YDR Insider

Here’s what typically happened at a Daily Record/Sunday News editorial board meeting:

We’d gather around a table in my office once a week, bringing with us ideas for editorials — our collective position on community issues that runs down the left side of our opinion page.

We’d take turns making our pitches, debate the issues around the table for a while, trying to come to a consensus on what I should write on behalf of the board.

When we’d all had our turn, we would look to Publisher Fred Uffelman — who would usually stay out of the early debate, just listening.

“What do you think, Fred?”

Then he’d offer a nice, succinct bit of common sense.

Usually, I agreed with him — though not always.

But I always liked the way he put things. With a little humor, a hearty laugh and a deep knowledge of this community.

His opinion was not always the one that ended up in print, and I liked that about him, too — letting consensus rule in most cases.

He came to the publisher’s seat from the “business” side of the business, but he had an innate understanding of journalism and a strong respect for it.

This week, Fred announced his retirement after 28 years with the York Daily Record/Sunday News.

I’m going to miss working with him.