DEAR EDITOR:

Todd Franko’s recent editorial, “Closing a Legacy,” published Aug. 18 in The Vindicator shared some of the details about the final milepost edition of the Vindicator, to be printed on Aug. 31, marking the end of a long legacy.

The Vindicator all along has been both a concurrent family member and forebearer. As this local newspaper has been archived over the long years — preserved from one generation to another — The Vindicator is actually a community heirloom.

Whether on microfilm or through some digital platforms, we all can journey back through time and take another, perhaps closer, look at the pieces of our past. True enough, researchers devour the archived Vindicator. As the genealogy and local history librarian of the public library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, I’m reminded of just a few of the many ways citizens stroll through the old pages of our “media diary” to find the flex of their athletic prowess; to locate obituaries and other articles for a family tree; to understand more fully the complexity of local politics; to see “Mom” again on her wedding day; to contemplate the sacrifices of our soldiers; and to find a lost poem. Whether the stories were uplifting or demoralizing, emblematic of great triumphs or inevitable tragedies, or reminders of how our lives can seem both bland and uncanny, the Vindicator is our permanent wellspring.

The Vindicator’s sole role in our community is about to become ancestral. As parent to so much information about our lives, we will need to call on it for guidance as we move forward. The past instructs, and we are fortunate indeed to have a way to restore our memories. So, I say to all of The Vindicator employees and staff, with sincere appreciation and esteem, that the relevance of The Vindicator will continue. The legacy lives on.

TIM SEMAN

Youngstown