Scribbling

Ed Hardin’s front page article on the Great Smoky Mountains in the Greensboro News and Record this morning is compelling, informative, and touchingly elegiac.  If I am completely candid, I must confess that I did not expect this sort of writing from Ed, which may be an unfair observation on my part as my only acquaintance with Ed’s writing has been an occasional sortie through the sports page.  I get the impression that in the process of writing this particular article the author transcended the constraints that work may have imposed on this particular assignment; Hardin’s use of language clearly expresses  a sense of loss and reveals not only factual information but echos a personal empathy for our endangered natural resources.  Hardin’s piece illustrates some of the finest aspects of quality journalism and provides much needed encouragement to continue supporting our local newspaper.