Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

My co-workers and I received sad news Monday that our former co-worker and friend, Ed Shannon, passed away. Ed worked for the Tribune until retiring in 2011, but we still used him on a freelance basis for Albert Lea magazine and for other articles here and there.

There was no one else like him.

When I first started at the Tribune in 2006, Ed sat at the desk next to mine. At that time I was a reporter, and Ed was my go-to guy. Having lived in Albert Lea for many years, he knew most everything going on in the community. I turned to him if I wanted to know what was going on with something in town, and I turned to him if I wanted the history on something. He was a wealth of information.

Even after he was technically retired from the Tribune, he occasionally brought in story ideas  about something he had heard while out in the community. He had a great nose for news and was always a community-minded person. I looked up to that aspect about him.

Anyone who knew Ed knew he had a great sense of humor. It was something we chuckled about often at the Tribune, and he always lightened the mood at the office when he was here visiting.

What I admired most about Ed, however, was not his knowledge or his connections in the community, but his kindness. He was someone who always offered kind words and who thought about others.

When I first started at the Tribune, Geri Murtaugh was also still living. I recall on a few occasions when Ed took Geri’s two children to school because of some conflicts in schedules.

He gave Christmas gifts to the children, and he was just an all-around great person.

He was thoughtful during my second pregnancy when I encountered gestational diabetes. As a diabetic himself, he offered tips and words of wisdom. I felt closer to him after that experience.

He didn’t do these things for recognition; he did these things because that was who he was.

We have started gathering information about Ed’s life and plan on publishing a story about his life, talking with some of the people he worked with both in our industry and at other places at the community.

If anyone has any special memories of Ed, please contact me directly at 379-3433 or sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor. Her column appears every Tuesday.