Paper's pages capture moments in history
In the last couple weeks, the front pages of The Enterprise have featured stories highlighting major events of the past decade. Reporters were assigned to research stories from specific years and recommend the most significant events, which then were determined by a committee of editors.
There were many major stories in the last 10 years, but it’s important to remember that, for more than 129 years of major and minor news stories, this newspaper has taken a leadership role in reporting. The Enterprise has made a difference reporting local and world news for readers across the globe.
In my more than 30 years here, these are a few of the major events witnessed from the newsroom:
Jan. 28, 1986: I stood in the middle of the newsroom with other staff members watching on television as the space shuttle Challenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., exploding 73 seconds after liftoff. The explosion killed all seven of the crew members, including Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space. The Enterprise published an Extra edition with details.
June 7, 1998: The world watched as national media converged on Jasper to report the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. and the eventual trials of three men charged with his murder. Stories and photos from Enterprise staff members appeared in newspapers, magazines and books across the globe.
Nov. 7, 2000: In a rare moment of modern history, Americans went to bed on election night not knowing who had been elected as their president. Presses didn’t start their final run until well after midnight, but the majority of local readers got the right news: That the election was still undecided.
Sept. 11, 2001: While driving to work, I heard a radio bulletin about the first plane that crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. I thought, “what a horrible accident.” I was driving up the parking garage ramp when a bulletin about the second plane aired and I realized that this was no accident. Though the story wasn’t local, it had local impact. It was a day like no other in the newsroom.
Feb. 1, 2002: On a bright Saturday morning, the space shuttle Columbia fell apart in the sky over East Texas, killing seven astronauts and leaving a debris field that spanned hundreds of miles. As the largest nearby newspaper, The Enterprise became ground zero for coverage, again sharing photos and information with news media around the world.
Sept. 24, 2005: Weeks after reporting on Hurricane Katrina and reaching out to help evacuees of that storm, Southeast Texas was hard hit by Hurricane Rita. A crew of reporters and editors stayed in The Enterprise’s downtown building to post news to the Web. It would be months before The Enterprise would print an edition that didn’t contain the words, “Hurricane Rita.”
Sept. 13, 2008: Less than two weeks after evacuating from the threat of Hurricane Gustav, some coastal residents decided to try to ride out Hurricane Ike. But tides and storm surges hit areas with high water, causing mass destruction and substantial loss of life. The storm would change lives forever and leave coastal residents feeling insecure. One year before, Hurricane Humberto hit the area, growing from a tropical depression to hurricane strength in hours. The area experienced three damaging hurricanes in less than three years.
There have been other moments, painful and triumphant — the 2004 tragic death of 6-year-old Tre-Devin Odoms; the 2002 loss of much-loved lawyer Cris Quinn to a disgruntled client with a shotgun; the construction of a downtown art museum, followed by an energy museum and the State Fire Museum and others; Disney’s discovery of Southeast Texas and placement of a giant fire hydrant downtown to kick off their remake of “101 Dalmatians” followed by a 1998 trip to China (Texas) for the opening of “Mulan.”
It took me years in journalism to realize that part of my passion was related to my love of history. I feel grateful that my job has allowed me to participate in the writing of history’s first draft.
As we move toward a new year and a new decade, we at The Enterprise hope to continue to play an important role as your source of news and information.
There were many major stories in the last 10 years, but it’s important to remember that, for more than 129 years of major and minor news stories, this newspaper has taken a leadership role in reporting. The Enterprise has made a difference reporting local and world news for readers across the globe.
In my more than 30 years here, these are a few of the major events witnessed from the newsroom:
Jan. 28, 1986: I stood in the middle of the newsroom with other staff members watching on television as the space shuttle Challenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., exploding 73 seconds after liftoff. The explosion killed all seven of the crew members, including Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space. The Enterprise published an Extra edition with details.
June 7, 1998: The world watched as national media converged on Jasper to report the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. and the eventual trials of three men charged with his murder. Stories and photos from Enterprise staff members appeared in newspapers, magazines and books across the globe.
Nov. 7, 2000: In a rare moment of modern history, Americans went to bed on election night not knowing who had been elected as their president. Presses didn’t start their final run until well after midnight, but the majority of local readers got the right news: That the election was still undecided.
Sept. 11, 2001: While driving to work, I heard a radio bulletin about the first plane that crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. I thought, “what a horrible accident.” I was driving up the parking garage ramp when a bulletin about the second plane aired and I realized that this was no accident. Though the story wasn’t local, it had local impact. It was a day like no other in the newsroom.
Feb. 1, 2002: On a bright Saturday morning, the space shuttle Columbia fell apart in the sky over East Texas, killing seven astronauts and leaving a debris field that spanned hundreds of miles. As the largest nearby newspaper, The Enterprise became ground zero for coverage, again sharing photos and information with news media around the world.
Sept. 24, 2005: Weeks after reporting on Hurricane Katrina and reaching out to help evacuees of that storm, Southeast Texas was hard hit by Hurricane Rita. A crew of reporters and editors stayed in The Enterprise’s downtown building to post news to the Web. It would be months before The Enterprise would print an edition that didn’t contain the words, “Hurricane Rita.”
Sept. 13, 2008: Less than two weeks after evacuating from the threat of Hurricane Gustav, some coastal residents decided to try to ride out Hurricane Ike. But tides and storm surges hit areas with high water, causing mass destruction and substantial loss of life. The storm would change lives forever and leave coastal residents feeling insecure. One year before, Hurricane Humberto hit the area, growing from a tropical depression to hurricane strength in hours. The area experienced three damaging hurricanes in less than three years.
There have been other moments, painful and triumphant — the 2004 tragic death of 6-year-old Tre-Devin Odoms; the 2002 loss of much-loved lawyer Cris Quinn to a disgruntled client with a shotgun; the construction of a downtown art museum, followed by an energy museum and the State Fire Museum and others; Disney’s discovery of Southeast Texas and placement of a giant fire hydrant downtown to kick off their remake of “101 Dalmatians” followed by a 1998 trip to China (Texas) for the opening of “Mulan.”
It took me years in journalism to realize that part of my passion was related to my love of history. I feel grateful that my job has allowed me to participate in the writing of history’s first draft.
As we move toward a new year and a new decade, we at The Enterprise hope to continue to play an important role as your source of news and information.
posted by Sheila Friedeck at 2:57 PM
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