The Cliffords ~by Bob Gustin
A
glance at the busy calendar in the kitchen of the Clifford home reveals a lot about the family: Sara and Derek Clifford have never been ones to watch from the sidelines. “We both have had lots of responsibilities and we’ve sometimes taken it to the extreme,” Derek said. “It’s a part of who we are,” Sara added. Sara spent 12 years as editor of the Brown County Democrat newspaper, from 2009 to 2021, when she resigned to accept a position as managing editor for the Indiana Journal of Earth Sciences through the Indiana Geological and Water Survey at Indiana University in Bloomington. Derek has been a local leader in the entertainment and hospitality circles, serving on the boards of the chamber of commerce, convention and visitors bureau, and the convention and visitors commission, among other posts. Previously managing partner of Rawhide Ranch, he is now director of production at Hard Truth Distilling Co. and Quaff ON! Brewing Co.
16 Our Brown County • Jan./Feb. 2024
Derek and Sara Clifford. photo by Bob Gustin
But between those professional responsibilities, the couple also takes time to help in other community activities, to support three sons involved in many activities of their own, and to host a foreign exchange student. They are also both leaders in Cub Scout Pack 190, Derek as cubmaster and treasurer, and Sara as pack committee chair, advancement chair, and assistant leader of the Bear den. “We have enough skillsets and have been around lots of kids. Enough people will sit on the sidelines and complain, but not enough get involved and try to make changes,” said Sara. Sara is from Paris, Ill., and graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., where she studied creative writing, journalism, and Spanish. Derek, from Westville, Ill., has a degree in theater from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. They met at Camp Ondessonk, a Catholic summer camp in southern Illinois. Both were campers there as children and teenagers but
