I must have met Elin when we were about 21 years old, while both of us were studying journalism at our small college in western Oregon.
We weren’t actually immediately friends, believe it or not, but I remember being struck by how self-assured, knowledgeable, confident, and even intimidating she was in class.
A real journalism powerhouse.
I must have known she was from Alaska — growing up between Juneau, Kodiak and Anchorage to be exact — but I hadn’t given that much thought. As we were becoming closer friends working on our school newspaper in Oregon, I still wasn’t thinking about the Last Frontier, let alone planning on visiting or moving here one day.
But as luck or fate would have it, after we graduated I ended up in Anchorage and then later in Kenai working as a full-time reporter and photographer for the Peninsula Clarion. Elin had done an education reporting fellowship in Washington, D.C. and then moved almost all the way back home (to Seattle), and the two of us later caught up in Anchorage during one of her holiday visits.
I found my way to The Cordova Times, and later when another editor position opened up, I recommended Elin. The two of us began working together again.
From her first day in February 2023, Elin has worked tirelessly to help The Cordova Times after a change in ownership the previous year. Every week she manages and edits content coming in from our freelancers, local contributors and photographers, all while working on her own reporting. She’s also gone far beyond her original job description to help contrive advertising campaigns and research grants and other funding opportunities.
One of my favorite stories of hers perfectly epitomizes small-town reporting — chronicling how the local NAPA store owner expressed frustration with the city when it came to residents dumping their non-recyclable batteries at his business. That story also won First Place in the small print category for Best Reporting on Government or Politics at this year’s Alaska Press Club awards.
I want to thank Elin for all her contributions to The Cordova Times throughout her tenure, including all the little ones we forget to thank her for every week. She is leaving to pursue a full-time career as an education writer, which is her primary area of interest, and we wish her nothing but success in the future.
Thank you, Elin. You’ll be missed.
