Foreword From Our Editor

     In the late fall of 2001, Joanne Gabel, Legacy’s faculty advisor, approached me with the concept of a literary magazine, showcasing the talent and diversity of the students of Reading Area Community College. Would I, she asked casually, in that way she has, like to get together a few people to talk the idea over?
     “Oh, okay,” I answered casually, in that way I have. It sounded like an interesting proposal, and, really, how much time could it take? I mean, really.
     I talked up the idea of being on the steering committee of a new publication to several people whose work, intelligence, and capabilities I respected (and who, not incidentally, I felt were unlikely to hit me), we called a meeting, and the next thing anyone knew, we had an editorial staff, a commitment, and a focus. We would publish the best research papers and non-fiction expository writing done by RACC students for RACC classes.
     Several meetings later, thanks to Meg Culverhouse, we had a name for our brainchild, and flyers went up around the campus, inviting students to submit the work of which they were proudest. Until this point, I was still congratulating myself on what a nice, easy project this was.
Then the papers began coming in.
     I don’t think anyone anticipated the interest that would be generated in Legacy. More than 40 papers were received, written for every class from Basics of College Writing to History of Film and Shakespeare to Advanced Nursing, written by both traditional and non-traditional students. The difficulty was in narrowing the field to allow for a publication that, unfortunately, couldn’t be 500 pages long.
     Each paper was distributed without the name of its writer, to avoid unintentional favoritism, read by at least three, and often more, staff members, rated, and thoroughly discussed and dissected. Many, um, lively exchanges ensued, and picking out only a few of what was an incredibly good collection of papers seemed, at times, an impossible task. I wish everyone could have the privilege of reading every paper submitted, as I did; failing that, however, be assured that we are presenting the best of the best of RACC’s writing.
     The Legacy staff would particularly like to thank Dean Diane Adams for her enthusiasm for this project and her support, and Joanne Gabel for her encouragement, input, help, and ideas. Naturally, however, the greatest thanks go to every student who participated. Your skills and talents are an affirmation of all the positive aspects of the community college movement.
     It is the hope of the current staff that Legacy will continue long after we graduate, growing stronger and stronger with each issue. If the contributions to this inaugural issue are any indication, Legacy has an extremely bright future indeed.

Anna Deborah Ackner

Editor-in-Chief