Changes are inevitable in life, and I recently underwent two of the biggest changes in my life to date.

I married the love of my life a few days ago, so living the life of a newlywed will be a huge change. The other big change is that this will be the last time my name appears in the Sunday Dispatch.

The company I’ve called home for the the past four-plus years will be a thing of the past for me as I am about to set off on a new life adventure.

I’ll never forget walking into the Times Leader in the summer of 2011 and meeting with current executive editor Joe Soprano, who was the sports editor at the time. I came on board on to be a sports intern, and a few months later after my internship was over, I was asked to stay on part-time as a sports clerk where I took scores over the phone or email.

Related Video

I did that for two and a half years and then around Christmas of 2013, I was introduced to then-executive editor, the late George Spohr, by previous Sunday Dispatch editor Ed Ackerman, who was also my college professor at LCCC and who introduced me to my wife.

Ed explained to George I had just graduated from Misericordia University, and George told me to send him his resume and we setup an interview.

After meeting with George, it was clear he wanted me in some capacity, but I had to be patient as there were no reporter openings at the time. It was also then he introduced me to Dotty Martin, current editor of the Times Leader community news group which also includes the Abington Journal and Dallas Post.

I continued doing part-time work for the sports department and a little bit for Dotty on the side with the Dallas Post. In the summer of 2014, Dotty and George took a chance on me and brought me to Pittston to be a full-time news reporter for the Sunday Dispatch.

I was quickly reunited with Ed and also introduced to Nick Wagner and Judy Minsavage. Judy was the life of the Dispatch and the friendly face I needed to see sometimes as I struggled to get the grasp of this new job. Nick was the perfect partner in crime and always had my back; he showed great patience with me as I went through the growing pains of starting a new career.

Shortly after I arrived, Ed left and Sarah Hando was brought in to be Dotty’s assistant. Sarah is only a few years older than me, but she was very knowledgeable and crucial in my growth as a reporter. But Sarah also had responsibilities with the Abington Journal and the Dallas Post and couldn’t be in Pittston all the time.

For the next few years, it was Nick, Judy and me running the Dispatch office and being the best team we could be.

We covered everything, took pictures of everything and made sure every inch of Greater Pittston got in the Dispatch in some capacity as it was a 44-page publication back then.

It was a great time.

Over the years, I’ve met some terrific people in Greater Pittston, worked on some very cool stories and slowly, but surely, felt like I was becoming part of this great community.

Change was inevitable, though.

In the fall of 2016, the Dispatch changed as Judy was transferred to be the front-desk clerk in Wilkes-Barre, Sarah was moved to Wilkes-Barre to be the Times Leader business editor and Nick resigned from his position as the sports reporter. Sarah and Judy both resigned from their respective positions a few months later.

I was alone.

Dotty, who had spent the previous year as the Times Leader Managing Editor, was brought back to be in charge of the weeklies. Since then, it’s been she and I against the world.

Only a few weeks after everyone’s departures, we moved into our new office space at 71 N. Main Street in Pittston and Gene Axton, who came over from The Weekender, became my new partner in crime.

Gene was such a smart guy, and we bonded over our love for professional wrestling. He took the bull by the horns with his new gig here in Pittston and thrived.

Unfortunately, our time was short and in the summer of 2017, it was just me running the office

It’s been a tough year as I served as the Sunday Dispatch reporter, page designer, photographer, office manager, and sometimes delivery boy to people who called when they didn’t get their paper.

After a little more than a year on my own, I’ve decided it’s time to say my goodbyes to the Dispatch.

There are plenty of people to thank, starting with Joe Soprano for bringing me into the company back in 2011; Ed Ackerman for introducing me to George Spohr, and for also being there when I first started at the Dispatch to help me get my feet wet; Nick Wagner for always having my back and helping me settle into this gig when I first got to Pittston; Judy Minsavage for always being there when I needed her for anything and for brightening up the office with her infectious smile; Sarah Hando for bestowing so much knowledge and helping me to be a good reporter; Gene Axton for being an awesome guy and a hard worker during the short time we spent together; Paula Hapeman for being an excellent advertising representative and another person I could lean on.

I also want to thank Tony Callaio, who is such a well-known guy in the community and was a huge help during my tenure here at the Dispatch. He was someone I could always go to about information on an assignment or if I was in a bind and needed someone to cover something and bail me out. Tony was my guy.

One of the biggest thank yous has to go to Dotty Martin. For the last two years, she and I weathered many storms together and were always there to help one another if needed. She had my back on a lot of stuff and I did my best to have hers, as well. I’ll never again have another boss like her. She supported me through so much, and I’ll forever be grateful.

Lastly, I want to thank you, the readers of the Sunday Dispatch and everyone in the Greater Pittston area.

Over the years, I’ve gotten to know many of you who have helped make this job fun. There are unfortunately, or perhaps very fortunately, too many to single out. Just know that if we crossed paths at some point — whether it was one time or multiple times — you had a great impact on me.

Goodbye Sunday Dispatch and thank you for a wonderful experience!

Fisher
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_Fisher.jpg.optimal.jpgFisher