Perhaps some day I will write a book. It won't be a best-seller but it will be fun to reminisce about my years here at the Boothbay Register. This week, I "officially" — according to the bookkeeper's records — began my 30th year as an employee of my hometown newspaper. I was actually writing for the newspaper in May of 1987, having been assigned to write a couple of pieces for the then 12-page Summertime supplement.
I won't bore you with what was happening here in town back in the late ‘80s but I will tell you a few things about what was happening here at the office:

• I always looked forward to late Tuesday afternoons because Brud would stop by the office with his hot dog wagon and Bill Yocum, Dave McKown, sometimes Mary Brewer and an occasional reporter would step outside to have one or two dogs.
• Didn't have to deal with computer problems or cell phones. They weren't available to us back then. Joyce Bell did most of the typing of press releases and reporter's copy on a phototypesetting machine. And our pictures were recorded on film.
• Started the job at age 30 and didn't get my driver's license for three more years, but thanks to Bill Yocum and my wife, I got to meetings and spot news events.
• One of my first assignments was covering the John Meskis sentencing down in York. Remember him? The "Want Ad" rapist in California who moved to East Boothbay and eventually killed a real estate woman in Southern Maine. TV reporters at the sentencing were quite surprised that I knew him — having had dinner at his house before all hell broke loose for him.
• Still friends with one of my first reporters, Perry Bradley of Ohio and Bayville. Found out over the bar (I was also bartending at Everybody's when I started here) that he was going to be an intern at the Register.
• Liz Coxe (whose husband ran the East Boothbay General Store) and Julia Underwood, a young woman who eventually went to law school (smart choice!), were my first reporters. Bradley, Frouwkje Gilkey and Brigette Barton were summer interns.
• George Tracquair sold ads and eventually Penny Plummer, Regina Godfrey and finally Kathy Frizzell took over for him.
• Syd McLellan ran the business office and Phyllis Taylor was the proofreader.
• The Wiscasset Newspaper staff featured Judith Sutter, Lyndel Blackmore and Zoe Bigley. A crack team.
• Publisher Marylouise Cowan, with lots of help from Mary Brewer, pushed this newspaper to new heights.
• And staff artist Bill Harris inspired everyone with his talent and sense of humor every day and every week.

Times have certainly changed. Oops, gotta go ... got another email ... that certainly wasn't in my vocabulary in 1987.