By Ryan Morrill
In keeping with the unsaid tradition of photographers not staying very long at The Havre Daily News, I have accepted a new position as staff photographer at a newspaper in Northern Virginia. This move will put me much closer to my daughter, Evelynn, as well as give me an opportunity to work at a larger paper in a bigger city. My stay here has greatly enhanced my experience as not only a photographer but also as a person.
Before I leave, however, I wish to thank some people that made my stay in Havre enjoyable.
First, and most importantly, Alieen, my neighbor and closest friend in Havre. Without her, living and working in Havre would not have been the enjoyable experience that it was. Our late night walks through town (and on at least one occasion out of town) and last minute trips for ice cream, I will always remember. Never have I met someone with such a strong sense of who she is and what she wants out of life. I will miss her terribly and hope that distance and time will not lessen our friendship. Also I would like to take this opportunity to wish her all the best on her upcoming marriage.
I also want to wish well another strong person that it has been my pleasure of meeting during my stay here. Mary is the type of person that is comfortable and confident in any situation. I am sure that she will go far in life and live it to it's fullest. I am always so amazed at what a positive outlook on life she has, even in the worst of times.
I would not have the opportunity to make this move if it were not for Jodi. She helped greatly with my efforts at landing this new position and was always someone who I felt comfortable in talking to (when I was able to get a few words in). She has been a great friend for the limited time that we have had together. I wish she knew how much I appreciate everything she has done for me and I knew of some way of returning the favor.
There are also scores of unnamed people in the area that deserve some sort of recognition. For example, when I first moved to Havre over a year ago I had only those possessions that would fit in my car. I needed to not only find a place to stay but something to sleep on. This is where I first encountered a kindness that I was not accustom to. Before I bought a futon I needed to find a way to transport it to my new apartment. There was no way that it was going to fit into my car and the store that I was in didn't offer any sort of delivery service. The clerk that was helping me, his name is Lee, I believe, suggested that I simply pay for the furniture and he would drop it off himself, on his own time, after he got off work. Now you have to understand that I grew up in the shadows of not only New York City, but Philadelphia and Atlantic City as well, and as a general rule, people don't go far out of their way for a stranger. This was a nice change for me. And I owe that man a lot.
Another group of people that I wish to thank is the staff here at the Daily News. They have always gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and at home, while giving me the room and encouragement to work on some of my own ideas and enhance my own style.
Of course there are countless people in the community that have made my job easier and they also deserve thanks. People that have called to suggest an interesting photo opportunity, and although I may not have been able to shoot them all, the suggestions were appreciated. There are also the people that I rely on in order to get my job done, Kirk Miller, Mike Rao, and Jim Potter are just a few that have always been willing to drop everything when I needed to get a shot for a project.
There is something to be said about bigger cities, and living just a short distance from Washington D.C. is going to be fun. Being able to see Evelynn is going to be the greatest thing of all. I can't say that living here has been at all bad and maybe I will miss being in small town, but such an adventure lays ahead.
