I have, as they say, some personal news. At the end of December, I’m going to retire from the Miami Herald, my journalism home for my 42-year career in news.
As I told the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald staff earlier today; I turn 65 next month. The last couple of years — with seven eye surgeries and lingering vision problems — have been trying.
Last year, when Mindy Marques left the Herald, I told company leadership I didn’t see myself staying here more than a year or two.
It’s been an amazing journey. As best I can tell, I’ve been managing editor here as long as anyone in the Herald’s history — 12 years.
As a reporter, I covered government and politics, the construction of Metrorail, the election of Miami’s first Cuban-born mayor — and last night his son was re-elected as mayor.
As an editor, I helped lead the reporting teams that won the IRE Gold Medal for investigative reporting and the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service after Hurricane Andrew, among many other honors.
I’ve slept on the floor at Herald offices during more hurricanes than I care to count, and during one — Andrew — I spent the night at One Herald Plaza while my house was destroyed.
I’ve worked as hard as I could — and harder than many will ever know — to fight for my newsroom and for the kind of quality journalism that makes all of us proud to work at the Miami Herald.
I know that Monica Richardson is dedicated to that same mission and the values that have made this newsroom such a powerhouse as we’ve dealt with the challenges confronting local journalism over the last two decades.
When I interview job candidates — particularly intern candidates — I’m frequently asked what I’m most proud of in my career. And it’s an easy answer for me:
I’m most proud of the people I’ve hired and their growth and remarkable achievements — here at the Miami Herald and wherever else their careers take them. I’m most proud of all of you. And for that I can’t possibly thank you enough
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