LETTER: Thanks and godspeed to the Northrop family
The sale of the Observer-Reporter has shaken many of us to our core. For all who live in this community, this company is so much more than a newspaper. It’s a fact – life has changed.
The Northrop family has owned the Observer-Reporter for 116 years. Five generations of Northrops have worked for the company, covering the news that has shaped our country and our communities.
They covered the first sustained and manned plane flight. All of the wars from the 20th century to date – focusing not only on the broad, pertinent information, but the stories of our locals serving their country and those missing or killed in action. They were there when women won the right to vote and for the 1929 stock market crash.
They were there in 1922 when Washington & Jefferson College played in the Rose Bowl. When the George Washington Hotel opened in 1923. They covered the tornado that ripped through the area in 1944 and the record snowfall on Thanksgiving 1950. Headlines on the Pittsburgh Pirates 1960 World Series win and the Pittsburgh Steelers first Super Bowl win in 1975 graced the pages. They were there when the Washington Mall opened in 1968 and for its demise over the last two decades. They wrote about the attacks of 9/11. They’ve covered school district strikes, municipal meetings and everything in between.
Through it all, the Northrop family has been dedicated to supporting the communities in which they serve. Our foundations, charities, organizations – and our people – wouldn’t be where they are today were it not for their incredible generosity. It is the end of an era, one that we were blessed in so many ways to have navigated with the Northrop family. And for that, we say thank you, and godspeed.
Tripp Kline
Washington