Cheryl Whitaker: Still enjoying work after 40-plus years at the StarNews

I am a native of Wilmington but moved to New York City in the early 1970s with my mom and sisters.

However, Wilmington has always been home.

During summer breaks, my sisters and I would come to visit. We did the same even when I moved to Sacramento, California, where I graduated from Luther Burbank High School and attended Sacramento City College.

In 1979, when my grandmother Mollie Murray became ill, my mother, three sisters and I came back to live in the area known as East Wilmington.

I am the mother of two grown children, Eboni Whitaker and James Whitaker Jr. I also have three granddaughters, Saniyah, Nadia and Za'Cari.

I am now a resident of Leland and have lived in Brunswick County for 25 years.

Here are some questions that I get asked often.

When did you begin your employment at StarNews?

There's a funny story about how my career began with the newspaper. I was working in the summer for the Wilmington Police Department as a clerk. I was also attending Cape Fear Technical Institute (now Cape Fear Community College).

I knew that the summer job would end soon, so I needed to start looking for another job. I always remember when I went to this restaurant (no longer in operation) and tried to apply for a job, the manager didn't even give me an application. But thank goodness my supervisor at the police department happened to get a call from the StarNews. The person at the StarNews was Beverly Jurgensen and she was inquiring about another employee who used to work at the police department who had put in an application.

Unfortunately, the person didn't work at the police department anymore, so my supervisor told them about me.

I went in for an interview on Thursday, Aug. 21, 1980, for a part-time job to do the obituaries, which would require me to work every Thursday through Sunday.

By the time I got back home, Jurgensen called me and asked me if I could start that day. I did and the rest is history as people say.

When will you retire?

I'm asked that so often now from people, when they hear how long I have been with the StarNews. My answer is I will know when it is time. Besides, I like what I do, and I love the people I work with.

What keeps me motivated to cover the community?

My motivation is when I get positive and negative feedback from a source. The positive feedback lets me know that I'm doing something right. The negative feedback makes me want to do better in any way I can. Anyway, I always try to be an optimistic person. I try not to let too much get me down. If I have a bad day, I tell myself to shake it off and pray that the next day will be better. Just take one minute at a time, that's all anyone can do.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Cheryl Whitaker is the community reporter for the Wilmington StarNews