The Daily Memphian is celebrating its 8th birthday today — Thursday, Sept. 17.

On that day, Eric Barnes, one of the organization’s co-founders and current editor-at-large, wrote a column inviting readers to join The Daily Memphian in its unprecedented journey.

Today, the nonprofit news outlet’s new CEO Pierre Landaiche kicked off a conversation in a Daily Memphian Slack channel, and staff thought it would be fun to share it with readers.

Check out the responses from some of our staffers describing, in varying levels of detail, their childhood selves at age 8. 

Some were 8 in the 1960s, and some were 8 in the 2010s. And while many of us are from Memphis, we also hail from West Palm, Buffalo, Tacoma and beyond.

The staff thanks readers and subscribers for supporting The Daily Memphian since 2018, especially amid an increasingly challenging local news landscape. We will keep working to deliver the news you need from the city and surrounding suburbs for many more years to come.

If you’re not a subscriber, you can join us today.

Where were you when you were 8 years old?

Clay Bailey, suburbs editor

It was the early 60s. I was living in my parents’ palatial 950-square-foot home in East Memphis. A third-grader at Holy Rosary School, I hadn’t started my journalistic career yet. I would imagine that was the year my neighbor brought over a vinyl record called “Meet the Beatles.”

Eric Barnes, editor-at-large

I was living in my mom’s house in Tacoma, (Washington), where my brother and I were in awe of our 12-year-old cousin — and frequent babysitter — who was telling us about how to bring pot into the Led Zeppelin ‘77 show at the Kingdome in Seattle.

Steve Bohnel, business reporter

I was in third grade at Linden Elementary in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. (They actually tried to close the school in recent years because now, not too many families live where I grew up). One of the things I really valued about growing up where I did is that I could safely walk to school all the way through my senior year. (At Linden, it was literally a five- to ten-minute walk down some sidewalks and trails). Living in this city for the last nine months, I know that’s not a guarantee.

Tim Buckley, deputy sports editor and senior writer

In Buffalo, New York, despondent over the Russians robbing gold from the American basketball team at the ‘72 Olympics that summer.

Geoff Calkins, columnist

I was in third grade, living in Hamburg, New York, outside of Buffalo. That’s the year I was diagnosed with childhood leukemia and my father, a doctor, heard about a revolutionary new treatment regime being developed at a handful of cancer hospitals — including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Nearly six decades later, I’m still here and occasionally have the privilege of writing about the continuing miracles of St. Jude.

Lizzie Dodson, marketing manager

It was 2004 in West Palm Beach, Florida. We were still reeling from the Florida Marlins 2003 World Series win — my aunt volunteered for the team, so I got to meet them! I also broke my wrist that year roller skating and had to wear a cast under my pink Supergirl costume.

Jane Donahoe, metro editor

I was in the second grade at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, suffering through my doomsday decision to purchase navy blue Sebagos instead of the less conspicuous brown, while dominating SRA readers at an impressive clip. I was also likely blaring Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time” while believing that I, too, could be an Olympic swimmer.

Alys Drake, digital producer

I was in third grade at Grace-St. Luke’s and struggling with my times tables. In my defense, they changed the method of teaching math from the year before, and I was very confused. I was conditionally passed to fourth grade if I learned them over the summer.

Bill Dries, government reporter

I was eight years old in late 1966 and most of 1967. A student of life and at Our Lady of Sorrow Catholic School — about third grade. (Let me check ... yes.) I was a year into cursive writing and life under nuns, although my teacher that year Mrs. Krug was not a nun. For Christmas I got a Mattel “printing press” and a play typewriter. So I printed a newspaper on a quarter page and typed in stories I stole from the 10 p.m. news.

I only did a few of them and quickly outgrew the toy typewriter to move up to my uncle’s typewriter from college and the monastery, stored in a case that smelled like literature. The world moves fast after Holy Communion in second grade. But that’s another story.

Chris Herrington, columnist

Living in Forrest City, Arkansas, discovering baseball and honing my contrarian impulse by rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers over the St. Louis Cardinals in the series.

Kathy Kendrick, business manager

It would have been the year that Richard Nixon resigned. Yes, I am that old! I would have been a student at Towering Oaks, which later became one of the Briarcrest Satellite Schools. We lived “way out in the county” off Ridgeway Road. Winchester Road was a two-lane road, and there was a stop sign at Ridgeway and Winchester with open fields. There was nothing on that corner as the mall had not been built yet. The last stoplight going out Winchester was at Mendenhall Road.

Pierre Landaiche, CEO

I was living in the Sherwood Forest neighborhood in Baton Rouge and went to school at Twin Oaks Elementary.

Noah McLane, business reporter

It was 2007, and my mom had just finished undergrad. We went on a trip to San Diego that year to celebrate, and I remember feeling aftershocks of a recent earthquake at the hotel. Very rad experience.

Emma Meskovic, social media and video producer

1999! Y2K! I was in third grade at Willow Oaks. That year, I decided I wanted to be an artist instead of a doctor, and I had to start wearing glasses. (I still see the same eye doctor today.) I dated my first boyfriend, and he had a swimming pool and a trampoline.

Elle Perry, arts and culture editor

My speech teacher (who lived in Germantown) took me to my first ballet: “The Nutcracker.” I went to TCBY and tried just about all of the toppings. It was gross.

Natalie Pilgrim, digital producer

It was 2005, I was 9 not 8. “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl” just came out and I saw it in 3D. It was my first 3D movie, and I loved it.

Laura Testino, enterprise reporter

Stereotypical education reporter-in-training activities were occurring at my elementary school. (See below.)

Genn Throneburg, fundraising and community engagement manager

The year was 1992, and I met my second-longest best friend. Her name was Autumn, and I decided that everyone needed to call me “Summer.” No one called me Summer. 

Julia Tracy, customer support

I started competing in cooking competitions at church when I was 8. Honorable mention: trying to turn myself into a mermaid by following potion tutorials on YouTube. 

Abigail Warren, Germantown and Collierville reporter

I lived in Germantown and was in third grade at Westminster Academy. I played soccer in a rec league in the defender position and danced ballet.

Holly Whitfield, digital director

I was in Mississippi playing baseball and basketball and directing an “American Girl” play (Kirsten) for my third grade class. I had to step in at the last minute when the classmate I’d recruited to act as Marta bailed. Spoiler alert: Marta has a dramatic death scene.