Legends of the Fall

We lost some heavyweights last year, and we loved them all.

Looking back on 2024, it is no exaggeration to say our history world took some major hits. Our immediate competitor, Wild West magazine, ceased operation in the spring, due, in part, to the deteriorating newsstand situation. And we at True West had to tighten our belts in more ways than one (we reduced our issues from 10 a year down to six). One of the advantages of not being owned by a conglomerate, as Wild West was, is we didn’t have the luxury of writing off our losses.

We also lost beloved members of our tribe, specifically, Jana Bommersbach and Phil Spangenberger and also my old studio mate and occasional True West contributor—the legendary artist, Ed Mell. In October came word our longtime columnist and Arizona treasure, Marshall Trimble, was hanging up his spurs, as he puts it. He has a heartfelt farewell letter in this issue (page 94). Before he stepped down, I asked Marsh if he would cull out his favorite “Ask the Marshall” questions and answers of the past two decades, and he enthusiastically did exactly that (Marsh does everything with such joy and enthusiasm!) and so we will run them in the magazine as long as they last. Marsh is 86 and he had a great run, and he will be missed. Actually, all of the above family members will be missed, including our scrappy competitors!

In spite of these losses, we are confident about the future and finding our way in all the chaos. This is where history is a great teacher (see all the quotes on page 13). You can take this one to the bank: The times may change, but stories about courage will never go out of style.