LEWISTOWN — It was the first week of August in 1974 as I drove through the parking lot of Chief Logan High School. It was early morning and the sun was glistening off the Sentinel building.

It was one of the biggest days of my life.

I was 23-years-old and had worked for two other local newspapers in the area, the Belleville Times and the Juniata Sentinel. I had just graduated from college, the Williamsport Area Community College (now Penn Tech, 1970) and Point Park College (now a university, 1973). I had two degrees in journalism (AA, BA).

The Sentinel would become my part-time home for the next 51 years. This is where I wanted to be.

That first day was everything I dreamed about. At that point in time, The Sentinel was an evening paper and there was already a beehive of activity early in the morning.

Reporters were working on their typewriters. The composing room was laying out pages. The advertising department was getting ready to sell ads and in the back of the building was the printing press and the circulation department. Even in the early morning hours, the building was full of excitement.

As I tried to get myself ready for my first day, everything around me was going at a fast pace. The head photographer slammed the door to the dark room in disgust and one of the more prominent reporters told me not to take his little ducky off his typewriter.

I knew I was home. All creative people are a little bit off-center and I knew I was among friends.

Later that week, President Nixon would resign and journalism became the top occupation in the country. The editorial staff members at The Sentinel in those days were young and aggressive. There was no time for fluffy articles.

During my first couple of years at The Sentinel, I was assigned to an office in Juniata County, but I had to report to the main office everyday.

As the years passed and I changed jobs, my heart was still at Sixth and Summitt Drive. Over time, I became the voice of the Mifflin County Babe Ruth League and some of the biggest moments in the league were recorded at the Sentinel.

It’s been a perfect marriage between the Sentinel, the Babe Ruth League and myself.

Now we must move to a new building, but the memories of that sun splashed morning in 1974 will be with me forever.