Our Loss—The DR's Gain

This issue of Modern Machine Shop is the last for one of our favorite staff members. Lisa Gruber, assistant editor, is moving on. It's a bittersweet loss because, quite frankly, we're all very fond of Lisa.

She joined the magazine in April of 2000 after a stint as a reporter for a group of suburban Cincinnati newspapers. She transitioned from "normal" media into our rather vertical and jargon laden trade with professional aplomb.

Quickly figuring out nuances among a lathe, a machining center and much more, Lisa applied her innate intelligence and good humor to grasp our industry. Working on different sections of the magazine, asking questions, figuring stuff out, she soon acquired not only a handle on the technology but a voice for our readers.

As time went by, she was sent out into the world to interview people at shops and write their stories. In relatively short time, she contributed several bylined articles to the magazine. These included Rapid Traverse items and features.

Lisa also was responsible for the Better Production section for Modern Machine Shop, scheduling and editing case history material. She came a long way in a very short time, growing into a real player.

We're not losing Lisa to another job, at least in the conventional sense. Rather, she and her husband, Erik, have joined the Peace Corps. They will soon be moving to the Dominican Republic to help out that impoverished Caribbean nation.

It's a 2-year commitment that this young couple is making. Personally, I applaud them for their generosity. It speaks volumes about the plus side of the under 30 generation to give up so much to do a very good thing. In many ways, I envy them the adventure.

Of course, I'm old enough to remember when President Kennedy proposed the idea and appointed his brother-in-law Sergeant Shriver to make it happen. It was a good idea then and is probably even more so now because of the world we live in today. Sending bright and capable people, such as Lisa and Erik, to represent the United States is a noble calling. I can't think of two better young people to have as torchbearers for all of us.