Reporter shares the story behind the story
Jemi Chew
I have only been in Falmouth for around four weeks now, but I would already like to call it a second home. I have met so many amazing people who invest so much into the community and who have been gracious in giving me their time and allowing me to write their stories.
It is always such a blessing to be surrounded by people who love and care for their community, and who want to see it prosper and grow. And it is definitely an honor to be invited into spaces where I get to hear from them.
Thus, I often find myself limited by the restraints of news story writing.
When I write an article, I can’t tell you how wonderful so-and-so is or how inspiring it is that so-and-so is doing this for the community. I can’t tell you how welcoming a person was, or how fun it was to cover a particular story. I can’t tell you every detail that made the interview special.
I always hoped to start my own regular column where I “spill the beans” on the story behind whatever story I have written for the week, and if I am allowed to continue this column, I hope that I can fit in more details that I am otherwise unable to in a regular story.
Unfortunately, I cannot do an in-depth recap of everything I wrote about since it has been many stories since my first day here, but I can give some highlights.
The Gene Snyder Airport story I covered during my first week here was extremely fun. Dan Bell, who is the chairman of the Falmouth-Pendleton County Airport Board, took me on a tour and was such a nice guy.
I saw some really awesome planes up close — I’m no airplane expert so I cannot tell you what models, but they are the cool, small, one-engine or two-engine kind of planes (some even made out of canvas!). I am not doing justice to what I saw.
Annually they host an event, Young Eagles, that gives kids the opportunity to get free plane rides. Personally, one thing I find amazing about Falmouth and Pendleton County is that there are so many great opportunities available here that most people worldwide would kill to experience!
Last week I also had the privilege of interviewing Roy Mains, a Vietnam veteran. We started the interview at 8 a.m. and ended it around 9:40 a.m. We barely even touched the surface of the memories he holds.
To sit there and hear the stories of someone who did so much for this country was such an honor.
He even let me read a letter he wrote to his mother (who kept all his letters) while he was in Vietnam. Reading it, I was thrust back into a distant past imagining a young, brave teenager who went to war and was sitting on the ground writing those words. I wondered how his mother felt reading his letters.
He also showed me pictures he took on one of those old cameras where you had to develop the photos before you could see them.
He walked me through those memories, and I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be there, taking those pictures, and having achieved and gone through more than most people that age would have, could have, or even should have.
It was a special moment for me, and I am thankful to both Roy and Patty Mains for giving me this chance.
The youth of Pendleton County are also bustling with dreams and ambitions, dedication and hard work. I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing Taylor Sturdivant — her passion for jiu-jitsu is inspiring, her perseverance in competition is astounding and her dedication to the sport is impressive. She makes a long commute three times a week after a nine-hour full-time job!
I am also excited for everyone to read about Vincent Nocero, whom I interviewed two weeks ago. He is a genuine young man with a lot of talent and a big heart.
Finally, last week I wrote a story featuring local dispatchers. Some of them shared with me their best and worst memories, and the emotion in their voices as they recalled their time with PC dispatch tugged at my heart. They have done so much. Ron Maddox even invited me out to his shop. He is a very talented woodworker and just one of those people that you feel the world needs more of.
Speaking of people the world needs, I am giving a shout out to the Butler Lions Club for inviting me to their meeting two weeks ago. They are literally the nicest, most welcoming people you could ever meet, and they do a lot of important work for the community.
Every corner of this wonderful place is full of stories and lessons to learn from. I am grateful to be here this summer. If there is a story out there you would like me to tell, please contact me at jemichew@outlook.com or through the office number 859-654-3332.