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Pipestone area friends. It is with some sadness, a little fear of the unknown, and a lot of excitement that I announce what many of you have already heard: I am moving to Florida next week to start my doctorate at the University of South Florida in Tampa! I will also be teaching communication courses to undergraduate students and assisting in research with Dr. Steve Wilson, a well-known researcher and scholar in military and family communication. My research and studies will focus on organizational and health communication, with a particular emphasis on military organizations and the Veterans Administration. My time in Florida will be around four years, but I will definitely be returning home over the winter and summer break and in between on weekends when I can to see my family and dearest friends, and because I am staying in the military here, I will be returning for that at least every other month. After I complete my doctorate, I hope to return to Lake Benton, teach at SDSU or SMSU, and perhaps write a story or two again for the Star! Also, if you’re ever in Florida, look me up. I will have a spare bedroom if you need a place to rest for a bit. Don’t worry, I’m not too close to the coast where the hurricanes get bad, there are no bodies of water within a couple of blocks of me, and the house I am buying has a fenced-in yard, so the dogs and I will be safe from alligators.
Leaving the Pipestone County Star was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made, but the support and encouragement of John, Kyle, and Diane have made it a little easier. For over seven years, I had the privilege of working alongside these amazing people and others in the newsroom, layout department, and other wonderful people who keep bringing you local news. The support that I received from this wonderful news organization during multiple deployments, service schools, and personal struggles and triumphs is more than I have had at any job, and I couldn’t have been more blessed to work with them. With that being said, I want to remind and encourage you to support your local newspaper so that they can continue to serve you as they have been. This community is so fortunate to have the Pipestone County Star and the people who believe in it and call this place home.
I hope to send a hello and an update column later this year or early next year. But if you don’t read my name in the Star and Farm Market News for a while, just know I am in the Sunshine State, thinking of all of the amazing people I had the pleasure of meeting and telling their stories. I will take a little piece of the Midwest and its amazing people with me, to remind me that there is a place in the world where neighbors know their neighbors, and people still care about people. Until next time, take care!