Several months ago, I was asked to write a profile about Daily Breeze librarian Sam Gnerre for an internal employee newsletter. Unfortunately, as things tend to go in this business, both the people who were putting the letter together, and the newsletter itself, are long gone without ever going to print. So I thought I'd share with you a little behind-the-scenes of the Daily Breeze newsroom with this story:
Whether they need crime scene witnesses or a quick sugar fix, reporters at the Daily Breeze know Sam is their man.
Sam Gnerre, 53, was hired as a librarian by the Daily Breeze in 1984. His main responsibility was to maintain the newspaper's new computer archive system, as well as assist reporters with research.
Now, the computer archive is pretty self-sufficient - as are many of the reporters, since the Internet made its way into the newsroom.
But reporters still call on Gnerre for the hard stuff, like phone numbers and other contact information, property records and relatives or neighbors of news article subjects. He has access to records and databases that reporters don't, plus the experience, know-how and a few "old tricks" to find people who might not want to be found.
(Sam with wife Liz at Dodger Stadium)
No matter the request, the soft-spoken Gnerre reliably takes on all tasks with a smile.
Gnerre graduated UCLA's Library School in 1979. His first job was for First Interstate bank in downtown Los Angeles, where he did research for bankers who wanted to know about loan applicants.
At UCLA, Gnerre met his wife, Elizabeth, a librarian for the House Ear Institute. They have two children, Brian, 17, a senior at Torrance High School and Kirby, 20, a junior at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore.
Recently, Gnerre has shouldered some of the responsibility for updating and maintaining the newspaper's Web page.
He's enjoying learning a new skill, as well as having a hand at writing headlines, captions and exercising news judgment. The best part is the "instant gratification" that comes with seeing a story or photo published in just a matter of moments, he said.
Gnerre's also worked on some of the dailybreeze.com databases, including one that tracks Hermosa Beach bars' police calls and another that compiles crime statistics for every South Bay city.
Over the years, Gnerre has had the opportunity to parlay his love for music into the job. Although rock is his favorite, Gnerre has penned album reviews for many genres of music for the Daily Breeze.
Although Gnerre always thought of himself as more of a sports fan than a foodie, a craving for chocolate chip cookies one rainy night years ago brought him to the kitchen, and his introduction to the heaven that comes when butter and sugar meet in the mixing bowl.
"I brought them in here once, and people just went nuts," Gnerre said of the first time he showed up at work with his "Sam Treats."
Now, he gives Daily Breeze workers something to look forward to every Monday, when he brings in baked goodies.
"People started looking forward to it more and more, and it just sort of evolved over the years," he said. "I'ts something fun to do."
A well-deserved and long overdue tribute to one of the nicest people here at the Breeze. And it's not just because of his yummy treats either!
Heck yeah! Sam's the man!
I sense a whitewash, quid pro quo, mutual back scratching here. What exactly is Denise's relationship to Sam and his treats? Why was she picked to write the profile instead of someone with less of a sweet tooth? What about the rumors of Sam ruining a certain business reporter's diet each Monday morning? None of these issues were brought up in this puff piece. Someone should investigate whether Denise is getting extra cookies on the side from Sam.
I think Muhammed just volunteered to write Denise's bio...
It should also be pointed out that Sam writes the weekly News Quiz and a lot of the paper's fun "extras" like Top 10 lists and history trivia. I just walk back there, tell him one of my marginal ideas and he comes up with something great!
Thanks, Sam!
Sam's the best.
And he keeps a big container of black licorice back there, too!
This is fun to see. Folks in Portland always suspected Sam was vital to the Breeze's success.
Hi, Sam,
You sound like the same wonderful guy I knew in high school, quietly brilliant and totally lovable. Hope all is well!