Editorial: What makes a community newspaper? Editorial: What makes a community newspaper? (June 15, 2005)

As we think back on Carol Ivie's nearly 30 years as the Almanac's principal photographer, it is easy to see how closely her job and the role of a good community newspaper were intertwined.

Carol died unexpectedly in the early morning of June 5 of a heart attack -- stricken just hours after completing a typical weekend assignment at the Atherton Public Library. This was nothing unusual for Carol, who worked more weekends than the rest of our staff combined as she photographed the high points of community life in Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside.

It was through her work, and that of many others on the paper, that these communities have been able to interact and see themselves in the pages of the Almanac. This has been the case since the paper was founded nearly 40 years ago by three Portola Valley women who weren't happy with the coverage of their community by the Palo Alto Times or the San Francisco Chronicle. They started the paper in 1965 and were on their way.

The early Almanacs were designed to be a conduit for news about local schools and government agencies. And photography was a critical part of the equation.

Like many other Almanac staff members, when Carol came along in 1976 she wasn't sure about her abilities, but she was eager to learn. As a Woodside resident, she read the Almanac and wanted to be involved in her community; the local paper was an ideal way to go.

Already an amateur photographer, she soon taught herself enough to become the Almanac's person behind the camera. She took up sports photography, and soon was traveling to hundreds of Little League, soccer, football and other athletic events. It didn't take long for local residents to get to know Carol; they often said, "The Almanac's here," when they saw her with a camera.

In the course of her work, Carol got to know hundreds, if not thousands, of local residents, some of whom she first met as Little Leaguers, then met up with again when she photographed their sons or daughters on a sports team or at school. Carol spent her working life among our readers, becoming the Almanac's "goodwill ambassador."

Carol had a similar impact on the Almanac staff, earning immense respect for her work ethic and unflappable demeanor. She was always upbeat and ready to tackle another challenge, and despite her advancing years never mentioned the "R" (retirement) word. She will always live in our hearts and minds as a quintessential Almanac staff member, who knew her community and loved getting its images in the paper. We all will miss her.

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