A biz journalist on his retirement

George Hohmann retired last week as the business editor of the Charleston Daily Mail. He had been with the paper for 15 years and in journalism for 43 years.

Talking Biz News asked Hohmann about his thoughts about retiring. Here is what he said:

After more than 20 years of covering business in West Virginia – and devoting most of the last 43 years to journalism — I have switched gears in favor of a more flexible schedule. Some call the format, “retirement.”

I won’t miss the countless hours welded to a desk and computer terminal; pouring through documents laden with legal jargon on deadline; staying late; or sitting in an office lobby while yet another public body meets in executive session.

I will miss the pursuit of elusive sources; connecting dots; being first with a big story; the adrenaline rush of deadlines; and, I’ll admit it, the satisfaction of seeing my name in print.

But most of all I’ll miss the people: The entrepreneurs who instantly translate the day’s headlines into news they can use; who take calculated risks to turn their visions into reality; who create jobs and pay every tax known to mankind.

I’ll also miss the colorful people who tend to populate newsrooms. Some have become famous but most labor behind the scenes taking photos, creating graphics, planning pages, editing stories,  saving us from embarrassment, and devising brilliant layouts. When we all rise up to cover a momentous event, magic happens.

I’ll miss that, too.