Ode to my editor-in-chief

My editor-in-chief, Ed, was laid off yesterday.

It's a shit economy, we all know that. It's been hard on the publishing business. It's been hard on my company. And yesterday, the domino fell that cost my boss -- one of my few mentors -- his job.

It sucks. That's not eloquent, but that's the way I feel about it.

Ed gave me my first shot at a job in journalism over ten years ago. I started with my company as an intern while I was still in college... I was a junior at KU at the time. I still remember the phone call I got from Ed offering me the internship... it was on my first cell phone, and this cell phone -- I think the company was Cellular One -- was about the size of a Burrito King burrito. It barely fit in my pocket.

I'm in class at 2:30 in the afternoon -- I remember the class, it was on the first floor of Fraser Hall. The instructor was a younger woman, she was nice, but too young, and something about her... I barely listened to her. My cell phone rang during class -- yeah, faux pas on my part, but I was hopeful for Ed's call, and I didn't care if it interrupted class. I think this was before 'vibrate' on the phone was invented.

I leave the room to take the call. "Seth, Ed from GCSAA... we enjoyed our interview with you, and if you think you can handle the schedule, we'd like to offer you the job."

I knew that it was a big-time call. I knew at that moment that it was important for my career.

I didn't know at the time that I'd still be working there in 2010. I didn't know that I'd meet the future Mrs. Jones there. I didn't know that that phone call would lead me to a beautiful wife, a beautiful daughter, a beautiful house, and the most kick-ass man-cave I know of outside of Bruce f***ing Wayne's. But that's what that phone call was: opportunity.

I've worked for Ed for the last 12 years. He's the only editor-in-chief I've ever had. And he single-handedly was responsible for keeping our team intact. He's a father figure, and my GCM team is more of a family than it is a work team. Ask people who work for other teams in my building: they envy the work environment of the publications team. And that's a credit to my former boss, Ed.

When I came back to that classroom -- the class was probably anthropology or something -- the young teacher barked at me for taking a call during class. I took it with a smile, apologized, told her it wouldn't happen again. And then I looked out the window and drifted away. "Seth Jones, intern, Golf Course Management magazine," I thought to myself. "On top of the world."

Twelve years later, I am on top of the world. Thank you, Ed.