Ann Curry leaving the Today Show has made me quite sad this week. I grew up watching Katie Couric and had a girl-crush on Mer Ver, and as they each departed, Ann Curry was always there making everything okay. I’m sure this Savannah chick is cool and all, but she’s got some big Choo’s to fill.

I was lucky enough to work at NBC for five plus years and it’s still my part-time home. Part of those five years were spent Kenneth-ing it up in the page program, and anyone who has worn that blue suit is probably feeling the same way as me right now. You develop an inexplicable attachment to all NBC shows and all NBC talent. These people aren’t just talking heads on television. They’re the people you share the elevator with, run into at lunch, and give at least four speeches a day about while leading visitors around on studio tours.

If I were to revise the page manual, I would start it off by saying, “The Today Show is bank. Learn everything you can about it because it’s always been the top-rated morning show for a reason and everyone who works there is pretty freaking awesome.” As I wrote this, I would think about the production staff, the stagehands, the talent, but most of all Ann Curry.

In the midst of Matt Lauer travelling the world and telling celebs how it is, Hoda and Kathie Lee drinking their way through the TGI Fridays cocktail menu, and a slew of lifestyle pieces, Ann Curry was always there holding it down with the news. Her segments might have been brief, but she always brought an air of legitimacy and professionalism to the table that made all the other parts work. And she carried this with her when she took over as anchor. For me, she was the heart and the glue of Today and also responsible for one of my favorite jokes on 30 Rock of all time.

TRACY MORGAN (to the NBC psychiatrist)

“Who’s crazier? Me or Ann Curry?”

Ann Curry is badass and I will never stop looking up to her. She and all the other news women out there deserve admiration and respect for all the work they do. Ann stands out amongst the pack, and I’ll miss seeing her every morning as I straighten my hair.

I might not be crazier than Ann Curry, but I’m definitely crazy about her.