An unforgettable moment.

I don't typically get too excited about producing anniversary coverage of an event that took place 10, 25 or 50 years earlier in an effort to recapture its supposed historical meaning. Sometimes the resulting stories seem stilted and forced.

We've made an exception this month--the 10th anniversary of that horrific day when 12 students and a teacher lost their lives at the hands of two teen-age shooters inside Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Jane Hammond, who was the superintendent of the Jefferson County, Colo., Public Schools at the time, approached us last fall as she began to think how she wanted to cope with an episode that will remain indelibly etched atop any recounting of her noble professional career in education.

Jane very much wanted to tell the stories of the tragedy and healing, not just through her own experience, but through some of her closest colleagues. She wanted to use the writing opportunity to visit with them to determine how they saw their roles at the time and how they've been affected personally and professionally in the decade since.

She co-authored the article (page 10) with Marilyn Saltzman, who worked in the communication office in Jefferson County at the time of the tragedy and who has been intimately involved in the work of designing the memorial whose image graces this month's cover. A day after visiting the memorial for the first time, Jane told me, "It is breathtaking."

Like all those who contribute to our magazine, Jane would welcome hearing from anyone so inclined after reading her piece. So would we.

Jay P. Goldman

Voice: 703-875-0745

E-mail: [e-mail]