The Enterprise's New Editor: Introducing Myself

In case you’re wondering who the heck I am, let me take a moment to introduce myself.

My name is Ron Park, and (as of Thursday of last week) I am the new editor of the Dresden Enterprise.

Former editor Sabrina Bates has taken a position as Magic Valley Publishing’s regional news editor, and our mutual boss, Daniel Richardson, offered me Sabrina’s spot – and, after some deliberation, I took him up on that offer.

Just to provide a little biographical stuff, I most recently served as sports editor and head staff reporter at the Carroll County News-Leader, and, all told, I have about 20 years of experience in journalism, most of that with the News-Leader.

This, however, is my first gig as editor over a whole newspaper, so please bear with me and try to be patient while I’m figuring this thing out.

And plenty of thanks are due to Sabrina for taking the time to show me some of the ropes and pass on her knowledge – and to my new colleagues Jasmine Williams, Laura Bates, and David Fisher for keeping me and this newspaper propped up during this transition.

I’m a Carroll County native (specifically from the Hollow Rock-Bruceton Greater Metropolitan Area), a 1988 graduate of HRB Central High School, and after messing around for nearly a decade, I finally managed to earn a bachelor’s degree in English from Bethel University in McKenzie back in 1998.

For about the past 20 years, I have been living in Henry County, but I very recently moved to Huntingdon. If I had known I would be taking this position, I would have tried to find a place here in Weakley County, but now I’m going to have to wait a year for my lease to expire.

Regarding the column you’re presently reading (Ron’s Ravings), I started it at the News-Leader back in 2003 and continued to write it until I left in 2007 to explore other career options, and then I picked it back up about a year and half ago.

This column will continue to be published in the News-Leader and the Camden Chronicle, and, while I’m editor here, you, the fine people of Weakley County, will also be subjected to my mad musings and questionable views on everything under the sun on a weekly basis.

But enough about me. This newspaper is about you and your communities and your schools and your businesses here in Weakley County – and I hope to do my part to help keep up that tradition.

And I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as I can over the coming days, weeks, and months.

Since coming on board last week, I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting some of you at a couple of events, including Dresden’s jamboree game in Henry County Friday night and Saturday night’s inaugural Weakley County Sports Hall of Fame Banquet at UTM.

The Lions were looking pretty good, by the way, and the banquet was an impressive start to what will surely become an ongoing tradition of honoring this county’s athletic treasures. Weakley County seems to be well stocked in that department.

But, anyway, I’m sure this is going to be an adventure, and I’m hoping you’ll all come along for the ride.