New Horizons

While Evergreen Newspaper journalists Bonnie Benjamin-Skopinski and Nancy Hull cheerfully prepare for exciting new careers, their friends and colleagues gird themselves for the dismal prospect of empty desks and comrades truly missed.

“I think what I’ll miss most about Bunny is her excellent writing posture,” said Chris Ferguson, his voice husky with emotion. “There’s going to be a lot of young cub reporters coming through here who’ll never have the chance to see her sit…sit there…typing so…vertically.” Overwhelmed by his feelings, Ferguson buried his face in his hands and wept.

A silver lining

“I haven’t been here as long as some, but I feel like Nancy was – in a real way – my rock, my sensei,” said Jeffco reporter Heath Urie, wiping tears on his sleeve and digging through Nancy’s desk at the Columbine office looking for useful office supplies. “Does her chair look more comfortable than mine? I think it looks more comfortable than mine.”

“It’ll be a bummer without Bonnie,” said Nick King, photo editor for Evergreen Newspapers. “I’ve gotten so used to sharing hip-hop downloads with her, and Bonnie’s turned me on to some very fly rap artists. Often, we’d sing along together in the office, jiving to the jungle beat and driving Brian crazy. I guess those happy times are gone for good, now.”

“As a reporter, as a coworker, and as a friend of the earth, Nancy has many strengths,” said Clear Creek Courant editor Meghan Murphy, lounging slothfully in her Idaho Springs office. “If I had to pick her best feature, it would be her almost total biodegradability. From top to bottom, Nancy’s organic. I wish more people shared her commitment to the environment.”

“Bonnie’s more than a great reporter,” explained news editor Noelle Leavitt, softly petting the cheap formica desktop where so many of Bonnie’s powerful stories were created. “She was like a 24-hour-a-day podcast that never needed refreshing. I’ll always be grateful to her for introducing me to the world of Internet journalism.”

Cherished memories

“I guess what I admire most about Bonnie is how she used to travel through the woods wearing that striking leather mini-skirt, stopping at every village she came to and fighting for the common people against robbers and corrupt officials.” As she spoke, High Timber Times reporter Pamela Lawson paged through one of nearly a dozen tear-stained photo-albums she’s compiled showing Bonnie in every aspect – at work, shopping for groceries, in her hockey uniform, walking her dogs – pictures that Pamela spent three years surreptitiously gathering and that are all she has now by which to remember her colleague. 

A memento

“I think I speak for everyone in the Columbine office when I say that Nancy was a very neat dresser, but if Heath thinks he’s getting her chair, he’s dreaming,” sobbed sports editor Dan Johnson, attaching initialed sticky notes to everything from plastic filers to Nancy’s Tri-Delt photograph. “Does she have a stapler? Because I could use a new stapler.”