The morning was a tad on the frustrating side. The breakfast ran long. We were slowed by construction traffic on the way back to the office. It meant we'd have to rush through the writing and editing to make our slot on Newswatch 16 @ Noon. God smiled on me and guided my fingers. I got the writing done in record time, and in spite of a rush job, I thought it came out okay. Bonnie volunteered to work extra late, a 13 hour day in all, to do the editing, rather than give it to someone else. It really made a difference. The person who shot the piece is always the first choice to do the editing.
Here's why I enjoyed the morning so much. It was time to see some old friends, including retired Citizens Voice photographer Jack Kelly. Jack is always one of those guys who always looked a lot younger than his age, and he was one of the exceptionally kind ones when I was stumbling my way through my early days as a radio street reporter. Jack still looks tremendous and appears way too young to be retired.
Cholly Hayes was there. Cholly, too, is retired. The former WBRE photographer is a legend. I don't think there's any one who knows the Wyoming Valley better.
Former State Senator Charles Lemmond was among the honorees. The long time public servant looked great.
Having laid the foundation, here's where I got into a little embarrassing trouble. Did you ever meet someone and say to yourself, "Okay, that person looks familiar, but I can't remember the name." ? It happened to me not once, but twice Tuesday morning. Luckily, the individuals involved sensed my confusion, re-introduced themselves, and forgave me.
The first was Herb Woodeshick. Herb was the "go to" guy at PP&L (yes, there was an "&" back then) when it came to nuclear power issues. Herb was there any time you had a question on the Berwick plant in particular and nuclear power in general. He never ducked you. You always got an answer, and it was phrased in a way you could understand. He was the broadcasters' best friend.
The other was Bob Zampetti. If it's happening in the Back Mountain and Tunkhannock, Bobby Z knows about it. The man has a long career in broadcasting, photography, public relations, and education. His radio shows, featuring polkas, were extremely popular. Most of our communication in recent years has been thorough e-mail, rather than in person. Hence, my failure to place the face.
In spite of my gaffes, I'm glad I was there, and thanks to my co-worker Bonnie for going the extra mile to make sure you saw what happened.
