One of the first things we did was introduce her to Atex, our front-end writing and editing system. Data Processing assigned her a log-on and password. We patiently tried to explain the process of getting a story from her queue into the paper.

Early on, I decided Tina would need someone to make sure she met the right people, saw as many parts of the paper as she could and had a safe place to park. I felt sympathy for someone so far from home, husband and kids and so many years removed from daily journalism. I became her unofficial "keeper,'' but it really wasn't necessary. Tina quickly came up with a written plan of what she wanted to accomplish and managed most of it on her own, with only a few introductions and freeway directions.

Her energy was phenomenal. She'd be at work when I arrived, ideas and questions spilling out at a rapid pace. A few days, she was still there when I left.

It turned out she was a master of the quick hit - short, bright feature stories, many of them published on the front of our Accent section. She said she'd been doing that stuff for years, but, still, I was surprised at how easily she found local contacts and how little editing her stories required.

Tina also became writing coach to one of our free-lancers, an accountant-turned-humorist who has a lot of potential but no particular training as a writer. In three sessions, they argued a lot while she cut his work to shreds. Then I'd edit him some more, and then we'd all laugh about evil editors. The effect was immediate - his column submissions are a lot shorter, he stays focused on the subject, and he now owns a dictionary and an AP stylebook.

She lost her Atex messages several times and never seemed quite sure how to start, save or find a story. Through it all, Tina seemed both amazed and slightly stunned at what's going on in newsrooms today - reporters and editors are production-oriented, photographers never produce a print, artists are essential, meetings are endless and the computer rules.

She declared she'd never be an editor, and on bad days I agreed wholeheartedly. She'd announce her latest plan to apply for yet another academic grant, and I'd profess shock about the sorry state of academia. I realized when she left that, 20-some years into the journalism profession, I'd forgotten how much fun it can be.

Tina and I have stayed in touch by phone and e-mail, and she's promised to take me shopping in New York. I've found a longtime friend.

But she never did figure out the Atex system.

Coffman is special sections editor of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch.