Well, the time has finally come. I have decided to pass on my editor's hat to my wonderful co-editor Chris Krueger. [See article on page 7 for more about Chris]

Being editor of the Sacramento Lawyer has been wonderful. The success of the Sacramento Lawyer is entirely dependent on team effort. There is general surprise in the community that it is largely a volunteer operation. The fantastic policy board is instrumental. It is thanks to them that you can find your Sacramento Lawyer in print and on the website. My thanks to Shirley David, Toso Himel, Charity Kenyon, Brian Taugher and Chris Krueger.

The volunteer writers are second to none. Thank you all.

Our professionals are unbelievable. First and foremost is our wonderful designer Denise Yokomizo. Denise made the magazine look and feel the way that it does. Denise also taught me how to "see" the whole publication. Under her guidance, I learned to spot and fix design problems. Denise and I have much in common, not least of which is that our respective grandchildren are the two most beautiful children in the world.

The photo for the front cover was never a problem because of the services of Sirlin Photography and the amazing Phil Heller. A simple call to Phil with the name(s) for the front cover was my only involvement. In this issue, Sirlin provided the photos of the dedication ceremony of the downtown courthouse in honor of Gordon D. Schaber and the reception that followed at the Sacramento Capitol Club.

My friend, Ken Rabiroff has also provided great photos of several events. For this issue, he took the photos of the Witkin/Schaber lunch.

Commerce Printing also made my job a lot easier by working to overcome some of the inevitable glitches that occur when the editing and writing staff are volunteers with limited time.

The cover story for this issue is the SCBA Distinguished Lawyer Award. This year the blue-ribbon committee's nomination of Roger Dreyer and Carol Wieckowski received the bar council's whole-hearted, unanimous approval. You can learn more in Chris Krueger's article on page 9.

We also see the start of a regular column on ethics from David Boyd. We look forward to his commentaries.

This is the time of year when I like to remind readers that the Sacramento Lawyer is a free membership benefit. It is time to renew that membership.

I leave you with mixed feelings. I have really enjoyed my time as editor. My best wishes to all for a happy holiday season and a prosperous and peaceful century.