will win. So thank you
to Mike Grass and Nick Woomer and Dave Enders and John Honkala and
Rob Goodspeed and Ari Paul. You, and the few others I’ve
missed, are where the true spirit of the Daily should forever
reside. If our paper once again wants a place in history as part of
a greater debate, it is your spirit we must channel. To those of
you, old and new, who see the Michigan Daily not just as a
newspaper but as a force for positive change, I salute you and beg
acceptance to your club.
Jess Piskor
Editorial Page Associate Editor
Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Sat, 26 May 2012 19:09:40 -0400