Kirsten Laskey: Managing Editor

Looking back on it, a lot of managing editors, all of them women, really shaped me as a journalist. Pat Windolf was the first managing editor who left a lasting impresssion on me. She was magnificent. A native to Chicago, Pat moved to Nathrop, Colorado and worked for Salida, Colorado's Mountain Mail for reasons I'll never know. Pat smoked, had a sarcastic sense of humor but was also one of the warmest, most generous people I've known. The second managing editor who made a big impression on me was Kelly Dolejsi, a managing editor of the Los Alamos Monitor. Kelly possesses the patience and grace of saints. Also, when I first met her I thought she was the coolest looking woman I ever met. Kelly is the only person I know who could pull off wearing a skirt over pants or have a tattoo of a pear. Plus, she was good natured enough to make jokes at my glaring mistakes. Kelly would leave friendly notes such as doodles of comma splice monsters whenever I committed the grammar crime in one of my stories. I still have a memento on my bulletin board. The third and final one is my current boss, Carol Clark. Carol was also a mangaging editor at the Monitor before she switched to a new role: publisher of the Los Alamos Daily Post. I can't say enough about Carol. She is a friend, a role model, a good-humored, good-soul person. I never thought I would be managing editor of anything. I never considered myself skilled enough or savvy enough or cool enough to be fitting of the title. I'm no Pat, Kelly or Carol. But Carol took a chance and gave me the title anyway. My heart could bust thinking about it. It was like being handed the Moon when she told me she wanted to promote me. It was so large, so beautiful I just didn't quite know what to do with it. I hope I make Carol proud with this incredible gift. Actually, I hope I make all three of them proud - they gave so much to me.