This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
This year marks my 20th anniversary at The Salt Lake Tribune. It's something of a personal record. I've never done anything half this long without it ending badly.
It began inauspiciously in April 1994. Jay Shelledy, then managing editor for The Tribune, called the small Utah County newspaper where I was obliviously working on getting fired six months later.
Jay said he had read some of my irreverent columns and informed me that I was now writing a column for him. The first one was due within 48 hours. He hung up before I finished saying, "Wait. What?"
That column was about prayer in public schools, something I was/am opposed to for the simple reason that it never worked for me. I prayed through the entire sixth grade and still had to go to #%$@ summer school.
I stuck with the weekly Faith column for three years, making fun of my own people (Mormons) and myself until Jay decided it was time to turn me loose on the rest of you. Twenty years of that went by in a blink.
So, not counting my marriage, this is the longest I've ever been able to stick to something without being discharged, expelled, released, injured or asked to leave. I think it's cause for celebration.
The Tribune thinks so, too. Toward that end a gala has been planned for Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m., at the The Depot in The Gateway. You're invited. Here's the link for tickets.
The "family friendly" event is being billed as a "Night with Robert Kirby," but it's actually a night with my entire family as well. You can meet my wife, daughters, grandchildren and parents and decide for yourself how much I've put them through.
Sonny won't be there. His mom is having surgery in New Mexico, but his wife Sue has a statement he wants read. I haven't seen it yet. It could be bad.
This brings me to you. I've written another book about us. "The Essential Kirby Canon" will make its debut that night. It's the sixth volume in the anthological collection that includes the best and worst of us.
And the past 20 years really has been about us — you, me, and the foolishness that is us and makes us such interesting case studies.
But some of the best things about being a humor columnist are the close friends I've made whom I've never actually met. Some of you and I have corresponded for years without once meeting in person. It's amazing how important those friendships have become.
For example, I corresponded with the postmaster in Moab for a year without meeting him. Then one day my daughter's car broke down in Moab.
Worried, I called the Moab Post Office and asked a guy I had never met if he would go to my daughter's rescue. He did. Mike Redford replaced the battery in her car and sent her safely on her way. We're still close friends to this day.
I'd like to meet some of the rest of you. If you have the time and think it's worthwhile, stop by The Depot Nov. 13 and let's put real faces to the words.
Robert Kirby can be reached at rkirby@sltrib.com or facebook.com/stillnotpatbagley —
About our 'Evening with Kirby'
You're invited to "An Evening with Kirby," a celebration of his 20 years at The Salt Lake Tribune and the release of his latest book, "The Essential Kirby Canon." Kirby and The Tribune's Jennifer Napier-Pearce will chat about his life as a columnist and his cheeky observations about all things Utah. You can also expect a cannon video and a bit of roasting.
Join us Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at The Depot, 13 N. 400 West, Salt Lake City. Admission to this family-friendly event is $5 per person. Find ticket information here. ,