A blog Commentary: Missing Kathy

I keep wanting to compare the layoffs at the Beacon Journal to the recent hard drive crash on my computer–a horrible experience. My computer, like Knight-Ridder, is no more. I was happy to get a new computer, but I miss the old one in strange ways. I did not lose any data, but I had to reinstall some programs and decided not to reinstall some of the lost programs that I did not use often. If I really need them later, I will reinstall them. The new HP computer would not accommodate my old HP scanner so I bought a slimmer new one that is better–but I miss some features of the old one.

I already miss some of the features of the Beacon Journal from years past–Beacon magazine, News & Views, cartoons of Walt Neal and other artists and on and on. I will miss one-fourth of the staff at the BJ including some with years of experience. . Let me name just one staffer–artist Kathy Hagedorn–because we share the same birthdates a generation apart.

I really will miss Kathy’s illustrations. When my granddaughter started showing some interest in art, I took her to the Beacon Journal to visit Kathy who showed her how she does her job. She does it well.

Kathy started 12 plus years ago as a part-time artist at the Beacon Journal in January, 1994. Her photo shown here is from the June/July, 1994 issue of Sidebar which announced her promotion to full-time. Kathy is looking for a graphic design job. She says she and her husband, Derek Kortvejesi who works at Century Cycles in Peninsula, will survive better than others who have children like Chiffon Staebler on the copy desk who has three chldren to support and whose husband died a few years ago. Staebler has been at the Beacon since 2000. There is still a possibility they will get their jobs back if others in their departments volunteer to leave.

One lucky metro editor will stay on the job because design editor Mike Needs volunteered to leave. Needs has no job lined up but says, “I’m good. I’m fine.” At age 55 after 25 years of service at the Beacon, he feels it’s time to move on to something different. “I volunteered to have my name on the list.” he said. “I said ‘Put me on the list.”

Needs, who was the public editor, was named design editor on June 26 which provided an inkling of things to come.

There are many other stories linked to the layoff. We would like to hear about them all. It would be nice if some blog readers could help with job possiiblities, but these are indeed tough and tearful times.