The Alpharetta City Council honored veteran journalist Patrick Fox with a formal proclamation on Monday, July 13, recognizing his 45 years in newspapers. Fox, managing editor of Appen Media, spent 15 of those years covering Alpharetta.

Fox described the moment in a farewell column published July 29 in Appen Media: "You cannot imagine the unease a newspaperman feels when a city issues a proclamation in his honor."

He wrote that journalists feel more comfortable being criticized from the dais because it proves they aren't too cozy with government. Still, Fox praised Alpharetta's governance, writing that the city "gets things right more than it gets them wrong" and "operates with a lot more openness than most cities and counties I've covered."

The July 13 celebration drew current and former Appen Media colleagues, Alpharetta residents, and the Appen family. Ray and Christina Appen, who founded the company in 1990 after careers at Knight-Ridder and The Miami Herald, attended alongside their sons Hans Appen, the company's CEO and publisher, and Carl Appen, director of content and development. Executive editor Dan Whisenhunt was also there.

Fox joined Appen Media about 12 years ago, with reporters Aldo Nahed and Jonathan Copsey as his first newsroom colleagues. Appen Media Group, headquartered at 319 North Main St. in Alpharetta, publishes seven weekly community newspapers with a combined circulation of 113,000 editions across North Fulton and surrounding suburbs.

Fox broke hard news, too. In his column, he reflected on a career-defining investigation: he covered a county commissioner jailed on what turned out to be a bogus DUI charge (two blood tests showed zero alcohol), then later uncovered evidence the same commissioner was part of a coalition that profited by voting to overpay for park land. The commissioner resigned amid a grand jury investigation.

"I was not a soft touch, but I always listened," Fox wrote. "That's how journalists should operate. Give everyone a fair shake but keep your eyes open."

As for retirement plans, Fox kept his humor, listing four post-career "schemes" including express checkout lane bouncer, certified jellybean accountant, booking agent for church aisle seats, and Thanksgiving dinner fact-checker.

"In retirement, every day is Saturday," Fox wrote.