Eric and I have headed our respective departments at this paper since day one, and I just kind of expected him to always be here. Eric and I have worked in concert to plan and develop virtually every aspect of this paper, and his leaving means I will have to get used to a new teammate. Our teamwork consisted not only of making sure the paper went out on time each week, but also making sure the mood in the office was as relaxed as possible. Our often lighthearted approach to our day-to-day responsibilities helped us to recharge our batteries and maintain the creative energies required of employees like us at start-up companies such as ours.

Here are a few of my favorite Eric Jackson memories:

• A couple of years ago, upon concluding an interview with rapper/reality television star Vanilla Ice, I asked Mr. Ice if he wouldn’t mind saying hello to Eric. (Eric had mentioned that he had some questions he wanted to ask him about his time on VH-1’s The Surreal Life.) After Mr. Ice agreed, I placed him on hold, called Eric on the intercom, and announced, “Mr. Jackson, there is a Mr. Vanilla Ice on line one for you” in a deep, corporate-sounding voice. Eric chatted it up with Mr. Ice for a few minutes. “Surreal,” indeed…

• Last year, inspired by “The Dundies” episode of NBC’s The Office, Eric and I decided to hold the first annual “Pulsies.” Each employee at the paper received an award (ribbons meant for elementary school kids like the “Clean Room Award” and the “Good Eater Award” that we found at a store in Hixson). Theme music was provided for each award, and we even showed an “In Memoriam” reel (a la the Academy Awards) featuring still photos of former employees. The whole thing was sick, really. But hilarious, too.

• Eric and I teamed up for some practical jokes, too. For instance, there was the time that we successfully convinced a coworker that Eric was part of the R&B group A Few Good Men, and that he could be heard offering season’s greetings on the group’s version of “Silver Bells.” (There was an Eric in that group, but it’s not our Eric). We would also pretend to have fights with each other over the phone to freak coworkers out. Eric also once placed a life-sized cardboard cutout of Reba McEntire on a wall across from a coworker’s desk. She didn’t see it for an hour, and almost jumped out of her seat when she finally did.

While I will sincerely miss working with Eric, I know the future will hold interesting and exciting challenges for both of us. I would like to take this time to personally thank Eric for his friendship, his energy, his hard work, and his dedication to this paper. We could not have done what we’ve done without him, and he will be greatly missed.

I sincerely wish him the best.