by Landus Rigsby

Saying goodbye is never easy. Earlier this week, I said goodbye to the “Education & Sports Reporter” position that I have been honored to hold for nearly 6 years. But saying goodbye to the COURIER or this city as a whole wouldn’t be appropriate because Claremont will still be a part of my life, though when you see me, I’ll no longer have the reporter’s notebook in one hand and a pen in the other.

It would be impossible to fit all the things I’m thankful for regarding the COURIER and the city of Claremont in a small column. I have enjoyed all of the people that I have met along the way, the different stories I’ve covered and the friendships that were forged while working in Claremont. I am especially thankful for all the support that Claremont has shown me since I was diagnosed with Stage 5 Renal Failure. To this day, I am still amazed by it.

When I started working for the COURIER in September 2006, it was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Within a year, I met my wife, Adriana, who I married in June 2009. I also inherited my precious 8-year-old stepdaughter, Monet. A day before the wedding, escrow closed and my wife and I became the proud new owners of a 2-story home in north Fontana. I was living with my father when I began at the COURIER. Yet, after saving money for 3 years, I was able to make my dream of having a family and a home come true. The COURIER played a huge role in that.

Life is precious but short. My condition has caused me to reflect on my own mortality and brought to a greater light what is most important to me. These past 5 months with my family at home have been some of the best months of my life. In the midst of my health challenges has been a sense of renewal that has changed how I look at life itself. So Adriana and I are headed in a new direction and ready to begin the next chapter of our lives together in the area of real estate. I am also working on several online projects that I’ve planned for years but have not been able to execute.

Thanks again, Claremont, for being a wonderful city. I will always be appreciative to you for giving me an opportunity to represent you. Peter [Weinberger], Kathryn [Dunn] and the rest of the COURIER family, I thank you all. To the late Martin Weinberger and his wife, Janis, thank you for your vision of the COURIER that allowed me to have a place to work for nearly 6 years. The secret to the COURIER’s success is its people, and I’ve been privileged to be one of them.

This is not goodbye. It’s just the beginning of a new chapter, so I’ll see you around!