Fond farewell to Frank
Mention September 2001 and most people will recall hijacked airliners and collapsing towers. That does spring to mind, but I also remember that season as a time of significant transition at ChristianWeek. We ended a two-year experiment as a broadsheet newspaper and returned to the tabloid form that continues to serve us.
At the same time we introduced a roster of regional correspondents to bring us news from all areas of Canada on a regular basis. Over the years that roster has swollen and shrunk, morphed and changed. It's been as large a six and as small as two. Our system has been as reliable as a bicycle and as predictable as a dogfight.
But it has also had a constant. Frank Stirk, a long-time freelance contributor, was the first potential regional correspondent I contacted about the gig. And he's also proven to be the most durable. For eight and a half years he has filed a regular monthly quota of news stories, most emanating from his home province of B.C.
That's about to change. Frank has some travel plans on his immediate horizon, not to mention a book project demanding his time. These are his current priorities and we must respect his need for a change at this time.
Frank's great gift to us is news writing. He trained in radio where brevity is necessary. He has a knack for getting the basic facts at the top of the story and fitting everything necessary into a relatively short word count. I used to laugh when a 600-word assignment would arrive at 599 words, aware that he had conscientiously trimmed seven or eight words so that the final product would be just under the assigned limit.
Frank is also a seminary graduate whose love for the Church and concern for the people of God has always been evident. His ability to write solid news stories on deadline for our particular audience is a talent we will miss.
But we don't expect him to be absent from our pages for long. Frank says he would still like to contribute on a freelance and occasional basis. We will be calling on him, even if he does need to step away from the every-two-week deadlines. Thank you, Frank, for many years of good service to Christian readers throughout Canada.
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