Unsung Heroes of The Madera Tribune (vol. 1)

The Madera Tribune has been serving Madera County since 1892. It is a community newspaper that keeps most of its news, articles, and advertisements at the local level. When I first began working at the Tribune, I recognized that it is futile for a newspaper such as this one to focus on national or global news. News travels very quickly through television, radio, and the internet, so by the time our newspaper is published, our readers have already heard the national and global news. The Madera Tribune’s concentration is on the community of Madera and Madera County, including Chowchilla.

Bill Coate wrote a wonderful article in 2017 on the history of newspapers in Madera and The Madera Tribune. You may find it in our archived files, April 6, 2017 “Over 132 years, journalism in Madera has had its heroes.” In this article, Mr. Coate gives us some background on this newspaper, and opens a window for you to see into the culture of this industry and some of the growing pains it has experienced and still experiences today.

I’d like to begin to introduce to you some of the unsung heroes of The Madera Tribune. They are the staff and writers who work so hard to publish and circulate for you, the readers, this little local newspaper called The Madera Tribune. They are what make up this little newspaper’s personality.

We currently have 18 employees, including Chuck Doud and myself. There are also several free-lance writers who are a part of the family of The Tribune. Without them, “The Trib” would not be the same. A few of the free-lance writers regularly interact with the employees, and so we consider them a part of the family.

The first personality I would like to introduce is sort of the sweetheart of the Tribune. She is kind and considerate, and I do not know anyone who doesn’t like this person.

Wendy Alexander is the photographer for The Madera Tribune. Most of our readers are familiar with her photography work, and if you have ever held or attended an event where she came to take pictures, then you know how she works. She is gracious, friendly, and makes every effort to get those faces through the lens of her camera. Wendy is one of the most accommodating people I know, and it is amazing how she seems to be able to be at several places at one time.

Wendy has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications & journalism, with an emphasis in photojournalism from Fresno State. She began working with the Madera Tribune as a free-lance photographer in 2003, and came on full-time as an employee in 2004. She is a mother of three, with two grandchildren, all of whom she adores.

There is no one more loyal to The Madera Tribune than Wendy Alexander. When she is asked to be at an event, or to photograph people or places for a publication, she is always eager to do what she can to get those quality pictures into the paper. I believe that her camera is actually part of her body, along with her schedule calendar and notebook.

Wendy loves people. Don’t ask her to discuss politics, or to talk bad about anyone. She won’t do it. She never wants to be in the middle of a political debate. She is a photographer. Of course, she is human, but her tolerance level is very high when it comes to dealing with people.

As the staff and writers allow me to write about them, I will try to help you understand how important each one is to this community. Just in case you are wondering about my favorite people at the Tribune, all of them are my favorites. The order I choose to introduce them has nothing to do with favoritism.

Have a great weekend, folks! Remember to show your appreciation to your loved ones. Never let an opportunity get away.

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God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

— 1 Peter 4:10