A sense of place

Recently, longtime Napa resident Eleanor Meyer approached me at a party and told me a story about the Register. She said that when she moved to Napa in 1938, the announcement of her marriage was on page one of the paper. Her engagement photo ran inside. She's been a devoted reader ever since.

I should have found the story heart-warming, but instead I found it daunting. People who have been reading the Register for 65 years know a lot more about the community than I could possibly have gleaned in three years on the job. That would be true even if I didn't spend half of those three years deleting e-mails and attending staff meetings.

When Meyer reads a Register article, there's a very good chance she knows the back story.

I have only a few tools to help me catch up. One is just to keep my eyes and ears open, walk around, look around, try to listen to the many readers and leaders I meet.

Another key resource is the group of Napa natives and newsroom veterans at the Register. I never would have known about the cup and saucer, a rock formation on Alta Heights once utilized by young lovers, if it wasn't for Alta Heights Elementary graduate (go Gators!) Jill Decker. Graphics editor Kelly Doren, features editor Sasha Paulsen and page designer Jose Soria are among the Napa natives on staff.

Pressroom foreman John Hawkley used to run from his American Canyon home to Vintage High when he was a spry young lad, and once lived where Copia stands today.

For local politics, my best sources have been Kevin Courtney and Jay Goetting. Kevin has covered the city of Napa for a long time, and tends to remember things some city leaders would likely rather forget. He also keeps a fairly immaculate pile of his own story clippings going back to the 1970s.

Jay has an even more unusual perspective. Not only is he a longtime newsman, both at KVON radio and here at the Register, but he served a term on the Napa County Board of Supervisors. In Saturday's paper, Jay wrote a story about Napa officials trekking to Washington to lobby for flood control money. Jay knows all about it, and not just because people told him. He went on a Washington junket or two when he was on the board.

He lived at Sheveland Ranch when it sported one big barn and no townhouses. He's been a participant and witness to an awful lot of local history. Some of it on bandstands, where he plays bass with the Napa Jazz Quartet and other ensembles.

Next week, Jay will retire from his gig as a Register staff writer. In order not to be robbed of his knowledge, warmth and perspective, we've asked him to remain a member of the Register editorial board.

We look forward to those days when Jay is among us and contributing to the newspaper. But we know Jay and his wife Carolyn are looking forward to more days pursuing other interests together. We wish them well.

See you at the board meetings and on the bandstand, Jay. Thanks for everything.