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THE CHRONICLE
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Volume 47, Number 15 WIN S T ON - S ALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, January 7, 2021
Mrs. Paulette retires after 27 years at
The Chronicle
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
A lot has changed
here at The Chronicle
since 1993. Reporters and
photographers have come
and gone, several editors
have moved on, and we’ve
even seen a transition in
ownership. But over the
past 27 years there has
remained one constant at
the city’s oldest and most
respected community
newspaper: Paulette Lewis
Moore.
Moore, a native of
Winston-Salem, joined
The Chronicle as part of
the mailing department.
In those days when
The Chronicle ran its
own presses, she was
responsible for making
sure papers had mailing
labels. She said she did
that for about three years.
Then Ernie Pitt, founder
and former publisher of
The Chronicle, found out
she could type.
“When I first started,
I would just come in
on Wednesday nights,”
Moore said. “Then Mr. Pitt
Photos by Tevin Stinson
After 27years at The Chronicle, on Dec. 31 Paulette Lewis-Moore officially retired.
found out I could type and
offered me a position as
his secretary and helping
out in the newsroom.”
To celebrate her retirement, The Chronicle held a drive-thru event for Mrs. Paulette.
And from there the
legend of “Mrs. Paulette”
came to life and has
continued to grow at The
Chronicle. As secretary
and office assistant,
Moore is responsible for
managing subscriptions,
greeting visitors,
answering the phone, and
a lot of the behind-the-
scenes work that keeps the
weekly paper functioning
smoothly. During her 27-
year tenure, Mrs. Paulette
has become the voice and
the face of The Chronicle.
Moore is also
responsible for the annual
Season’s Greetings page,
a page of ads included
in the Christmas edition,
where local churches and
businesses send holiday
greetings to readers.
When discussing her
time at The Chronicle,
Moore said in 1993 she
never imagined that she
would still be here more
than two decades later, but
it’s hard to leave family.
“All the staff members
over the years, all my
subscribers, they’re just
like family now,” Moore
said. “I love my subscribers
because a lot of them have
been the backbone of the
paper.”
Although it was a
tough decision to make,
on Wednesday, Dec. 31,
Moore officially retired
from The Chronicle. To
celebrate her retirement,
staff hosted a drive-thru
event where subscribers
had the opportunity to bid
Moore farewell. Moore
said the fact that she’s
retiring hasn’t really set in
yet, but when it does she
knows she’ll miss it.
“I will miss it because
after all these years getting
up and coming here, it’s
become like a habit ...
just out of habit I might
even come in next week,”
Moore laughed.
Despite the fact she’s
retiring, Moore said she
doesn’t plan on sitting
at home being bored.
Moore has always been
active in the community
and at Mt. Olive Baptist
Church, where she has
been a member for years.
She doesn’t expect that to
change.
“Whenever things get
better with COVID, I can
always go to the school
system and do volunteer
work or Samaritan
Ministries, where my
daughter is the assistant
director. I won’t get
bored,” she laughed. “I
can choose what I want to
do, but I know I won’t get
bored.”
When discussing the
impact Moore has had
on The Chronicle and the
community, editor-in-
chief, Bridget Elam said
with her smile that can light
up a room and her warm
and caring personality,
for years Moore has
been the “Community’s
Administrative Assistant.”
Elam said Moore was her
first face-to-face contact
with The Chronicle and
from the moment she
walked in the door, Moore
made her feel like she was
home.
“When I became
part of The Chronicle
officially, we had to work
together more and more.
She was like a resource
because she had all the
historical knowledge
about everything,” Elam
said. “I’m really going
to miss her because she
has definitely been the
backbone ofThe Chronicle
for 27 years. And over
the years I’ve learned
that she wasn’t just our
administrative assistant,
she was the community’s
administrative assistant.”
Publisher James
Taylor, referred to Moore
as a “living legend.”
“She is certainly a
living legend that has
made a positive impact
on the lives of many,”
Taylor continued. “I count
it a privilege to be able to
glean from her wisdom
of the industry and her
knowledge of our culture.”