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Health & Fitness

Farewell Portsmouth; You Made Me Proud

To all the Portsmouth and Tiverton-Little Compton readers,

I want to thank each and every one of you for the past 3 years and 7 months. It has been an honor to serve as editor of Portsmouth Patch, the first Patch site launched in Rhode Island back in July 2010, and later as the third editor of Tiverton-Little Compton Patch.

As you might have heard or read, as of Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, my employment ended with Patch after AOL's recent sale of Patch to Hale Global. The majority of Patch editors throughout the country were not invited to go forward with Hale Global's future plans for Patch.

Find out what's happening in Portsmouthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I, however, cannot thank you all enough for the wonderful experiences throughout the years in Portsmouth and Tiverton-Little Compton. I came to know many of you personally and professionally, for which makes me extremely grateful. The entire East Bay community made me proud to call Portsmouth - and the surrounding area - home.

There were so many wonderful experiences, this blog post simply cannot name them all. Some of my favorite memories include joining Portsmouth in the 375th Anniversary heart, helping to find a family's lost dog from Bristol Ferry Road, the Clements' annual diaper derby (always a favorite of mine), and providing emergency information during Hurricane Irene, and later, Hurricane Sandy and blizzard Nemo.

Find out what's happening in Portsmouthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Some of the biggest stories over the past three years occurred in the Portsmouth area, from the fight over bridge tolls to the nationwide search for a missing teen. It made me proud and honored to be able to tell the stories cared about by this community.

As my colleague and former Coventry Patch editor Lauren Elyse wrote to her own readers, and I couldn't say it better, “I'm a better person for meeting each and every one of you and I am forever grateful for everything I've learned from my time in this role.”

I, too, will miss being called the “Patch girl” and sometimes, simply as “The Patch.” I will continue to reside in town through May and continue teaching at the University of Rhode Island. Please don't be a stranger if you see me around town.

You can also stay in touch by following me on Twitter @Sandy_McGee, Facebook under “Sandy McGee” and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sandy-mcgee/43/33b/709/.

It's been an honor, a privilege and an unforgettable experience.

Until we meet again,

Sandy M.

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