Comments on Anna C. Irwin's Cop Shop: A place for your thoughts on Anna ...

I've worked with Anna at the Daily Times for a yea...

2007-06-23T14:32:00.000-04:00

I've worked with Anna at the Daily Times for a year and a half. Being new I remember her as being one of the first people to introduce themselves and ask me how I was doing. If I needed a source for a story she knew right off who to call and would give me her list. She always had a quick common sense answer for anything problem in the news room. She was very enjoyable to work with and easy to talk to and knowing her has been a blessing. Stacey Diamond

I am not so sure words can adequately describe wha...

2007-06-23T03:03:00.000-04:00

I am not so sure words can adequately describe what the loss of Anna Irwin truly means to the area, but her vibrant and passionate feel for the news will always leave a lasting impression on me. I worked at The Daily Times as an intern for only a brief period for a class I was taking at Maryville College and in that short period I got to see Anna Irwin run about the newsroom getting stories ready to print, asking questions, always looking at the ethical and news-worthy quality of what she was working on and again her dedication, passion, enthusiasm, and vibrant personality will be greatly missed. Just watching her in action taught me some important lessons about news and journalism and I think that we who have had the opportunity even to just meet her are truly blessed...

Anna was one of the most amazing people I ever kne...

2007-06-22T17:26:00.000-04:00

Anna was one of the most amazing people I ever knew. She was that rarest of combinations: A genuine inspiration who was also a lot of fun to be around.

I will remember her warmth and energy, her verve and strength. She was smart, funny, dedicated, tough... I could go on and on, but what has not already been said?

I used to encourage her to write a book, a sort of local history. She claimed she was too busy (true) and not smart enough (untrue) to do it. She was an amazing storehouse of knowledge, and it is a mighty blow to all of us, especially the local community, that she is gone. Her devotion to the Daily Times and her years of passionate and meticulous work there will not be soon forgotten, nor will the hard work she did on behalf of animals, law enforcement and the underprivileged. These contributions stand, I suspect, as the monument she would want.

She has done genuine good in this world, championing the truth with a dogged competitiveness that was wonderful to see. I hope people who read this and didn't know her will understand that she was as kind as she was strong, that she was as caring as she was tough. And Anna knew that these were not contradictions. She lived her convictions.

As I wrote over on my blog, I can't believe someone with so much fire has gone out of the world. I count myself deeply privileged to have known her.

As a young reporter starting my career at The Dail...

2007-06-22T17:24:00.000-04:00

As a young reporter starting my career at The Daily Times in 1977, Anna taught me more about reporting than anyone else I've been associated with in the newspaper business-- and I've been associated with some good ones. To me, Anna was the best reporter I knew. Anna's style of gathering news and working with news sources was a model I tried to follow throughout my career. Not only was Anna a very talented reporter and writer, but she was also a caring person. Whenever I was faced with a career choice, Anna was always there to provide counsel. When I returned to The Times for a short period in 1992, it was great to work with her again. She was very kind to my young daughters when I was in need of a quick babysitter while working on a special assignment or deadline. The Daily Times and Blount County were truly better places because of Anna.

I met Anna my second day at The Daily Times and th...

2007-06-22T17:09:00.000-04:00

I met Anna my second day at The Daily Times and there was never anyone's respect I treasured more than hers. She taught me so many things that I can't even count them all. I can't count how many times she worked behind the scenes for the other reporters, including myself. She knew how to work a story no matter how big or small. She loved the news, pure and simple. Even as she lay in the hospital, the television was set to MSNBC.

I was also lucky enough to be taken into her family fold with her daughter, Mandy.

It's hard to say anything that hasn't already been said and yet, it still doesn't seem enough to sum up what a wonderful person she was.

She was not only a professional mentor to me, but someone I could call on for personal matters. I only hope that those of us that are left behind can take the lessons we learned to heart and live them.

I've been working with Anna for about three years ...

2007-06-22T16:04:00.000-04:00

I've been working with Anna for about three years now, and she has always been supportive of me and encouraging during the hectic times of being a reporter. She used her wisdom to nudge me in the right direction, if ever I got off course, and to take a more temperate stance on things.
I remember "Anna's office" just outside of the door exiting from the newsroom. We'd go out there and have our chats. She always carried a cup of coffee in one hand and had a cigarette in the other. Police cars would drive by, and she'd throw up a hand to wave at one of her many friends.
Anna's eyes shone like black diamonds when she was on a crusade to set wrongs right. She had a very definte sense of right and wrong and lived by a code that few others do. I believe she inherited this from her father. She used to talk about the lessons he taught her.
Anna also had a special smile on her face when she knew something and you didn't. When she was on top of a "hot story," she kept her information close to the vest with that impish smile in place. You knew you'd just have to read the paper the next day. Because of the respect and trust that she had built up over the years, Anna was able to break many stories over the course of her career.
For the last year, Anna and I have been working together on Saturday nights. We were a team and helped each other out when the other needed it.
We both shared a love of animals and swapped many stories over the course of our friendship.
As many have said already, I'm going to dearly miss Anna.

I've known Anna since I was about 4, and this is a...

2007-06-22T15:59:00.000-04:00

I've known Anna since I was about 4, and this is a tremendous loss for my family and me, as well as the newspaper and Blount County.
She was a wonderful person, a friend to those in need, a motherly figure to many, and a very caring person.
When I was a little girl I used to stand next to her to see if I was taller than she was yet...And even when I did finally surpass her in height, we would measure up against each other for a good laugh. Her laugh will be sorely missed, as will her bubbly personality. I miss her so much already.