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It’s funny sometimes how things work out.
We commit to some Delaware Today content far, far in advance of publication. The rest is planned as the weeks unfold. When we scheduled, almost a year ago, a piece for men in the month of Father’s Day, the November election was still months off. Who knew for sure that we would soon elect our first congresswoman? But when we did, clearly, hers was a story we had to tell as soon as we could—which turned out to be now.
So here it is: a profile of Lisa Blunt Rochester, right next to an exploration of manliness in the print magazine. For anyone who might be tempted to read something into that juxtaposition, rest assured, whatever you might imagine wasn’t intended.
In the initial stages of planning, we simply wanted to have some fun with the stereotype of a man’s man, take a tongue-in-cheek look at “guy” activities and interests. Yet as that package of stories was shaping up, it turned out that we saw the demise of another stereotype: that of Delaware’s representative in the U.S. House as the middle-aged white male.
Unintended juxtapositions aside, I personally think that’s pretty cool and—no offense intended to the fine men who served in congress during my lifetime—overdue.
My guess is that Ms. Blunt Rochester, as the first woman and person of color to be elected to represent us in the capital, feels some special pressures and responsibilities. Writer Larry Nagengast explains how her experiences prepared her for Congress and her plans.
Elsewhere in this issue, local businesswoman and nonprofit leader Cynthia Primo Martin recounts a recent trip to South Africa to meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Read her thoughts and impressions of the great man here. We welcome back history writer Mark Dixon, who conveys literary giant Theodore Dreiser’s observations about punishment on Delaware’s whipping post here. We deliver the results of our annual Top Dentists poll, with profiles of several of the best.
Writer Pam George brings us up to speed on new restaurants, shops and services from Milton to Fenwick Island in the summer Beach Guide, where you’ll also find everything you need to know about nightlife and about the 50th anniversary of Delaware Seashore State Park. Finally, we again visit the topic of public education, asking: Are we doing enough to improve schools and close an academic achievement gap between low-income students, often minorities, and others who are better off economically? The inconclusive conclusion is food for thought. Read more here.
—Mark Nardone, Executive Editor
