It's a chicken or egg question. Did a newly formed Fremont Chamber spawn a newsletter? Or did the need for a newsletter cause our founders to start their own Chamber of Commerce?

The Fremont Community Council newsletter, the Fremont Flyer, covered business and residential issues. At that time businesses also belonged to the North Central Chamber of Commerce, according to Fremont Chamber co-founder Suzie Burke. In 1982, several local business owners decided to form their own Chamber - with a publication addressing business concerns.

Founding president, W. James Daly of Daly's Inc., deserves all the credit for our newsletter, The Bridge. Jim believed in the power of publication to get our message out, just as he did with the many organizations he joined or started. According to Suzie, "his philosophy was that you have to let people know so they can help you." He ran his business, and its newsletter, the same way, "so they weren't just customers; so they were willing helpers."

From Humble Beginnings

The oldest copy of The Bridge in our archives dates back to March 1983, with Jim listed as Editor. The one page (8 ½" x 11") tri-folded sheet came typed and photocopied and featured the times and locations of the board and general meetings. It also included two articles - Adding to the Roster and President's Message - that focused on membership.

Jim designed the original banner for The Bridge by hand but easily replaced it in 1986 when Vic Warren of WBA provided the Chamber with its own logo. By that time The Bridge covered both sides, sometimes, of an 8 ½" x 14" page of brown paper. In 1988 we made the landmark switch to the newly adopted "Fremont orange".

Jim printed up templates in advance then typed the newsletter onto a page to send out for printing. As printer for all of Daly's materials, PIP Printing landed our newsletter as well. In over 20 years, we've used other printers but rarely for the newsletter. In the '90's, under owner David Bhak, they solidified our loyalty by their resigned but willing response to whatever bizarre turnaround we needed ("can we have 300 copies of these by tomorrow, David?")

Jim enjoyed his toys and he took to computers eagerly. In 1989 the format switched to desktop publishing and gained a much more polished look. In '89 the newsletter also expanded, occasionally, to a four page format. Printed on 11" x 17" paper, folded in half, the newsletter covered more information than ever - with the general meeting announcement stationed unfailingly under The Bridge banner.

Growing Into Its Own

Occasionally, at first, the newsletter would return to a single page. Jim petitioned constantly for "fodder" for the newsletter, and sometimes none came in. As a volunteer, one busy running his own growing business, he didn't take time to track down the story and used whatever lay on his desk - if anything - alongside the meeting announcement.

From the beginning, the newsletter included inserts. Founding members received regular copies of the membership roster. With the four page format, the newsletter forms the perfect envelope. For a small printing/postage fee, members and associated charities/service organizations put in rummage sale announcements (Wallingford Boys & Girls Club) and letters to readers. We've seen businesses like EDG Inc. run monthly newsletters for several years, and restaurants include their latest menu. The Chamber has included notices about our Oktoberfest and copies of The Official Guide to The Curious Republic Of Fremont.

In 1992, Terry Denton took over the helm of The Bridge. As a publisher, Terry had transformed the Fremont Forum into The Seattle Press. However, Terry did little to change or influence The Bridge. Returning President Jim provided columns several times throughout the year (Jim called his contributions From the Frog Pond) and the rest of the time other Board Members wrote pieces that Terry placed within Jim's original format and on the same Orbit Orange paper. Terry even continued Jim's traditional skipping the month of December.

A few December issues of The Bridge do exist, as well as some combined Nov/Dec issues, however we rarely saw an issue published at the end of the year. Reason? Business. Jim, and then Terry, edited the newsletter as volunteers. Between personal life and business commitments, our editors eventually found no one noticed the December absence. Finally, in August of 2005, the Chamber Board officially agreed to no longer publish a December issue.

Past Come Back To Haunt Us

As a teen I'd folded, stamped and labeled The Bridge thanks to my Mother's quick willingness to volunteer her children for such tasks. In the mid-nineties, I came on-board the Chamber as Executive Secretary. By then machines folded and stamped postage - I simply had to adhere 300+ labels. At least this time I got paid…

You may have noticed (or not) that I fancy myself a writer and I've always got a word to say. I quickly found fodder for Jim - and I slowly took over writing content as one of my duties. As an employee, instead of volunteer, I didn't live by the Procrastinator's Creedo of Fremont, and I met deadlines. When Jim stepped back to fight cancer in the late 90's, I regularly published The Bridge turning to Jim for endless guidance and feedback.

My successors as Executive Secretary continued to publish the newsletter, but without Jim's aid. After Jim's passing in 1999, Jeanne Muir tried to oversee it. Later, our Executive Director, Bill Elder, found volunteer Jeanette Thomas to help with layout. The format changed under the ever shifting hands and The Bridge featured more in-depth columns and presidential musings, eventually including a regular contribution by Fremont Historian Roger Wheeler.

In 2004, I came back on-board, this time as a volunteer. Being entirely too old-fashioned, I returned to the format Jim had crafted. Meeting notices grace the front page with Matter of the Minutes just inside. New and renewed members always earn a significant placement. We won't ever have another column From The Frog Pond, but now Kirby's Korner (as Jim dubbed my contributions) has been elevated to a regular feature on our website.

As the future hurtles at us with its seeming supersonic speed, the potential of the Internet changes the dynamics of daily life, and The Bridge may well someday turn obsolete. As a member of the Chamber, I've relied on the newsletter to keep me informed and in turn it has occasionally caused me to participate. As your current editor, I can perhaps be forgiven my bias when I hope that as long as the Chamber exists, The Bridge will exist - in whatever format the future dictates.

October 2005