Her column had broad-based appeal because LeBaron is interested in so many things, as knowledgeable about baseball as classical music. She was as much at home at a Portuguese festival as a black tie charity dinner. All was column fodder as LeBaron deftly pulled back the covers to shed light on people and events that were part of the county's cultural dimensions. Even as a child, LeBaron was curious, investigating the how and why of things, fascinated by the towering redwoods and the rivers that ran through them. And always the people, with all of their human foibles.
Curiosity is a prime requirement for a journalist.
Democratic and down to earth, LeBaron can converse with a vineyard worker as easily as wine baron Jess Jackson. Her strength, say her editors, has always been her take on the common man and her ability to hold her own with the power brokers. LeBaron's long view was that she was enriched by dealing with the everyday people who are the backbone of the community, people like the late Paul Mancini, the Santa Rosa farmer who grew the sweetest prunes on the planet and who became known through her columns. By her own admission, LeBaron grew into the job, finding the authoritative voice that has become her hallmark over the last 20 years. The column changed as I changed.