Greetings to the readers of the Clarkston News. My name is Phil Custodio, and I’m the new editor.
I grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and earned my journalism degree at Ohio State University. Hopefully mitigating this transgression, I earned a master’s degree at the University of Michigan branch campus in Flint. I worked for two years as a reporter at the Flushing Observer community newspaper near Flint, and as an editor for three years at the Heritage newspapers in Genesee County, which included the Observer. Before that, I served in the U.S. Army for four years (including the first Iraq war).
So far, my installation as editor has been going well. Everyone I’ve met in the office and the community has been professional and courteous, but some seem to be a bit apprehensive about me and my abilities. This is understandable. The last time I got a job as editor, I had already been a reporter there for two years. People here don’t know me from Adam (whoever he is). This will hopefully soon change. I’m already set to attend a couple evening governmental meetings (that’s normal for your editor, right guys?). I’m visiting with local officials. I’ve met with several readers who have come into the office to make suggestions and comments. I’m happy about that – I wouldn’t want to work for a newspaper that isn’t read by anyone.
I can see already that this is a great place to work, as everyone here hopefully already knows. My desk has a great second-story view through one of those old-fashioned, distorted-glass windows, smack dab in the middle of historic downtown Clarkston. I can see the Olde Village Cafe and Clarkston Village Bake Shop – got to stop there sometime soon. I see the Treasure Gifts & Beyond store – probably something more my wife’s speed.
This is a nice-looking area – lots of lakes and ponds, historic downtowns, folks chatting on wrought-iron benches sipping their coffee. As a way of getting to know the area, I’ve downloaded a “Brief History of Clarkston” from the Clarkston Community Historical Society web page. The two-story building pictured on the web page seems to be the same building I look at through my window, the one that says “Maccabee Temple” on its upper facade and has a bunch of fake owls perched on top. Another photo shows a young family in a rowboat on a lake. Except for the dirt streets, horse-drawn wagons, fancy hats and clothes, and the lack of life preservers on the boaters, these could be recent photos.
In a town like this, many families go back a long time. The Holcomb, Beardslee, Dorr, and of course Clark families, listed by the historical society as among the first settlers of the area, are still well represented in the phonebook. I’m not a life-long resident of this area – far from it – but I hope to be just as good as one soon.