By Opelika
Observer Staff
Effective May 20, Opelika Observer Editor Morgan Bryce will be resigning from his position to accept an administrative assistant/assistant communications role with the City of Smiths Station.
Bryce, who has served as the Observer’s editor since October 2018, said he is grateful for the experiences and stories he has had the ability to write about and share with the paper’s readers.
“I’m eternally grateful to all individuals currently or formerly involved with the Observer that I’ve had the chance to work with in my time here at the Observer, particularly Michelle Key and Fred Woods. Their faith and belief in me to help lead a weekly newspaper has left an impact on my life that cannot be overstated,” Bryce said.
Originally from nearby Salem, Bryce majored in journalism at Auburn University, and started with the Observer as a senior student intern on May 16, 2016. Following his graduation in August that year, he accepted an offer for a full-time position with the Observer and began working as the paper’s staff reporter.
Bryce began 2018 as the Observer’s associate editor before Key promoted him to editor on Oct. 31, 2018, concurrent with the newspaper’s 10th anniversary celebration.
“What I’ve enjoyed most about this job is the people I’ve met and bond that I’ve formed with individuals in communities across Lee County,” Bryce said. “I’ve had so many amazing experiences, and thoroughly enjoyed the variability and unpredictability that the Observer has provided me on a week-to-week basis. It’s hard to single out one experience for me here, but having the chance to help represent the Observer and be part of the press pool for President Trump’s press tour of the tornado damage is something I’ll never forget.”
The Observer has hired Missouri native Will Fairless to replace Bryce, effective June 1. He will join Key and Staff Reporter Natalie Anderson in forming the Observer’s editorial team.