Fielder's Choice

This marks The South Reporter's 20th Profile Edition.

The first was in March 2002, which was my first full year here.

Most newspaper staffs don't buy-in very easy to special sections, above and beyond the hard work and stress that goes into putting out the regular newspaper on a weekly basis.

And, no doubt, there was some hesitancy then when the "new editor and publisher" told them, "We're doing a Profile Edition."

Heck, there was even some hesitancy on my part.

I had worked at newspapers where it seemed we were doing some sort of special section once or twice a month.

I prefer producing only two or three a year.

As we embarked on this 20th Profile Edition, I had to dig out the old bound book from 2002 and turn to the pages of that first one.

Featured on the front of the two sections were firefighter Elree Crane; Elouise Nabors, secretary for the mayor; the inspirational Faye Sanders of the Slayden community; and county agent Ronnie Jones.

There were lots of other people, plus businesses and industries, highlighted on the inside pages.

An interesting article was headlined, "IDA focuses efforts on four development areas."

One of those was Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park.

Gov. Ronnie Musgrove of Mississippi and Gov. Don Sundquist of Tennessee were meeting that week to begin the planning process for development of the park by the two states.

Charles McKellar, then executive director of the Marshall County Industrial Development Authority, said the site had great advantages because it is bordered on the north by Highway 72, which would soon be four-laned to connect with the 385 four-lane corridor around Memphis, Tenn.

Needless to say, the concept took off.

Today, Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park is exploding. It's one of the hottest economic development locations in the United States and beyond. Major companies have chosen Chickasaw Trail, and no doubt, others will continue to come on board.

Profile Editions in the other 18 years, prior to this one, have included probably a total of 250 features.

A few years we focused more on photos. Ronnie Day and I crossed the county during a 24-hour period and took a lot of pictures of hard-working folks who didn't typically get recognition.

I remember having a barbecue sandwich at about 10 a.m. at Betty Davis Grocery on Highway 7 South. And those adventures resulted in many, many more memories.

This year marks my 37th year overall in the newspaper business.

The thing I cherish the most from my work in Hamilton, Ala., Fulton, Aberdeen, Amory, Laurel and Holly Springs is the people I've met along the way, and particularly the ones I've interviewed and featured.

I've found that everyone has a story to tell, and unfortunately most don't get a chance to tell it.