We invited Carolyn Emmons Carpp ’54, the former editor of the Gazette who retired in October 2023, to reflect on the history of the Gazette magazine.

I learned about the Gazette at the annual luncheon in 2004. They asked the new members of the Garfield Golden Grads (GGG) how they wanted to get involved. One option was the “newsletter” committee, which was actually a 40-page magazine edited by Catherine Iles ’48. It had two color pages in the center and a purple cover with black print and Irwin Kaplan’s bulldog on a rocking chair. The rest was in black and white.

Jack Seeley ’48 was the GGG Chairman, and the newsletter had eight staff, including a photographer. There were also Scholarship and Hall of Fame Committees. Lovie Smith ’49 was the obituary editor. The GGG started in 1988 and charged $8 annual dues. They changed the name of the magazine to the Gazette in April of 2007 when dues increased to $10. The lunch at the Lake City Elks then cost $25. I had been “assisting” Catherine since the fall of 2000, but I officially took over in October 2007.

Catherine had switched from a typewriter to a Macintosh. But I had used PCs for 43 years as a teacher at the Lake Washington School District, so it was challenging at first. Things got easier when the two systems could “talk to each other.” The printer that Catherine used had a graphic design team and added the photos. The printer was in Monroe, WA, and required several trips to exchange information. They had some “family connection” to Garfield grads. But they changed their business model and stopped printing magazines. Al Finegold, the new GGG president, and I searched for a new printer at a reasonable price. We found one in Bellevue, but they wanted “print-ready copy.” I agreed to do it, because we couldn’t afford professional graphic artists. The Bellevue printer died after one issue. Al and I found another printer in Redmond called Hot Off the Press. That’s how we started working together for many years.

Many GGGs have been a regular help to me. I can’t list all their contributions. But they always supported me with encouragement and material for each issue. Thank you, friends! Some of the longtime staff who supported the Gazette magazine: Al and Lana Finegold, Maureen Kerschbaum, Leslie Burdick, Mike, Julie Meacham, Susan Prince, Lovey Smith, and Andrew and Cheryl Koeppen of Hot off the Press: GOAT Professional Services.