Dave

My own recent family struggles kept me from being there for a man who was my co-worker and friend for decades.

A little more than a month ago, in my job as Bedford County’s media/PR person, I attended the donation of a home to a deserving young veteran and his family. It was a moving event, made possible by a partnership between a bank and a not-for-profit agency. Several of our county officials were in attendance and the county mayor was participating in the ceremony, so I was going to get photos which could be posted to the county’s social media accounts.

There were several different photographers, some representing media outlets, some no doubt representing the bank and the charity. But I did not see anyone from the local newspaper, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, where I had worked for nearly 35 years, until March 2020. That surprised me.

After I got the photos I needed for the county’s social media, I decided I would go ahead and slip out and beat the crowd. It was a residential neighborhood, and I was parked on the street a good way away from the home. As I was walking back to my car, I got a text from David Melson, the Times-Gazette’s copy editor.

Dave explained that he was working from home, in a lot of pain, and asked if the newspaper could use my photos of the home donation. I…