Letter from the Editor: Hi, Deerfield friends — it's great to meet you!
It's pretty likely you've run across my letter here while reading about our mission in Deerfield: To be your local paper.
Which is great! That means I don't have to start from scratch or rattle off any corporate-speak.
I get to do what I do best: Talk! (bee-tee-dubs: If you email me you'll definitely get a reply, but sometimes one that would've made Proust think “Man, this is LONG AND WORDY.” I'll start by answering your question and end with a funny story about my weird childhood fascination with politics).
I'm going to take a minute here to introduce myself and the rest of the Herald editorial staff (all two of them); I think there's something to be said for being more than just a name on a masthead. And just for funsies, the three of us included a few fun facts about ourselves.
Now, when you see us around town — and you will — we won't be strangers.
I'm the editor, Melynda Shamie, but everybody calls me Mel. I've worked at the Daily Herald for 23 years, and I've spent most of those as a multiplatform editor on the DH's night copy desk.
3 fun facts about Mel
• My hair is currently bright pink.
• I've been a politics junkie for as long as I can remember.
• I met my husband, Brian, on my first day at the Daily Herald.
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Joe Lewnard, a photojournalist and the DH veteran of our crew, was hired in 1994; he's also a versatile writer and reporter.
3 fun facts about Joe
• He learned to ice skate and picked up hockey in his mid-40s
• He prefers the Rolling Stones over the Beatles
• His favorite meal is deep fried jumbo shrimp in a paper bag.
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Dave Oberhelman started here right around the same time I did and in the same bureau: Fall 1999 in Lisle. He's a longtime prep sports writer — look to him for that coverage now — plus he's your expert on education and municipal issues.
3 fun facts about Dave
• His original career goal was to be a forest ranger
• He's 60 and will be attending his 11th straight Lollapalooza this year
• He hates all beans
So that's our crew. We look forward to getting to know you, too, because make no mistake — this is your paper. We need your help to make it happen, and in order to do that, we need to hear about you clubs, schools, events, fundraisers — anything important to you is important to us. So drop me a line, OK? About Deerfield, of course, or if you just want to chat about the Chicago Council Wars sometime. Either way, I look forward to it.
• Melynda Findlay Shamie is the editor of the Glenview, Deerfield and Northbrook Heralds