Missing our moments

I was out of town last week and unable to attend the Newcastle High School Hall of Fame induction, but I have to admit that being a member of that group is something that I’m particularly proud of — and incredibly humbled by.
I’m proud and humbled for the same reason — because I feel honored to not only be mentioned in the same breath as the outstanding people who have been admitted into the Hall, but also privileged to be able to welcome a batch of incredible individuals into the group when they are inducted each year.
Missing this year’s induction was double-tough for me because the founder of the NHS Hall of Fame, Debb Proctor, was welcomed into our midst alongside as fine a group of community members as has ever been assembled in one room.
I wasn’t there to thank them for the countless contributions they’ve made to Newcastle and its schools in person, but one of the nice things about my job is that I can make up for it by tipping my cap to them in this week’s paper.
That’s where the fun part of my job ends though, because space limitations require me to say that you’ll find the names of those people prominently displayed in the second section of last week’s NLJ. Unfortunately, while that’s true, a few sharp-eyed readers have already noticed that the list of past Hall of Fame inductees is missing the name of one of the members of the Class of 2015 — Tom Wright.
It really is an honor and privilege to be listed alongside people who are best, and most simply, described with only one word, “quality.” Tom epitomizes that for me, so I’m mortified that I allowed his name to be omitted from last week’s list — on top of missing the induction of the woman who nominated me for the Hall of Fame!
So I hope they’ll both accept my apology this week...
And while we’re talking about people we don’t want to forget, please heed the words of the Marine to the left (loud, profane and in your face as they may be), and make an extra effort to thank the veterans of our community this month. You never know when you’ll get distracted, or just too dang busy, and Veteran’s Day — and your opportunity to recognize the contributions of somebody you admire — will have come and gone.
It’s just better to not take that chance, so join us in honoring Weston County’s veterans from now until November 12, and make sure they know their contributions and sacrifice are something we will never forget.