The end of an era – Andrew Mason says goodbye
Today the Daily Illini Opinions Editor, Andrew Mason, wrote a farewell column. I’ve had the privilege to get to know Andrew and to discuss many issues concerning the student body, the University, and the state with him. Andrew has a first class temperament, excellent judgment, complete journalistic integrity, and mighty pen. He has championed important student issues, and insisted on accountability from administrators. He takes bold positions, but always does so thoughtfully, with deliberate grace.
I will miss reading his work. In the seven years I spent reading the DI almost every day as a student, and the other three years I’ve continued to read the paper (one before law school, and two after), I believe that Andy Mason is probably the best writer to serve as Opinions Editor. I’ll miss having the opportunity to read his work on a daily basis.
Best of luck Andrew, and Bravo!
Comment by Billy Joe Mills on 16 December 2008 at 1:49 pm:
One thing I regret about the market is that jobs valuable to society are often few or underpaid. Journalists are at the top of that list. Despite this, I hope that Andrew becomes a journalist or an editor out in the “real world.” He is fantastic in that role and it will be sad to me if the market doesn’t offer him the opportunity to continue in it.
Andrew, thanks for your service and contribution to our campus.
Comment by Billy Joe Mills on 16 December 2008 at 1:51 pm:
Also, Andrew, I hope that you know you have a permanent invitation to write for this blog.
Comment by Katie on 16 December 2008 at 1:54 pm:
Andrew Mason rules. He dedicated an incredible amount of time and effort to a thankless job. I recall several occasions when I passed him on Green Street- I was heading home from the bars and he was heading home from the DI. He put up with rude letters, obnoxious columnists, and angry administrators, but always managed to keep the Opinions page totally classy. The DI was lucky to have him.
Thanks for a great semester, Andrew. Best editor ever.
Comment by Andrew Mason on 16 December 2008 at 7:49 pm:
Oh you guys. And gal.
It certainly helps to have a great staff who remains patient with me. I remember being scared of all those seniors as I got up in front of that white board two years ago for the first time.
Looking back, it helped me grow up quickly. It’s so neat that I got to meet so many interesting people. I know people in California, Arizona, Montana, New York, D.C., Austria, Russia, Vietnam, South Korea, Mexico. Amazing. And I’m from a 600-person farm town where a trip to Jacksonville, Ill. (pop. 18000) was called “goin’ to the city.”
I really can’t overstate how thankful I am for getting to know everybody and this new town. I can’t imagine what my college days would’ve been like had I not joined the DI.
The DI will be fine without me I’m sure. It’s time to give someone else the chance to drive. Thank you all. I’ll be around definitely, this place is looking more cozy all the time.
Comment by Joshua on 16 December 2008 at 8:11 pm:
Andy, Tom and I are also small town farm kids. I’m from outside of Decatur. What is your small town?
Comment by Andrew Mason on 16 December 2008 at 10:07 pm:
About 45 mins SW of Springfield. Roughly 2 hours from Champaign.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=39.582969,-90.24672&spn=0.019316,0.04549&z=15
Comment by Joshua on 16 December 2008 at 11:17 pm:
Here’s mine:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=oreana+IL&ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ll=39.939225,-88.867378&spn=0.029745,0.055275&t=h&z=14&g=oreana+IL&iwloc=addr
Comment by John Bambenek on 22 December 2008 at 5:25 pm:
Mason rocks because he always had the wisdom and foresight to publish my stuff :)
Comment by Joshua on 22 December 2008 at 7:35 pm:
We have invited Andrew to blog with us and created an account for him. I’m hoping he takes us up on it!