up front
We are counting our
blessing here this year.
at Lovey’S Celebrating 10 Years
8
WBM december 2012
Pat Bradford gets out of the office every once
in awhile to do fun things like help on photo
shoots for potential covers. See this great fish
on page 29.
Editor/Publisher
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One thing we are very thankful
for is that Wilmington
landscape painter and graphic
designer Shawn Best has
accepted the position of full-time art
director for Wrightsville Beach Magazine.
That position remained open for more
than five months while we wooed Best.
Best has been contributing to the
graphic design of the magazine since the
departure of Teresa Kramer at the end of
May this year. Best’s design work can be
seen in the magazine’s cover stories in July,
Coach Roy Williams; August, Bathing
Beauties; and September, Barrier Island
Study. Best holds a BFA from Virginia
Commonwealth University, Richmond,
Virginia. We are confident that you will
appreciate her talent as much as we do.
Another position that remained open
far too long has also been filled as Kim
Graham Benton joined the team in
November. While she will wear many
different hats in her daily duties, her most
visible job description will be that of office
manager, which translates to keeping
us straight.
The additions of these women to our
work force are heaven sent.
While we are counting our blessings,
with this issue we have completed our
145th consecutive monthly magazine, and
as we roll assertively into our 13th year, we
share with you some of our favorite stories
from the past 12 years. It is a great look
back in time, at ourselves and how we have
grown to more than a million print readers
a year, and that’s not counting our national
and international readership online.
It is ironic that our first issue featured a
beach home spread (The Gillings’ Cotton
Blossom). It was the start of our long
commitment to the lifestyle reflected by the
real estate, architecture and home interiors
so loved here on the Cape Fear coast.
Our pages have been filled with
fascinating area history and the people who
make up the unique population here. We
trust you will enjoy this walk back down
memory lane as much as we have.
Also in this issue we bring the delightful
story of a group of women who are
committed to two historic properties on the
edge of the Wilmington historic district;
they are the Friends of UNCW and the
work they do is magnificent.
With the holidays fast approaching
we have a left-of-center holiday menu
suggestion for you, along with five
completely different decorating ideas for
delighting your guests and neighbors this
holiday season.
We have a High Country winter
wonderland trip for your family, and we tell
you of Tony Puente’s trip home to his roots
and the birth of a special kind of giving
back from him and his family.
There are Christmas gifts and tinsel
aplenty here, wrapped in fabulous
photography for readers to tear into.
In these final weeks of 2012, it is our
wish that you be blessed and be a blessing
to those who might not have all that we do.
A very Merry Christmas to all of you!
joshua curry