It's Been a Good Run by guest columnist Skip Beebe
Gentle readers, when I began The Underground Richmond Press some years ago, I did so with the intention of telling the truth with humor.. and I did, in the best style of Dave Teske, who was indisputably the best chief in Richmond’s history. Only a real leader writes things such as, “If anyone repeats what happened last year and decided they can’t be here or can’t commit or a last minute vacation that they forgot about, then I will be reevaluating their status with this agency moving forward. This is an annual reoccurring same time every year event that is in it’s 56th year. Plans for these 3 days should be blocked out on everyone’s calendar forever…or as long as you work here.”
Somewhere along the way, however, it became harder and harder to laugh. It became harder and harder to see the humor in the situations when watching the situation slowly kill a loved one. When at work at the other job and listening to off-the-street people and the perception being sold ... there comes a breaking point for everyone. Having to watch a loved one take beating after beating after beating: emotionally, verbally, and physically and shut up about it, without support from the others at the top is not something I would wish on anyone no matter how much I disliked the individual. Knowing that the loved one’s grandmother dropped dead of a heart attack at 54 and watching the stress build, I did what anyone who loved would.
I blew.
Was I wrong to lose my temper? Yes.
I spoke with someone this morning I trust greatly who got into me because I was not being the bully, I was defending my loved one. While I trust this person greatly and understand he is correct, that is not the perception.
That said, I have cost us a third of retirement and said loved one is looking for a new job.
So looking back at some of the good memories from URP News....
~ The horses and their perpetual attempts to return to Trotting Park...
~ The Danielle Erbe Excellence Award for Shooting Oneself in the Ass during Good Old Days
~ The reprints of the City Charter of the woodpile, ratified August 32, 1831
~ The battle of the bands. Some good music was written.
~ The special retirement issues of Fred McCallamore (sic) and The Chief (whose edition had more obsolete words than a dictionary)
~ The interviews (especially with WORF during Covid)
It has been a good run, but now it’s time for it to end.
URP News September 2019 - 10/15/2024
