Okay, seriously, if I stepped down to spend more time with my family, I think my family would go into hiding. I love my family too much to do that to them.
Best I can tell, I have edited D Magazine longer than anyone else except Wick Allison, who has stepped into the role several times since he founded the thing in October 1974. Ruth Miller Fitzgibbons takes the second spot on the list, after me. She had the conn from 1985 to 1991, if my math is right. Two things about her tenure: first, the only way she made it six years is because Wick wasn’t here, having sold the magazine and decamped for New York in 1982 (which is not meant to cast aspersions on Ruth). Second, Ruth hired me as an intern. Circle of life. All that.
It’s unclear when Wick handed over the controls (mostly) to me. He made me the executive editor in late 2003 but wisely stayed involved on a daily basis. At some point, he stopped attending editorial meetings, and then he made me editor. Or he made me editor and then stopped showing up. Anyway, I can claim more years than Ruth. That’s all that really matters.
So it’s time. Having arrived at a destination that I never planned to find, I am taking a turn and pointing my car in another direction, one that I hope will lead to fewer tortured metaphors. Or was that a simile? Oh, hell. Maybe I’ve made the wrong decision.
Here’s the memo Wick sent to the staff:
Tim Rogers is a writer. He wants to write. Nine years ago, I talked him into becoming executive editor of D Magazine and few years later I made him editor. He did it because he is loyal and noble and I put a gun to his head. He told me last week that he finally figured out the gun was not loaded. He said he wants to write and not edit. Since his writing won us and him the National Magazine Award last year, I figured I now had as little choice as he had when I made him editor. This time he had the gun. So Tim gets his wish. He will — once a replacement is hired — become Senior Writer at D Magazine, free to write to his heart’s content.
We will begin a nationwide search for a new editor on Monday. We will, of course, be looking for someone experienced in magazine editing with close ties to Dallas. It will take time, perhaps all summer. Tim will move over when the new person comes on board. One part of me is dreading the search; another part of me thinks it will be kind of fun. Change is good.
Under Tim, D achieved a major milestone in its history, becoming the most recognized media brand in Dallas-Fort Worth. With Tim, we have the top writing and reporting talent in the region. I’m glad he agreed to stick with us, and I’m excited about the things he’ll do for us.
