Focus and I have a few things in common.

The annual release of the DAILY LEADER’s largest special sectionof the year, which is included with today’s newspaper, is sort ofthe unofficial anniversary of my employment. We’ve each been a partof the newspaper for 11 years.

You see, as my one-year anniversary approached at the end ofApril 1992, the first Focus was unveiled to the world. Depending onthe calendar, my anniversary and the section’s publication fall onthe same day or are only a few days apart.

While I’ve been around for every Focus edition, I’m not the onlyone. My fellow newsroom staffers Nanette Laster, Tom Goetz andRichard Dube have all had a hand in each edition, as have PublisherBill Jacobs, Production Manager Bobby Ferrell, Pressroom SupervisorMalcolm Stewart and several independent carriers.

But Focus is not about who does what with the section or for howlong. From the newsroom to advertising to graphics to productionand circulation, the special section represents a true team effortby every newspaper employee.

Among the employees, Focus annually produces its share ofanxiety and enjoyment.

In my experience, the anxiety has come from deadline pressure ofpursuing and finishing stories on time. Although it may appearotherwise, finding stories to fill an over 100-page special sectioneach year is not an easy task, and we appreciate readers for theirinput on story suggestions.

The enjoyment has come in form of positive feedback from readersor story subjects who liked how their articles came out. I’mhopeful this year is no exception.

Looking back, some of my fondest memories involve our Citizensof the Year. From the first Citizen of the Year. the Rev. JerryDurr, to Homer Richardson, this year’s honoree, Focus hasrecognized some outstanding people who have made Brookhaven-LincolnCounty a better place to live and work.

Of course, the Citizen of the Year is a secret until the sectionis released. Keeping that secret has proven interesting attimes.

I’m not sure if Amy Valentine has forgotten my deception — somestory about recognizing her business activities — during herCitizen of the Year photo shoot several years ago. More recently,it was a struggle to keep a straight face when dealing with acircuit clerk’s office employee whose mother, Marlene Rushing, washonored in 2000.

After Focus each year, the staff gets together to celebrate asuccessful completion of the section. Those have not been withouttheir share of excitement.

The first Focus was released on the day two Florida prisonescapees decided to lead a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper on ahigh-speed chase through the city. I was awakened from a goodafternoon nap to cover the event prior to that evening’s Focusgathering.

In a pursuit of another kind, one year the after-Focus party washeld at the local go-cart track. I’m still waiting for a rematchwith the boss after coming out on the wrong side of the checkedflag in our race.

The gatherings are a much-appreciated way to unwind while alsorecognizing the work that has gone into another year’s Focusedition. Whether writing, selling ads, printing or insertingsections, Focus keeps everyone at the newspaper busy from Januaryto April.

And it has done so now for 11 years.

I’ve been a part of every one, and I’m looking forward tocreating many more Focus memories in the years ahead.

Write to Matthew Coleman at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, Miss.39602.