“Mom … you just need to send in your resume and a sample of your work.” That statement, spoken by my middle son, Dan, was the catalyst for what would become 15 of the most fulfilling years of my life.

It was September of 1995 and the San Clemente Journal had two issues on the newsstands. I had been freelance writing and editing since my college days, and was sure that after two months the magazine would probably have its staff already in place. But my son wasn’t taking no for an answer, emphatically insisting that I contact the publication. So on a Monday I sent in my paperwork and on Wednesday Don Kindred called with an assignment to write about Laura’s House. (I found out later the call was made at the suggestion of the original editor, Tina Visnic Wolfe.) I’m one of those people who believe that everything happens for a reason. I know that my association with the San Clemente Journal was no accident, and I’ll never forget the day I turned in that first article. The magazine had its offices on Avenida Cabrillo in those days. It was a time before computers and email, and when I took my work into Don’s office, I remember sitting nervously across from him while he read my piece. When he finished he looked up, paused, and said, “Wow … how would you like to write another article.”

There have been a myriad of stories since those first two written for the October 1995 issue. Don has given me the opportunity to do something that I love, and in the process I have had the chance to meet and write about many of the great people who live, work and play in a town that is dear to my heart.

I know those early years were sketchy for the Kindreds. But Don held tight to his dream and the magazine has grown into much more than any of us could have known. It seems that the tough times are always the best of times.

I miss those “good old days” sometimes, and the original staff and office personnel who have since moved on … Tina, Andy Fulton, Dorothy Fuller, Wendy Martinico Gatsios, Joel Barbee, and Jeff Birch. We had some great times scrambling together to meet deadlines. 

In the last 15 years, the magazine’s writers and office personnel have come and gone, and publication methods and office locations have changed, but for the most part things have been very good. We have done our best to Celebrate Life in San Clemente, presenting our town and its people in a positive light, and I am proud of what we have accomplished. As an editor and writer I have received much, most importantly the friendship of Don and Shelly Kindred. They have been there for me through thick and thin, especially when I lost my husband, the love of my life. Looking back to that day in September 1995, I am grateful that my son was so insistent. If not for him, I would never have become a writer, then editor for the Journal. And … I would have missed out on some of the best years in my life.

Anne Batty Senior Editor