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With a nod to JuIe Styne and Stephen Sondheim, I bid a fond adieu as Editor-in-Chief of GPSoIo magazine. I return the reins to Jennifer j. rose, from whom I took them a few years ago.
This has been a remarkable experience. When I took over for Jennifer at the 2007 ABA Annual Meeting, I knew it would be temporary. I wanted the challenge of editing a premier publication put out on a national level. Little did I know that I was to get more than I bargained for. As a writer, I have gained greater respect and admiration for editors. I know what it's like to have authors bail on an article at the last moment and scramble to find a replacement. "Oh, you'll write a 2,500-word article for us? That's great. Uh, did I mention we need it in five days? And, you'll still do it?" Thank you is too lame a phrase to express my gratitude for the lawyers who stepped up when someone else bailed out.
I am most indebted to Rob Salkin, Editor in ABA Publishing, who has been patient and calm as he indoctrinated me into the ways of magazine publishing. Rob makes everyone who writes for this magazine look good. He edits our mistakes and reminds us of what we need to do . . . and when we need to do it. Yet he does it without histrionics. The best editors are those who leave no fingerprints. Rob is the one who, in his understated way, lets me know if I have stepped over the line - slightly or with a giant leap - in my rhetoric. As an aside, sometimes I did it just to see if he was paying attention. He is always paying attention. This column is an example of his gentle nudging. I had...