At a staff lunch and
company-wide sendoff over the last few weeks, we fondly bid adieu to The
Writer’s publisher and former editor, Elfrieda Abbe, who retired. (That's her in the photo at left.)
Naturally, we harbor a
special affection for those who hire us to a job we covet, and I’ll always have
Elfrieda to thank for giving me my first chance at magazine work a decade ago
after 24 years at newspapers.
But beyond that, she’s
been a real pleasure to work with, and so steadfast and talented in remaking
and guiding The Writer under a new owner. In between work duties, you could
talk to Elfrieda about anything under the sun, but for us it was usually books,
writers, movies, music, family, food, sports and travel. (I hope I didn’t leave
anything out.)
At The Writer we’ll miss
the charming, gentle woman with a sly wit, but wish her well in retirement. I’m
sure we’ll stay in touch, and you’ll continue to see her articles in the
magazine. Given all of Elfrieda’s interests, I think retirement will suit her
just fine.
We also welcome aboard our
new publisher, Terry Thompson, and look forward to working with him.
-- Ron Kovach, senior
editor, The Writer