Chris Strine began working at The Breeze in January 1982. PHOTO BY MICHAEL PISTELLA<\/p>\n
A longtime Breeze Newspapers staff member is saying goodbye after a career spanning more than four decades in the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editor Chris Strine is retiring after 42 years with the Breeze Newspapers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Strine first started in the production department with The Breeze before eventually moving over to editorial in 1984. He worked as a city reporter and then as sports editor and editor, a role in which he served until his retirement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been great working for The Breeze all these years,\u201d Strine said. \u201cI\u2019ve very much enjoyed it. I\u2019ve always been thankful for the opportunities Ogden Newspapers gave me and I\u2019ve been blessed to work for and with really good people. Leaving will be tough, I\u2019ll miss everyone, but I\u2019m ready for some new adventures with my wife and family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of Strine, Breeze Newspapers Publisher Ray Eckenrode said, \u201cChris is perhaps the most even-keeled journalist I think I\u2019ve ever met. His calming presence will be missed in our newsroom. During my seven years here, I\u2019ve relied on Chris as a Breeze and Southwest Florida historian and, personally, I\u2019ll miss that knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strine left briefly in early 1989 then returned to Breeze Newspapers in March of that year, and has remained with the company until today. He was editor of the Sanibel Islander for six years before returning to The Breeze as managing editor and eventually editor.<\/p>\n
Executive Editor Valarie Harring, who has worked with Strine for decades, said, \u201cChris Strine will be missed in the newsroom and missed in the community. He was the face of The Breeze\u00a0and the heart of the editorial team for decades. He left a legacy that will be hard to match but Tiffany Repecki, a longtime Cape resident and seasoned editor,\u00a0is up to that task.\u201d<\/p>\n
Repecki will step into the role of editor, and Associate Sports Editor and Reporter CJ Haddad will now take over as Sports Editor.\u00a0<\/p>\n