`Ken Tingley Day’ should be an annual event
Let’s honor journalists in small towns all across the country
The Front Page
Morning Update
Monday, July 5, 2021
By Ken Tingley
It was a year ago that I announced I was retiring from The Post-Star after 32 years.
I heard from lots of readers about how they were going to miss my columns. Some thanked me for my service. Only one person said they were glad to see me go. That’s not too bad.
Then I was told to watch the Glens Falls Common Council meeting - via Zoom of course - for a special announcement. That night, Mayor Dan Hall announced that July 17 would be “Ken Tingley Day” in the City of Glens Falls.
It was a nice gesture on the part of the Common Council, especially since I’m sure some members didn’t like me. That Friday, my last day at The Post-Star, my wife made a little sign for me and we walked around downtown taking photographs in front of various Glens Falls landmarks. Most of the businesses were closed because of the pandemic and there were not many people around.
As I marched by with my sign, one man asked me who was Ken Tingley?
That seemed about right, too. That’s how it is for us editors. We try to do our work seriously, but quietly, and most people don’t know who we are. They don’t name bridges or buildings after editors, although I did stumble upon a statue of Horace Greeley near City Hall in New York City a couple years ago.
Since retiring, I have put together a collection of my columns in book form. It turned out well and it didn’t take too long to get a publisher. At one point, I mentioned to the publisher I even had my own day in Glens Falls when I retired.
My publisher was impressed.
When he was planning the marketing campaign for the book, he said he was going to try to make me a best-selling author in time for “Ken Tingley Day.”
“That was last year,” I told him.
“They are not going to have it every year,” he inquired.
That is not how it works. But I got thinking about it and considering the pandemic and all, I wondered if I had been shortchanged last year. As I marched around downtown with my little sign, there were few other pedestrians and the only interaction I had was with the man who wondered who I was.
So I’m hoping that Dan Hall and the Common Council might reconsider and have a second Ken Tingley Day, perhaps to commemorate being a published author for the first time. Maybe even a best-selling author if my publisher can work his magic. But maybe more importantly, to have a day to acknowledge how important journalism and a watchdog press is to all small communities.
Maybe someone in the Legislature could make July 17 a “State Newspaper Day” to celebrate all the men and women at newspapers around the the state. I’m thinking this would be a great project for Diane Kennedy at the New York State News Publishers Association.
Maybe Kirsten Gillibrand can get get something on the federal level to recognize the important role that editors and reporters play in their communities. How about a monument on the Mall?
So, let’s have one more Ken Tingley Day.
In commemoration of the event, let’s all commit ourselves to an act of citizenship:
- Vow to write one letter to the editor in commemoration of Ken Tingley Day about any issue you feel passionate about.
- Vow to attend or watch a Town Board meeting.
- Call up your local newspaper and leave a simple message that you appreciate the work they do.
- Sign up for that online subscription you’ve meaning to do for months.
- And one more thing, buy my upcoming book “The Last American Editor.” Not so much for me, but as a reminder of the fascinating stories and interesting people that live in small communities all across the country. This is Glens Falls history. This is a small-town story.
When I let several colleagues see a sampling of the book, I was humbled by their response. I especially liked this one from my old sports colleague Bill Eichenberger.
“These columns take readers inside the lives of their friends and neighbors with uncommon insight and provide a fascinating window into life in small-town America,” Bill wrote. “Every town needs a Ken Tingley, who as a sports writer and editor clearly learned that the best stories are not about who won and lost, but about real life. Glens Falls is lucky to have him.”
And I’ve been lucky to have a long and prosperous career here.
Thanks to all of you for making that possible.
A day honoring all journalists would be great. So would a statue.
I agree 100 percent!