Frontiersman bids farewell to a star reporter, friend

Frontiersman editorial board

There are many ways to define a community newspaper. Of course, the publication must cover news that's important to local readers. The newspaper, as a business, must be engaged in the community it serves. Community newspapers should also provide information that is solutions-based, in an effort to participate in the constant positive growth of its community. To a sometimes less visible degree, each member of the newspaper, especially those who work in the newsroom, should become an active, and positive member of the community. Today we say good-bye to a reporter who has set the standard as a recognized and well-respected member of the Valley community.

After nearly nine years of excellent reporting and photography, the Frontiersman bids a fond farewell to Eowyn LeMay Ivey. Eowyn arrived at Frontiersman in the spring of 1995, fresh out of Western Washington University. She quickly established herself as one of the strongest links in the newsroom chain, and she spent several years building a reputation in the Valley as a dedicated reporter and one of the Valley's favorite writers.

Eowyn will be sorely missed in the Frontiersman newsroom. She's not only one of our top reporters, but she's a great friend to many of us. As friends, we all hope Eowyn will be happy in whatever she decides to do, but as co-workers it's hard to say good-bye to one of the core members of our team.

Eowyn has covered nearly every beat for the newspaper, and she's also sat in the editor's chair and has done everything from pagination to moving furniture when the Frontiersman moved into its new building. Eowyn also brought a very Alaska flavor to our Outdoors page in recent years. Her outdoors columns and articles have developed a loyal following of Valley readers, and those readers will miss her almost as much as we will. Eowyn's outdoors articles were the real McCoy as she has experience running her own trap line, fishing, camping, berry picking and hunting everything from fowl to bears. It has always been her superior writing skills that have brought those experiences to life on the pages of Frontiersman, Peak and our other publications.

Frontiersman's loss is a great one as Eowyn moves on, but she leaves behind a body of work that would make any journalist proud, and a group of friends who wish her nothing but the best. We also know the lure of the newsroom is a great one, so we, along with many of our readers, will continue to hope for Eowyn's return to the hallways and pages of Frontiersman.