‘I am humbled’ (Editorial)

I am humbled — mightily humbled, beyond words — by the honor extended to me last week by this newspaper and the agriculture community of the Mid-Atlantic.
As I approach, day by day, my 90th birthday, I was pleased to hear that The Delmarva Farmer family, including publisher E. Ralph Hostetter, would gather for a luncheon on May 4 — after the paper was out — presumably to celebrate something.
The astonishing tribute to me was unveiled shortly after during a brief break in the conversation — a supplement celebrating my career with a donation from its revenue to a worthy cause.
Much of what followed is obscured in “Oh my what is happening?” … “Oh my, what do I say?” … “How do I respond to all of this?’’
A few hours later, at home, I grappled with an even larger question. How do I go about saying “Thank you” to all of you for 40 years of support of The Delmarva Farmer?
My son Tim called. “How’d it go today Dad?” he asked. He had visited recently and knew what was going on behind the scenes.
I briefed him the best I could. “But Tim, I am struggling with how to respond to all of this. … How do I express how I feel?”
“Listen, Dad,” he said. “Keep it simple.”
Good idea under the circumstances.
A heartfelt thank you for joining The Delmarva Farmer in recording the ever-changing moods, culture and patterns of agricultural life and production on Delmarva and its neighboring states over the past four decades. Equally exciting and challenging years lie ahead. We await them.
—Bruce Hotchkiss

(Editor’s note: The supplement can be viewed online here.)