Letter from the Publisher

If you are a regular reader of Arlington Magazine, you are used to seeing my publisher’s letter in every issue. In it, I share details of my life and tie them back to stories in the magazine. What you haven’t seen before is my writing elsewhere in an issue. 

Last year, a friend of mine, Colleen Avis, asked me to write a chapter in her book Sacred Spaces Volume 3. It’s a cool project—she assembles a group of people, many of whom are local, and persuades them to share their stories, vulnerabilities and insights in the hopes of inspiring and helping others. (Colleen’s book is available for purchase online.)

After giving it some thought, I agreed and decided to write about being put up for adoption. Being an adoptee has defined me in a lot of ways. In my chapter, I share some of the challenges of being adopted, my decision to seek answers and find my birth mother, our reunion, and how the information I learned and our relationship has changed me. 

Several people, especially my brother-in-law Patrick, encouraged me to share my story in the magazine. It seemed like a good idea. Our editor, Jenny Sullivan, agreed, and here we are. You’ll find my adoption story in My Life on page TK. 

Living through a global pandemic and enduring an ugly partisan period in our nation’s history has many people on edge. If you’re considering therapy or seeking it for a loved one, our cover story by Robyn Gearey provides a helpful framework, explaining the various qualifications, specialties and modalities, costs and insurance, and ways to evaluate if a therapist is a good fit. Navigating the options can be confusing, and Robyn (who is a therapist herself as well as a freelance journalist) does an excellent job of breaking it down for you.

Shifting from mental health to physical health, you will find our annual Top Doctors and Top Dentists guides in this issue. We partnered with PRS, a national research firm that conducts peer-review surveys and identifies the most respected physicians and dental professionals in specific markets. I hope you find these resources to be useful, and we are excited to share them with you. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out our annual Extraordinary Teen Awards, which is one of our most popular features of the year. It’s inspiring to read their stories. In this issue, we have athletes—including the NFL Flag Player of the Year—inventors, entrepreneurs, debate champs, and future surgeons and elected leaders. It’s an amazing group. We also want to congratulate the entire class of 2025. You did it! Best of luck to you.

I hope you enjoy our July/August issue. Feel free to reach out to me anytime at greg.hamilton@arlingtonmagazine.com with story ideas and suggestions. Letters to the editor should be sent to jenny.sullivan@arlingtonmagazine.com. Hope you have a great summer.

Greg Hamilton, Publisher