"I can think of no human being who has a better time than an eager and energetic young reporter."

"Be kind to everyone you meet, for they may be facing a harder battle." I try so hard to always remember this, and to abide by carpe diem because we all know life is too short. But no matter how hard you try, there will always come a time when you wish you had tried harder. Today is one of those days.

We had our ups and downs, certainly, especially when it came to me sticking to deadlines. I started off in my position as assistant news editor mildly terrified of you, because you seemed to have it all together. But I was happy that, by the end of the year, we were able to gossip about boys and spend time laughing in the Observer office. You embodied the spirit of the "eager and energetic young reporter" and everyone knew never to stand between you and your story. You got down into the investigative topics no one else wanted to sift through, and your talent was made evident by the name you made for yourself at Fordham. Hell, your work on the religion beat even got you a top spot among Ivy League writers for the Chandler Award for Student Writer of the Year in Religion. Mostly, I envied your ability to dedicate everything to The Observer, even if it meant giving up on other opportunities. Nobody had any doubt that you were the best for the position of news editor for the second year in a row because of your unwavering dedication. You truly WERE the news section of the Observer. I can't think of news without thinking of you. And more than that, I think we all knew you would kick serious ass as an investigative reporter for some major news outlet, and it wouldn't take you long to get there. I always envisioned our future as some kind of competition, even after college, of who gets published in the New York Times first or who's certain to become a household name before the other. You probably would have won.

Now, I guess, we'll never really know. I was so shaken when I heard the news today, because you were so young and talented and had such a bright future. Sure, that's what they all say, but it couldn't have been more true for you. I only wish I had told you these things while I still had the chance. Because sure, we had our share of minor squabbles, of rolled eyes and raised voices, but I became a better news writer by writing for you, and I truly respected your drive as a journalist. And maybe those little pockets of tension were just clouds of envy, because you had something I don't.

All I can say for sure is you shouldn't have been making headlines like this. You should have been writing them yourself.

If heaven has a newspaper, I'm sure you'll be editor-in-chief in no time. Say hi to Walter Cronkite for me, and more than anything, please rest in peace. The Observer will never be the same without you. We'll miss you, Casey.



Fordham Observer: The Observer Mourns the Loss of Its News Editor
Fordham Notes Memorial Blog