Ellen Foley 'loved every minute'

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: Grateful editor 'loved every minute' : : A Wisconsin State Journal editorial : I've spent the past week liberating my office of scraps of papers with scribbled phone numbers, old printouts from Web stories on how to be a better editor and brilliantly written strategic planning documents. : I threw most of it away. : Many of you learned last week that I am leaving the job of editor of the Wisconsin State Journal to work on work/life balance related to my husband's health. Tom has lymphoma, a blood cancer, and he has been getting excellent and innovative care at UW Hospital. He is in remission, and we are very optimistic that he will be with us a good long time. : He recently underwent a month-long therapy called stem cell transplant. Recovery time could be six months. We discovered that one of the most powerful medicines for Tom is to have me around to pester him about pills and thermometers and how he'd like the broccoli cooked today. I need to spend more time with my family. : Bill Johnston, Wisconsin State Journal publisher, has begun a nationwide search to find a new editor. I leave readers and Web users in good hands. : I wanted to share with you one last time as editor how grateful I have been for the support and comments that many of you shared via phone or e-mail in the past 4 1/2 years. Even when you were angry with a change to the paper, I took it as a compliment that you would spend your time to give me a piece of your mind. : Thank you. : To those of you who participated in our Nonprofit Advisory Board and other groups who advised us on story ideas, I send a shout-out for giving us your time and some great insights about our region. : Thank you. : To the nimble and devoted staff at the Wisconsin State Journal, I commend you for following my lead and forgiving my mistakes in our effort to transform our company into a print and Web channel for the area's best local news. : Thank you. : As I told the news staff Monday, I have loved every minute of my life as a journalist, and I have loved every minute working at the State Journal. Being editor of the State Journal was my dream job, and I had a great run. : I will work in the next year to get a deeper perspective on our industry and on my contribution to the community. I hope to stay in Madison, a magical place. : I have a book project that needs a publisher, a class I want to teach, two daughters with whom I need to reconnect and my wonderful husband, who needs my continued support. : I am optimistic about the future of journalism and Capital Newspapers. Industry conditions may mandate that newsrooms everywhere get a bit smaller, but no one will ever be able to replace the excellent journalism that Capital Newspaper reporters, editors, artists and photographers produce every day. : Fans of the Foley administration can do one favor to advance the cause of good journalism in Madison. Buy the paper. Patronize our advertisers. When you do this, you support the kind of journalism we do at the Wisconsin State Journal, the Capital Times and madison.com: truth-telling and community building. : I will continue to write an online journal. You are welcome to join the conversation here. I will work hard to continue my role as a leader in this wonderful region. E-mail me at ellen.madaline@gmail.com if you'd like. I'm still interested in the community conversation, and I look forward to hearing from you even if you want to issue a complaint about those annoying journalists. : : Starting today, Ellen Foley is a writer, editor, mother, wife and community leader living on Madison's West Side. : : (Ellen Foley, Wisconsin State Journal)

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