“Of all flowers, methinks a rose is best.' – William Shakespeare Rose Aldridge was one of the best ‘roses’ I knew.
We could all use a few more Roses in our lives.
The rose is the pinnacle of God’s floral creations of course, but I had the added privilege and blessing of having a special kind of Rose in my life: Rose Aldridge.
I knew Rose before she knew me.
When I first began my career in journalism, I was a green, wet-behindthe- ears reporter at the county’s “other” newspaper. I know, but please don’t judge.
Back in those days, I would cover all the meetings and events with Rose, who was then News Editor at The Times.
I remember observing and listening then, to know what questions she asked and how she asked them.
I didn’t know what I was doing back then and maybe I still don’t. But, I just knew that journalism was what I wanted to do and I knew Ms. Rose was immensely talented at the craft.
Later, I heard confirmation of that talent. She won countless awards recognizing her gifts. Fellow journalists and those whose stories she told complimented her for her caring attitude, her empathy and her commitment to accuracy. Robert Williams often said she could take a number and a name from a scrap of paper and turn it in to a feature story you couldn’t wait to read.
I moved on to another newspaper out of necessity. One day, out of the blue, Ms. Rose called me to compliment me on a story I had written. I took it as a compliment of the highest rank.
Ms. Rose had been a journalist for much longer than I had and she gave me a compliment. I thanked her on the phone that day, but not nearly enough.
I eventually found my way to The Times after a long and winding road.
We did not get to be co-workers then as Ms. Rose had moved on to work as public relations coordinator for Pierce County Schools.
Those of us who are journalists are part of a big family and in that sense, Ms. Rose was my sister.
I would see her at board meetings every month and of course, any time there was big news in the school system, she would be our contact person and source for information.
But, she was so much more than that.
I was at a stage in my career then where I wondered if I really belonged. The first two work experiences were rewarding, but management was lacking and guidance was non existent. I owe much to Robert and Cheryl Williams and I’ve tried to express that to them.
But, there was also a person behind the scenes and that was Ms. Rose.
She was a good writing coach for me long after she left The Times. I would bounce ideas and stories off of her and she would always pass me along news tips so I would have ideas for story meetings. I will always be grateful to her for that.
After she retired from the school system, we finally got to be colleagues as she returned to The Times as a copy editor for a while.
It sounds odd, but we always enjoyed proof reading other newspapers. Having made our own share of boo boos, it was cathartic, I think. Journalists, perhaps more than others, realize we are not perfect. Our errors are in black and white for perpetuity.
While it wasn’t funny at the time, she learned to laugh about the time she left the “I” out of a piano recital write up. She didn’t feel so bad when we found an article in a nearby newspaper that left the “f” out of shifts. We snorted like a pig laughing at that one.
Ms. Rose was so much more than an award winning journalist. She was compassionate and caring about her community. She loved her family and her Lord and His church dearly.
Yes, methinks our Rose Aldridge was the best.
Aldridge, former long-time News Editor of The Blackshear Times, passed away Saturday, June 6. She was 76.
• Jason Deal is News Editor for The Blackshear Times. Reach him at jdeal@blacksheartimes. news.
