Among the journalists taking a buyout recently from The Providence Journal are the following: Edward Fitzpatrick, leaving as political columnist to become director of media and public relations at Roger Williams University in Bristol as of Oct. 5; Bob McNamee, content editor; Tony LaRoche, section editor; Channing Gray, staff writer; Jim Donaldson, sports columnist. For 28 years, Fitzpatrick was a reporter, an editor and a columnist. He spent 16 years at the Journal, including as political columnist for the past eight years. Before joining the Journal, he was a reporter at The Hartford (Conn.) Courant and the Albany (N.Y.) Times Union. He also was city editor of The Saratogian of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. McNamee was an editor at the Journal for 26 years. Before that, he was at The Times of Pawtucket. He spent the first eight years there as a reporter. He spent the next five years as city editor and his last three years there as assistant managing editor. LaRoche was an editor at the Journal for 22 years. Before that, he was sports editor for three years at Wilson Newspapers, based in Wakefield. He later was a sports reporter at the Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin. Donaldson was a sports columnist at the Journal for more than 37 years. Before that, he was a public affairs officer for the U.S. Navy. He later was employed at the Virginia News Leader, formerly of Richmond, Va., for two years.
The Transitions were written, at least in part, from published reports by Bulletin staff members Ashleane Alabre, Nico Hall and Hope Oje, undergraduate students at Northeastern University.