The Georgetowner: A Life of Its Own


Forty years ago, as a Georgetown University student, I gave the Georgetowner Newspaper little attention. It seemed to me to be the old people’s newspaper. Today, it occupies my waking hours and then some.

My news journey between then and now remains oriented to Washington, D.C., and Georgetown. While I may have worked for U.S. News & World Report, Army-Navy-Air Force Times and the Washington Times, the Georgetowner was always there, whether in the background or not.

I met editor and publisher David Roffman through his brother Randy, who worked for the newspaper, at the Bread & Chocolate on Prospect Street (it would become Cafe Milano). Dave muttered to his brother, “Another [guy] in a suit.” I can also say I met the Georgetowner staffers through Georgetowner Francis Scott Key. In my work for the Francis Scott Key Foundation, I had completed the Star-Spangled Banner Relay — from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to Georgetown, specifically the as-yet unbuilt Key Park in 1991, and wrote about it for the newspaper. Dave and I became great friends.

In 1992, I met Sonya Bernhardt when she owned an art gallery, and she, too, has become a great friend. She credits me with getting her involved with the newspaper. I credit her with saving the Georgetowner and breathing new life into the old girl. The paper had gotten zippier under the influence of Roffman during the 1980s, but it was Bernhardt — as third owner and third publisher — who put the newspaper on a more serious business footing for the 21st century.

Friendship is perhaps not the first word to come into one’s mind when thinking of Georgetown. Yet, it is a defining, quiet feature of our neighborhood. I have experienced such loyalty and trust with businesses and neighbors here. In 2005, sculptor and fellow Key Foundation colleague, John Dreyfuss invited me to rent an apartment at Halcyon House, a glorious, historic spot. My other little places around 35th and Prospect streets attest to neighbors’ generosity and concern.

Most of us in the news business may not make it to the millionaire’s club, but we do get opportunities to meet some of the world’s most interesting folks. Within weeks at the newspaper, I saw Frank Sinatra at Warner Theatre and, soon enough, Gov. Bill Clinton at Gaston Hall. A year or two ago, it was Bono at Gaston Hall and President Barack Obama at Georgetown Waterfront Park. Regardless, the lives and stories of Georgetown neighbors can keep up with all those high and mighty – that’s why this newspaper was created in the first place.

Yes, we have run many excellent stories and profiles over the years, but we believe the Georgetowner’s coverage of the September 11 attacks with front pages through the end of 2001 was superlative — given our resources — and revealed the urgency of our new century. Again, I tip my hat to writer Gary Tischler, the strong heart and gentle soul of the Georgetowner.

Meanwhile, the work and fun never end — whether meeting and working with the most interesting persons in Georgetown, covering various news, attending community events or showing our interns how to report (or giving them a tour of this great town). As with the phrase, “once a Georgetowner, always a Georgetowner,” it is the same with this newspaper: “Once on the staff of the Georgetowner, always on the staff of the Georgetowner.”

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