When the community writes a story back: Bob and Gerri Sweeney thank readers after Hall of Fame honor
In his Sept. 24 column, Bob Sweeney reflects on the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame honor he shares with Gerri—and the community that built the newspaper with them.
Bob Sweeney ·
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — For most of its life, a community newspaper tells the stories of the people around it. In his Sept. 24 Barbwire Bob column, publisher Bob Sweeney pauses to describe what it felt like when the community wrote a story back.
Bob and Gerri Sweeney were inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame during the association's Aug. 27–29 convention. The official convention program honored them for decades of leadership, service, open-government work and commitment to Colorado newsrooms. A Denver Gazette account also reported their induction.
The award carries both their names, Bob wrote, because their newspaper life has always been shared. It also belongs to the family, colleagues and community members who helped sustain the work.
A family newspaper
The Sweeneys' four children grew up around newspapers and each contributed to the family business. Saundra and Sharon worked at The Villager for more than 35 years before retiring. Susan now leads publishing and marketing, while Patrick supports the technology that keeps the newspaper operating.
After the Hall of Fame ceremony, Susan and production and design manager Tom McTighe assembled a 32-page tribute edition from family photographs, staff reflections, congratulatory advertising and greetings from friends and community partners. The project became more than a recognition of two publishers; it documented the network of people behind The Villager.
The people who keep a paper alive
Bob's Sept. 24 reflection thanks the subscribers who return year after year, the advertisers who invest in reaching local readers and the reporters, editors, photographers, production staff and salespeople whose work appears each week.
That work has recorded weddings and funerals, students and schools, local governments, nonprofits, community events and the people who make South Metro Denver distinctive. The paper's staff recently received 11 awards in the state press competition, recognition Bob places with the people who did the work.
Bob and Gerri celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary on Sept. 7. Their Hall of Fame honor arrived only days earlier, but the Sept. 24 column looks beyond the award itself: a community weekly endures because people continue to report, read, subscribe, advertise, contribute and remember.
Continue the community record: Read the family archive and approved messages—or submit a memory for newsroom review—on The Villager's Hall of Fame tribute page.