Shaker: More Than A Great Editor

Sheryl Shaker. It's not a common name, which is fitting for someone who is truly uncommon. In a world where many people "look out for number one", Sheryl always looks out for others. Unselfish to a fault, she puts the interests of her family, friends, and her co-workers, ahead of herself. And for the past year, Sheryl looked out for New Canaan Patch, driving the website with an incredible work ethic, unbridled passion, and a burning desire to make it the best it can possibly be.

In this day and age of cutbacks and limited resources, that is not an easy task. In a town of a highly-educated and incredibly successful people whose standards are skyscraper-high, it's almost impossible. There are always those who think they can run the country better than the president, coach a team like Bill Belichick, and write more creatively than Vonnegut. I'm sure after reading Patch day after day, there are some who think they could've run it better than Sheryl. Trust me, they couldn't.

To truly appreciate what Sheryl has done for Patch, one had to work for her. She was nearly obsessive in upholding the integrity and standards of the company. She never compared Patch to other news outlets in town, her goal was to make it as good as the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, even though she didn't have 1000th of the man power, financial resources, and talent of those media giants. Her attitude was, "I'm David, they are Goliath, and I will win." Not hope to win, but will win.

The editor's position was not a 9-to-5, don't-bother-me-on-the-weekend job for Sheryl.  She was all in, all the time. I chuckle at the thought of her watching many of those less-than-exciting Town Council meetings on her television at home until 10:00 pm just to make sure the reporters covering the proceedings didn't miss anything significant when they posted their story the following morning. I remember the phone calls and e-mails from Sheryl that I'd get late at night, at a time when the rest of the world was sleeping. She would have a question about a sentence or ask me where I had gotten a number critical to the story. That was Sheryl. All in, all the time.

Sheryl Shaker was more than just a boss driving us to be the best we could possibly be, she was a great friend and mentor. She treated us with care and respect, even when there were times when we didn't deserve it. Sheryl cared not only about our work, but our lives, always trying to do something to make it a little better.

People come and go all the time in this business. It's just the nature of the beast and the way things are in these tough economic times. But there is no one who can replace Sheryl or accomplish what she did for the site. She is as uncommon as her name and she will be truly missed.