The Cavalier Daily family lost its beloved matriarch this past weekend. Sharon Bradley, the CD's longtime receptionist, was 54 years old.
Bradley began working at The Cavalier Daily in 1990 on a temporary assignment, intending to only stay a few weeks. Those few weeks turned into 16 years that deeply touched the lives of a multitude of student journalists. Bradley retired this past July.
Bradley was a familiar fixture at The Cavalier Daily during a period of rapid institutional change: In 1990, students produced the newspaper on the fifth floor of Newcomb Hall.Photographers developed their pictures in a darkroom, and designers cut stories out of paper and rolled them onto flats. Editors also had to compete with The University Journal.
Today, The University Journal is long gone. Staffers now complete the layout and design of the newspaper entirely on computer, and photographers take digital photos. Perhaps most importantly, students moved operations from the fifth floor down to the Newcomb Hall basement. But when the students moved, Bradley went with them.
"I'll remember Sharon as a comforting presence in the office," said Becky Krystal, 2004 executive editor. "Sharon was always there with a smile and friendly greeting, encouraging me to take it easy on myself and get out of the office even when she couldn't."
While budding journalists slept in to recover from their late-night roll times, Bradley held down the fort. Bradley's official responsibilities at The Cavalier Daily included fielding phone calls, organizing classified ads, delivering and paying the bills, keeping the books and generally making sure vital operations did not slip through the cracks.
But Bradley's unofficial duties were much more important.
During her tenure, The Cavalier Daily was entirely student-run, without any faculty advisor or administrative oversight. Bradley filled a vital gap for the staff, serving as a source of institutional memory and support. At the same, she patiently respected the choices students made while governing themselves, even when they were misguided.
"I always viewed Sharon as being a voice above the fray," said Mike Greenwald, EIC 2000."She always maintained that we were doing a good job, even when we screwed up, and that tomorrow was another day. Being on the Managing Board of the Cavalier Daily, with the constant pressure and outside criticism, feels like it's the five of you against the world. Sharon, in her own way, made us feel less on an island and more a part of something that many others had gone through before."
Bradley defused the tense newsroom environment and helped overcommitted staffers step back and remember not to take themselves too seriously.
"No matter how stressful things got in the basement of Newcomb, Sharon was always there to offer words of encouragement and provide perspective on the work we were doing at the paper," said Emily Roper, 2002 managing editor.
Bradley was also the paper's "eyes and ears" among the Newcomb Hall staff, contributing vital bits of gossip about other organizations and personalities on Grounds. Her partner in crime and closest friend at Newcomb Hall, Pat Payne, remembers her fondly.
"Sharon would send me the craziest jokes," Payne said. "We laughed together and we cried together."
Although Bradley never had children of her own, Cavalier Daily staffers became her adopted children for their four years in between home and the real world.
"Sharon always wanted to take care of us, especially when we were doing a poor job of taking care of ourselves," said Chris Wilson, 2005 editor-in-chief. "Once I had the flu and was trying to resist Sharon's repeated demands that I go home -- 20 minutes later, I got a call at the office. It was my mother. 'Sharon called me,' she said, 'and told me to tell you to get some rest.'"
And the love she had for the staffers was unconditional.
"Sharon reminded me to eat, sleep, take my vitamins, and, however unsuccessfully, keep up with my school work," said Brandon Almond, EIC 2003. "She reminded me that, whatever current crisis was at hand, it had happened countless times before. She reminded me to laugh at my mistakes, and tolerate those of others. Often, and perhaps most importantly, she reminded me what a cure-all a nice, big hug can be."
Bradley's extensive collection of hundreds of postcards from around the world was a tangible reflection of the affectionate relationship she had with her many "children." Under a long-standing tradition, both current students and alums would send her a postcard whenever they visited a new destination. The postcards literally covered the walls of her office.
"Never a day passed when I'd enter the office and Sharon wouldn't greet me with a friendly smile," said Kara Rowland, 2004 managing editor. "She was genuinely interested in our pursuits, and had nothing but fond wishes for us. Her consistent, calm demeanor was always a valued respite from the chaos of the outside world."
Although Bradley listened eagerly to even the pettiest details of students' lives, she was very private about her own personal life, and details remain hazy to this day.
Bradley grew up in Charlottesville, where she was voted homecoming queen her senior year of high school. After a short stay in Washington D.C., she returned to Charlottesville, where she lived for the rest of her life. Before beginning work with The Cavalier Daily, Bradley held several other jobs, including working as a lab technician at the University Hospital.
One of Bradley's passions was her pet cats. Although she took in dozens of strays over the years, Powder, a white Persian, was her favorite.
Bradley has few surviving relatives, but was also deeply fond of her grand-nephews. She would frequently brag about them and their endeavors to staffers.
Bradley's longtime boyfriend purchased a Winnebago shortly before her retirement in July, and she hoped to travel with him.Before her deteriorating health made it too difficult, she enjoyed spending time with him outdoors and up in the mountains.
Although the exact time and cause of Bradley's death are unknown, her family has confirmed that she passed away over the weekend in her home in Charlottesville. In accordance with Bradley's wishes, the family has chosen cremation in lieu of a funeral, which is being handled by the Teague Funeral Service.
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