Glimpses of 2002 Through the Lens

By Mitch Traphagen

RUSKIN - The year, it seems, began with a sigh of relief. The awful events of 2001 were now last year. While most Americans had yet to put that day in September completely behind them, time continued its relentless march on. The calendar changed, time had moved on. They say, after all, that time heals all wounds. That's what they say anyway.

The year 2002 may possibly be described as the year that Americans learned to live under a threat. While we may not be comfortable with it, we adjusted and we, like time itself, moved on.

It would be easy to write a year in review column and focus on the bad news. And there was much bad news: corporate scandals, political misstatements, the ongoing threat of war and of biological terror and the rattling of a nuclear sabre. That, however, would not only be easy, it would be patronizing. It would also ignore the fact that life in these United States did indeed go on.

High school seniors at East Bay and Riverview High Schools graduated and began looking to the future. Couples married and children were born. A new emergency room was built at our local hospital to meet the needs of our ever-growing population. South county artists flourished and achieved recognition. People came together to celebrate and they came together to cry. The key being that people came together.

To focus on the bad news and ignore the good news - or even the news of everyday achievements - would ignore the vast majority of things that occurred in 2002.

The residents of south Hillsborough County not only took time in 2002 to remember, we also took time to celebrate. And we had much to celebrate. From the Tomato Festival to the Seafood and Arts Festival the year was filled with events that brought us together. Sun City Center turned 40 and then showed its youth by setting a world record in a way only they can - with a golf cart parade. Each month and likely every day, there was a reason for joy, a reason to celebrate, an event to remember.

As 2002 draws to a close and the promise of a new year unfolds, we present a few glimpses into what was - as seen through the lens of the camera.