Trying to find the words to express my appreciation and respect for my boss, Bill Speer, as he moves into retirement has proved challenging and emotional for me.

There are so many things I want to tell him, and so little space to do so.

The only words I can come up with are “thank you.”

Thank you, Bill, for seeing something in me that I didn’t even see in myself, and for having enough faith in me to represent The News. I love this job, and you — along with my former editor, Steve Murch — made it all possible.

Thank you for rolling the dice and taking a chance when you hired me, knowing I had a less-than-stellar reputation, background, lack of journalism experience, and other demons I’m not comfortable discussing here.

You hiring me drastically changed the direction of my life for the better, and I will forever be in your debt.

Thank you for helping me grow, learn, and see the importance of responsibility and accountability. This job has allowed me to learn more than I ever imagined and apply those lessons into other aspects of my life. I am a more rounded and educated person because of this job. I have experienced many things and met many more amazing people than would have been possible without The News.

Thank you for pushing me, encouraging me, and for the patience you showed when I made errors and unwise choices. I can only imagine how many times you sat at your desk and shook your head after many of my gaffes.

Thank you for being there and caring about what happened in my private life and always wanting to know how things were with my family. Your sincerity and care for what was happening in my life always meant the world to me.

Thank you for celebrating the successes of my wife, kids, and me, and for keeping us in your prayers when things were tough. Please keep us in your prayers during your retirement.

Please don’t underestimate the impact your advice, pep talks, and compassion had on me, because they helped shape me as a person and allowed me to achieve everything I have in my professional and private life. Without you and The News, most things I have in life now more than likely wouldn’t be.

Bill, you are the big brother I never had, and the relationship we share will remain special to me. I will miss our chats more than you will know.

Justin Hinkley will fill your shoes well, but that office on the first floor of the paper will never be the same, at least not to me. It was there you told me you viewed me as a “mound of clay” and you envisioned that clay becoming “something special” with the proper molding.

I consider you the artist, and I hope you believe your vision of me has come to fruition. I consider myself a work in progress, but will always strive to become what you imagined I could be — at work and outside of it.

Thank you for the opportunity to get a peek inside your life and to build relationships with some of your family. As you know, I think as highly of your wife, former Lifestyles editor Diane Speer, as I think of you, and, like you, she is like a slightly older sibling I never had on whom I can count. You’re a lucky man to have her in your life. Enjoy every minute you both have in your retirement.

As much as you have done for me, you have done just as much for the community as a whole. The effort you and Diane have made over the years to make the community better for all who live and visit here doesn’t go unnoticed and is appreciated. You wear your love for Alpena and Northeast Michigan on your sleeve. For that, an entire region thanks you.

I think I speak on behalf of everyone at the paper when I say you will be missed more than you realize, and we are proud to have had you as our leader. Your example will help each of us to push the paper toward future successes and growth. We know you will be watching and reading, so we won’t let you down.

Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your dedication.

And, most of all, thank you for being you.