Opening Volley PUBLISHER Wayne T. Lewis CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Lindsay Press EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jack McLaughlin
J AC K M C L AU G H L I N Editor-In-Chief
ASSISTANT EDITOR Sav McKeen
Blast from the Past In 8th grade, I had a secret girlfriend, and a yearbook single-handedly ruined my relationship. I remember that day well: an early June morning that heralded the beginning of summer, and—much more importantly for me at the time—the official end of the school year. Myself and 100 other awkward preteens gathered together in the school gymnasium to sign one another’s yearbooks, one co-mingled mass of surging hormones, gelled hair and spray-on deodorant. Truthfully, I don’t remember what most of the signatures in my yearbook said. They probably read something along the lines of: “Have a great summer!” from those I never really talked to, and: “U suck lol” from my actual friends. Regardless, there is one signature I do remember, and clearly. “You and [name of 8th-grade girlfriend] are going to rule the [expletive] world this summer!” My parents really weren’t snoopers, but I remember my Mom casually scanning the pages of my yearbook a few days later, and reading the signatures from my friends. When she got to the aforementioned one, not only was she not particularly pleased about the presence of a juicy F-bomb scrawled in bold, black ink, she had a question for me, as well: “Who is [name of 8th-grade girlfriend]?” You see, I didn’t tell my parents about my blossoming 8th-grade relationship. In fact, I lied to them and said I wasn’t dating anyone. Looking back, I had no real reason to do this. They wouldn’t have been opposed to me having a significant other at that age, but the thought of having to discuss my romantic life with them, at the time, felt like a fate worse than death. Unfortunately for 8th grade me, my mom isn’t stupid. She knew exactly what that comment meant. While this didn’t lead to my parents telling me to break up with my girlfriend or anything like that, it did make them (rightfully) skeptical of just about everything I ever told them for a few months afterwards.
Since I was in the habit of claiming I was going somewhere else when I was really going to see the girl I was dating, my parents started cracking down. You know, cross-referencing phone calls to friends’ parents, stuff like that. Pretty quickly after this, she and I broke up. And while I do love to tell this story, in part because I think it’s hilarious, if you look closely enough, it does also demonstrate the impact of the yearbook, and sheds some light onto why we created The Columbus Yearbook for our December issue this year . I mean, sure, a lot of the time, our yearbooks end up in a pile on the shelf of a childhood home collecting dust, but they really are pretty remarkable at capturing a moment in time. I mean this both in terms of their intended use–collecting photos of students, activities, sporting events and more to commemorate the previous academic year–and their off-label uses as well. What I always remember most about yearbooks (other than the secret girlfriend fiasco) is rarely the actual object, but instead the way they created this amazing–if not a little chaotic–social event. Every time a yearbook was released, I remember staying for at least an hour after school, huddling with friends to sign their copies, and even interacting with people I usually didn’t cross paths with, because if someone asked you to sign their yearbook, you just did it. More than just inside jokes and run-ins with other social cliches, the book–I think most importantly–always served as a catalyst for remembering the previous year. A specific photo might jog a memory of a class trip or a clutch playoff victory we had a hand in; your friends might share a laugh remembering that you actually wore fake glasses and a Big Bird shirt on picture day. What I’m trying to say is this: At its most important, the yearbook is a social touchstone. A conversation starter. It’s not the entire summation of a year wrapped up in a neat bow, and it never should be. It’s a place to start if you want to look back on the year you just shared, alongside the people you shared it with. It’s all those things, and it’s also right in front of you. Enjoy The Columbus Yearbook. Questions about advertising? Scan here!
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jen Brown, Leonardo Carrizo, Tyler Jamison, Aaron Massey, Alissa Ohashi, Björn Anderson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jack McLaughlin, Sav McKee, John M. Clark, Laura Hennigan, Matt Mahoney, Shelby Metzger, Melinda Green, Chris Alexis, Dylan Ecker, Molly Hammond CREATIVE DESIGNERS Bryce Patterson Victoria Smith Atlas Biro VIDEO PRODUCER / EDITOR Austin Black DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Justynne Pride SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Julia Attanasio MARKETING ASSISTANT Zoe King ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Meggin Weimerskirch SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Mindy Wilhite Paul VanHorn ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Anna Gerhard BRAND MANAGER, 614 LAGER Lizzy Saunders
Created by
(614) Magazine 458 E Main St., Columbus, OH 43215 Office: (614) 488-4400 | Fax: (614) 488-4402 Email submissions to: editor@614now.com www.614now.com 21
12
(614) MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2023 614NOW.COM
