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Editor
Michael Hillman
 Michael Hillman and his wife Audrey moved to Emmitsburg in 1988 from the Unionville horse country just outside of Philadelphia, purchasing a small tenant farm on the outskirts of town. Michael is an
avid amateur three-day event rider and coach. For 10 years he
authored a column on Eventing for The Equiery, as well as articles for The US Event Horse, and the United States Eventing Association.
Michael's wife Audrey, a former Olympic equestrian team groom, currently serves of the board of the Adams County Extension Service and is Native Plant
Master Gardener.
Michael, an engineer by training, is a graduate of Villanova University, the U.S. Naval Nuclear Power School, and served as an officer aboard United States nuclear submarines. He has worked at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy working in the
emerging field of Knowledge Management.
An early contributor to the old Emmitsburg Dispatch, Michael chronicled the lighter side side of a city slicker trying to fix up an old farm. Through their diligent, albeit sometimes humorous efforts,
Audrey and Michael have turned their farm into an equestrian and horticulture paradise.
In addition to his professional and equestrian activities, Michael serves as the president of the Greater Emmitsburg Historical Society, is on advisory committee of
Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center's Council, and is the founder of Emmitsburg.net, one of the largest non-profit
integrated community websites in the United States.
Contact Michael
From the Editor
Emmitsburg has a rich history of high quality community newspapers. From its first newspaper, the Emmitsburg Star, to its longest serving paper, the Emmitsburg Chronicle, to its most recent paper, the Emmitsburg Dispatch. Each one in its heyday had one common feature - a dedication to
serving the needs of one community and one community only - Emmitsburg.
In today's troubled economic times, I find solace in my knowledge that the history of the Emmitsburg area is rich with examples of the community coming together to help itself out. The pages of its papers are filled with stories of acts of selflessness, kindness and humility. The names and stories of
the people who made the Emmitsburg area so wonderful to live in would have been lost had it not been for the efforts of people like Samuel Motter, Sterling Galt, Eric Glass, Bo and Jean Cadle, Ray and Jen Buckhister to name just a few who worked tirelessly to capture the events of their days.
Sterling Gult sought to educate while entertaining.. Within its pages could be found entertaining articles covering the latest literary works, plays, and book reviews; informative articles on such things as how the moving picture machines and horseless carriages worked; interesting and creative articles
covering a broad gamut from upcoming meteorite showers to family tales and folk remedies; and, thoughtful writings by ministers who called the area home.
Every week it educated the residents of the Emmitsburg area on events taking place around the world and next door. It connected those living in the country with those living in the town. Within its weekly pages readers were able to keep abreast of world and local affairs, the comings and goings of
community members, and plan their weeks around community events and activities.
We're going to go back to that format in the new Emmitsburg News-Journal. Published on a monthly basis, we will seek to serve as a common thread to connect the diverse communities of interest that made up the Emmitsburg area. Within its pages readers will be able to keep abreast of town government and county affairs
through in-depth news reporting, and community affairs and activities as reported by members of those communities, such as the fire and ambulance companies, the Lions Club, and business community; plan their weeks around community events and activities, and be entertained and enlightened by thoughtful and creative writing by
members of the community.
The paper will be supported by both sponsors and advertisers, taking on a "National Public Radio-style" approach to funding. Like any paper, advertising will play a pivotal role, but not at the expense of the development of good quality content. As such, a primary focus of my efforts will be the
development of a sponsor base to support an endowment fund that will allow the paper to continue to publish the highest quality content even in the harshest of economic conditions.
The heart and soul of a community newspaper is its contributors. To make a paper a community paper, you need community writers. To this end, the paper will maximize content contributions by community members, seeking out diverse quality community writers from all walks of life.
In short, the Emmitsburg News-Journal will incorporate within its pages the best elements of all the newspapers that have served this community over the years, as well as some new ones, like the close collaboration between the paper and Emmitsburg.net that you'll see in every edition.
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