Gilroy council chambers were packed Monday night, more than they have been in nearly five years, as former Gilroy Dispatch executive editor Mark Derry was recognized by the city he continues to call home.
With a formal proclamation presented by Council Member Perry Woodward, City Council honored Derry for his service. Derry’s voice was heard week after week in print editions of the Dispatch and Times over the past 30 years, but this was his opportunity to share his thoughts.
“Leading a tried and true newsroom has been my honor and great joy,” Derry said in an emotional speech received by a standing ovation. “My mission was to tell the stories—both good and bad. Hopefully I used this position to urge the community forward. It’s been a great pride and a lot of fun.”
Now 59, Derry came to Gilroy as a young sports editor at the age of 29.
“Since the mid-1980s, the guiding force behind the Gilroy Dispatch’s effort to keep our local populace informed has been editor Mark Derry,” Council Member Perry Woodward said, reading the proclamation. “He courageously stood up to elected officials and other powerful interests time and time again when he had reason to believe they were not telling the truth or living up to their responsibilities.”
Mayor Don Gage, whose policies and decisions were occasionally questioned by the former editor, recognized he was simply being held accountable for his own decisions as an elected official. Regardless, Gage said he calls Derry a friend and appreciates his commitment to the Garlic Capital’s future.
“That’s the way it is,” Gage said. “As a politician you have to take your dings. If you want to step into the limelight, you have to be accountable. He hasn’t just been writing about the community, he’s been part of the community.”
Reading the last line from the proclamation, Woodward pointed to Derry’s impact on the city.
“Derry’s 30 years of service to this community have forever cemented his hard-earned reputation as one of the most influential newsmen in Gilroy history,” Woodward said.
