Yesterday I lost a “good friend” and a lot of “family” when the Rocky Mountain News  after 149 years and 311 days announced it was closing its doors. Denver and the Rocky Mountain region has lost a lot of its heart and soul and now is a one horse town.

The headline on the final Rocky today read “Stop the Presses”. It was a paralyzing  headline.

I spent a good portion of my earlier career working for newspapers so this very much  is a punch to the gut. As I flipped through the Rocky’s special addition this morning commemorating its flamboyant history complete with colorful characters, cherished past and recent Pulitzer accomplishments, I was struggling with the feelings these friends of mine and professional peers were feeling. I can tell  you from experience these are intelligent, driven, hard working, caring individuals striving to give us a reasonable and responsible sense of the news and the world around us. Every day is different and every day is a challenge trying to uncover, sniff out and be on top of every topic imaginable.

The folks at the Rocky never gave up and continued to work at an extremely high, reputable level to the end. I didn’t always agree with every column, every story or every image in the paper for sure but I had a tremendous respect and admiration for the content that was delivered by people that were determined to give people in every nook and cranny in the mountain region a sense of place, purpose and reason.

There was a time when I worked as a competitor at a position in  the Denver Post photo department. When I joined the Post for my second stint it was probably one of the most exciting times in Denver’s long newspaper history. Long before the Joint Operating Agreement which eventually brought both publications under the same roof in recent years, we all battled in one of the craziest and intense newspaper wars in the country. Through those times I built many of the friendships and relationships I mentioned earlier. Those connections have lasted long since my departure at the Post twenty five years ago. Freelancing in the metro area has given me an opportunity to continue to work side by side some of these individuals. Others have connected through social settings.

For years now I have shared  by proxy their anguish, their compassion, their doggedness and their adrenalin-driven lives. I remember my own experiences like they were yesterday.

So on the morning I knew I would be retrieving ” My Rocky” for the last time I waited. I glanced out the window to make sure it was there much like I have every morning for a long long time. When I did stroll out to grab it in its neatly bundled blue plastic wrapper I didn’t let Gandalf, our two year-old Weimeraner snatch it for me like he has proudly been doing for the past six months. Instead, I called him off and I reached down to touch it and hold it for a moment just to reflect. It will be my last time out the door  in the morning for the Rocky but not the last time I will touch it as I plan to keep the last edition tucked away with many of my other life long mementos.

Best of luck to all the talented folks that managed to make us Westerners happy,sad, amused and pissed off from time to time.

And for the soft hearted you might check out this wonderful Rocky Mountain News final tribute at http://vimeo.com/3390739

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