3/19/2020
By Josiah Martin | A&E Editor
Those who know me personally will be unsurprised to hear that I have somewhat of a spotty memory. I cannot remember why I joined this paper initially. I know that I came down to an open house during the first few weeks of my freshman year, but cannot remember what possessed me to do so, as I did not know anybody here at the time. For whatever reason, I visited, talked to Sean Ray and Zach Landau from the Arts and Entertainment section, as well as editor-in-chief Kaye Burnet, and left the room as a staff writer.
I remember becoming an editor more clearly. Then-News editor Raymond Arke talked me into it, one of the first steps toward us becoming inseparable friends. I trained under Nick Jozefczyk, whose name I proudly spell correctly here for perhaps the first time in two-and-a-half years.
I describe this journey here only to say that if tomorrow I wake up in 2016, the only thing I would change is to do it all sooner. I am heartbroken to think that it’s over so soon.
Since I anticipate that I will have difficulty doing so in person, allow me to take this moment here to thank everyone on the Duke staff, past and present. You have made every second of the wild ride worthwhile. We have been through things I could never imagine together. These years flew by, but, like it or not, you will forever be the people that I trust and cherish the most. Thank you for laughing at my constant barrage of stupid jokes and for always being there for me.
Obviously, this is not how I wanted to say goodbye. We unfortunately have had to cut our semester short, and these are the final words I will put to print in The Duke. This paper, however, will march on. We’re leaving it in good hands, like we always have, and always will, for nearly a century now. I do not take for granted how lucky I am to have been part of this tradition.
As one of the few members on staff who is not a journalism student, this paper has taught me the value of truthful and ethical journalism. I doubt I have to enumerate to our readers the reasons these lessons have proven vital to day-to-day life since I started in late 2016.
Keep reading this paper. Subscribe to the New York Times, subscribe to the Washington Post, subscribe to the Post-Gazette and any other paper that has helped you navigate the rough waters of these past few years. In my silly, small way, I hope I’ve done my part to keep Duquesne reading and writing when we’ve needed it most. Never, ever stop. I love you all.
I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t quote M*A*S*H in my farewell column, so I offer you two lines from its famous finale: “I can’t imagine what this place would’ve been like if I hadn’t found you here,” and, more importantly, “ladies and gentlemen, take my advice. Pull down your pants and slide on the ice.”
Goodbye, Duke.
