During my summer internship at The Record, my boss came to talk to me about a letter written by a grandmother whose son-in-law died in the North tower during 9/11. Michael John Simon wanted to start a youth lacrosse league for the Northern Valley Demarest area. Simon loved the game and also taught his kids to play. He felt that he could bring something back to the area by starting a lacrosse league for the town youth. He never got to establish the league because of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
However, his dream lives on. David Poupard, a man who lives in the same area, learned about Simon’s dream through a lacrosse magazine. Poupard felt that he and Simon shared the same dream. Poupard finished what Simon started.
The worst part about writing this article was when I had to interview the widow of Simon. Eileen Simon appeared very young and had three kids with Michael. First, I interviewed her on the phone and at one point, she lost it and began to cry. I felt really bad but I needed to get the information. She appreciated that I was writing the article anyway.
After my friend’s graduation party, I met the Simon family and Poupard. They were all very open and honest, I still felt bad poking around the touchy subject. I made sure that I didn’t press too many buttons. It was a tribute to a good father, husband, and much more, so everyone appreciated my questions.
This was my second article published for The Record. There were less errors and stylistic mistakes. Having my article edited by professional writers helped my journalistic skills. This time my paper looked like a candy cane instead of kool aid.
