Community Corner

Patch Editor Says Goodbye and Thank You

Pete Kennedy is moving on.

Dear Reader,

In December 2010, I joined the Patch team as the founding editor of this site. At first, it was called Willistown Patch, then East Whiteland Patch, and ultimately Malvern Patch. Over the past two-and-a-half years, it has been my great pleasure to report on all three municipalities.

Friday is my last day with Patch. 

A quick story: On March 7, around 7 p.m., I was working in the Newtown Square library near my home, trying to finish up the day's posts in time for a TV show at 8 p.m. An email arrived just ahead of several Facebook messages, all referencing an explosion—and maybe a bomb squad?—along Route 30 in Frazer.

You likely know what happened next. Federal agents and local emergency responders discovered dozens of pipe bombs in a storage locker and took them to Valley Creek Park to detonate them. As I stood in the park, watching a stream of flashing lights transport the last of the bombs, a firefighter told me I had to move way back to the parking lot for my own safety. I didn't argue.

But, as we turned to march up the hill, the door of the lone house in the middle of the park opened; a woman who lived there asked if I was the Patch reporter and invited me to watch the events unfold with her family. Inside, I recharged my camera and took notes on what the FBI agents had told her family about the bomb situation.

That night, as a series of detonations shook East Whiteland and beyond, thousands of people logged onto Malvern Patch for real-time reporting of the situation. I had been sending updates and photos to another editor to publish, and the information was not available anywhere else.

That's a great example of Patch fulfilling its unique role in the community. There are so many more.

This job has been the best one of my career, and I'm immensely proud of the work I've done here. I hope it has been important and meaningful to you; it has certainly been rewarding and exciting for me.

So, why leave? There are some changes—happy changes—going on in my life that make a more traditional job, with more traditional hours, appealing right now.

It would be impossible to acknowledge everyone who has given me tips, feedback and inspiration since the site's launch. But I'd like to take a moment to thank a few people who went above and beyond:

My amazing fellow Patch editors, whose talents and energy helped make me strive for excellence, if only to keep pace.

Regina Buckley Fried, who jumped in early, wrote some great blogs, kept me up to date on Great Valley school news, and helped spread the word about Patch.

Kristin Thomas, a force of nature in Malvern Borough, whose exploits were often the good news around town.

Deb Abel, one of our first advertisers, who also sent compelling photos of things like a tractor trailer being lifted from an overpass and a Jeep being pulled from the Schuylkill River.

Tim Caban of the East Whiteland Historical Commission, who answered all of my history-related questions and supplied photos every other week for the immensely popular Historical Photo Challenge.

Detective Steve Jones of the Willistown Police, who was always available and was an invaluable source of information for some of the biggest stories I've covered.

Lieutenant Chris Yeager of the East Whiteland Police, who always picked up the phone, even when he was out of town, and answered my questions directly.

Terry Woodman, township manager in East Whiteland, who has a knack for details. If I am somehow elected governor in 2014, I will conscript her into serving as Secretary of Overseeing Complicated Things. 

Courtney, the friendly clerk at District Court 15-2-05, who helped me navigate the county court system.

Anne Novelli at Malvern Police Department, for giving me the blotter info and occasionally candy.

Chuck Linderman at Great Valley School District, who provided answers to the school budget questions that I could barely articulate.

And a big shout-out to Neil Vaughn, Chief of the Malvern Fire Company, a civic-minded firefighter to whom I turned for all manner of information when news broke, even late at night. When I thanked him, he usually responded, "Any time," and meant it literally. 

Thanks, in general, to the people of Malvern, East Whiteland and Willistown for welcoming me, reading and contributing to the site, and creating a community that has been fascinating to cover. 

Lastly, thanks to Patch for giving me this opportunity. It's been fun.

Sincerely,
Pete Kennedy


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