In this issue the Gazette-Journal marks 75 years of service to Gloucester and Mathews counties with a special anniversary section.

The newspaper came about as a merger of the Gloucester Gazette (1919) and Mathews Journal (c. 1904) and was, frankly, a marriage fueled by lingering economic troubles caused by the Great Depression. Both county papers were having a hard time of it, and pursuing the future jointly seemed to be a good idea.

The early years were a time of struggle, but the new paper endured. And then came war, and paper was scarce with much space given over to presumably free ads exhorting readers to buy war bonds. And then came postwar and growth, which started slowly but accelerated into the last half of the 20th century.

Through all of the hard times and good times, the first mission—delivering the news—has continued. The Gazette-Journal built on a solid base established by the earlier county papers, in which thorough and timely reporting kept the people...