If you are reading this, several miracles have happened.
One of our unsung heroes at The Rockdale Reporter is our production manager, Shannon Whorton. He is on vacation this week. It’s only when someone goes on vacation you realize how much they do around here and how much we appreciate them.
Shannon and I are both 1982 graduates of RHS. He started working at The Reporter in 1984 after college and has been here ever since. He and I didn’t have a lot of classes together in high school because he was 1982’s number three student gradewise, and I, umm, was not.
We sing his praises around the office, but it’s time our readers know what an amazing job he does.
Shannon is the reason our paper looks so crisp and neat and colorful each week. He’s the reason our advertiser’s ads look so great.
He’s the reason our paper has won so many awards that don’t have anything to do with writing.
In a word he’s an artist.
Back when Shannon first started working for The Reporter, technology was far different than it is today.
He used to have to make negatives and burn plates, which had to be physically taken to the Taylor Press where we used to have the paper printed.
Now he makes PDFs and emails them to The Eagle in Bryan where the staff-ers love him because he makes sure to send them files that are complete and free of errors. Technology has advanced so much that he does the job that it used to take five or six people to do every week to get the paper to our readers.
He’s also our IT guy and he can fix any computer. He makes sure all of our computers “talk” to our printers.
Whatever Mike Brown breaks each week, Shan non fixes.
According to Reporter co-publisher, Christine Granados, “He’s a great nature photographer.
His work is usually the cover of our special sections like the latest FYI Magazine. His photography skills compliment his graphic design skills.
He creates great logos and understands the color palette.
“I tend toward the garish when it comes to color and there have been times Shannon has saved me,” Granados said.
(And it’s true. She once painted her kitchen the most horrible muddy red color you’ve ever seen. The kitchen had to be totally remodeled after that.)
Shannon is also very good at finding things I’ve lost on our server.
Oddly, this seems to happen to me on a weekly basis.
Most importantly, we don’t know how he is still alive because he doesn’t eat any green vegetables.
So, again, if you’re reading this: miracles have happened and we actually got the paper out without him this week.
Thank you Shannon for all you do for The Reporter and our readers.
” —Kyle Cooke “Shannon Whorton (R) is the reason our paper looks so crisp and neat and colorful each week.
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