From the Editor: Celebrating Special People

Highlights from our May issue.

As jobs go, nursing is hot. Constant demand means good wages and some degree of mobility for those who enter the field. But that’s not why most people become nurses. It is a avocation. More than anything, nurses want to help others. 

Many do so at some personal or emotional expense, as you’ll read in Melissa Jacobs’ story, the centerpiece of our Top Nurses package this year. As we honor the men and women who make our medical encounters so much more bearable, some of the best tell us about the patients and experiences they can’t forget, people who changed their lives, even as the nurses changed theirs. Their stories are a wonderful expression of what makes us human and what makes a relationship real. If you want to know why some special people choose to enter a profession that is sometimes difficult and painful, Melissa’s subjects shed some light on the magnitude of the reward. 

Family businesses have a unique set of issues and concerns. Picking a new CEO doesn’t happen by a vote of the board. Employees who don’t get along on the job may have to sit next to each other at a holiday dinner with the extended family. This month, we scope that idea down a bit in writer Pam George’s story about mothers who work with their children. The featured entrepreneurs would define family businesses as including lots of love. I hope you’ll find photographer Leslie Barbaro’s images stunning.

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We think of May as a time for spring flowers, but as the exhibitors of Wilmington Garden Day will tell you, it’s not always easy to coax out the blossoms in time for the annual tradition, which turns 70 this year. Writer Eileen Dallabrida explains how the organizers and exhibitors make sure the gardens are ready to impress and inspire, and takes a look back as the event moves into a new era as an independent nonprofit in her story. If you need further ideas for your own outdoor spaces, also check out Eileen’s story here.

Many members of the staff here are proud Blue Hens, so we’re always glad to bring good news about the university and our other fine colleges and universities. This month, writer Michael Bradley profiles UD president Dennis Assanis as he closes in on the end of his first year in Hullihen Hall. Hailing from Athens, Greece, the cradle of Western thought, Assanis brings an Old World education and a professional history of innovation in industry to his role. He seems a perfect fit for a school that is positioning itself as a regional leader in technology and entrepreneurship. Not that Assanis doesn’t have bigger things in mind. Read the story here.

If you’re a history lover, this may send a little tingle down your spine: Dover celebrates its 300th birthday this month. Here’s Mayor Robin Christiansen expressing his feeling for the city while standing on The Green: “I look to the left and the right, and I see the country flowing out from there.” The Green is where the Delaware delegation made Delaware the first state to ratify the Constitution in 1787, in essence creating the United States. “Philadelphia gets all the credit, but if it hadn’t been for 30 people from Delaware—this is where the country started.” It’s one of many things we have to proud of. Read more in Kim Hoey’s story.

There is much more, as always. Read on, and enjoy.

—Mark Nardone, Executive Editor

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