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Beth Carey shoots the ball in January during the annual Lake-Lehman High School donkey basketball game.

Charlotte Bartizek

It was one year ago today when I started as a staff writer for The Dallas Post. Over the past 12 months, I have met many Back Mountain residents. I’ve been inside schools, churches, people’s homes and even flew over Route 309 in Pat Perry’s amateur-built airplane.

And even after a year’s worth of stories, I definitely have a few I still think about often. Maybe you remember them.

In September, I interviewed Maureen Matiska about a fundraiser she was holding in memory of her daughters’ friend, Kelly Pomrinke. Kelly grew up in the Back Mountain and graduated from Dallas High School in 1992. She died at age 32 from breast cancer and left behind a 3-year-old daughter, Kira, and husband, John.

Seconds after pulling out of Matiska’s driveway, the tears began to flow down my face. “Kelly was so young.” “How is her family holding up?” I wondered to myself.

With the story, we ran a photo of Kelly and Kira from the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk in Philadelphia just months before Kelly died. That image is still fresh in my mind and I think of little Kira and John often.

Just a month later I interviewed two Lake-Lehman seniors, Beth Carey and Ashlee Swanson, about the mini-THON they were holding at the high school to raise money for childhood cancer. I expected to find just another duo completing their senior project. But to my surprise, Beth is a cancer survivor. I still remember looking at the wall in Beth’s house and seeing a photo of her with no hair.

In January I saw the girls play in the school’s annual donkey basketball game. Beth was named prom queen at last month’s Lake-Lehman prom and both girls are graduating from Lake-Lehman on June 29.

I set out to Lake-Noxen Elementary School in December to see what kids wanted for Christmas in our “Dear Santa” letters to Santa Claus. Many children had lists full of items including the pricey Nintendo Wii. But one little girl asked for a house.

When I became frustrated by holiday shopping traffic or decorative lights that wouldn’t stay around my door, I thought of her.

It’s been a great year and I can’t wait to tell more stories of the people, events and issues in the Back Mountain .

Chances are I’ll bump into you on my way.

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