By Tom Crawford, News Editor

Called out to take a photo, Staples World News Editor Tom Crawford was given a rake and told to go to work when volunteers landscaped at the Welcome to Staples signs on Highway 10. Kevin Grondahl’s city workers and Kerry Lindgren’s high school conservation class did most of the work in this 2008 project. (Submitted photo by Kevin Grondahl) The byline above has graced (or disgraced, depending on one’s point of view) the pages of the Staples World since mid-May of 1981, when a 35-year-old reporter walked into the Staples World office to begin his new job. The byline won’t appear, with any regularity at least, after July 30, when this writer retires.

I’m hoping to move on to golfing, fishing, some travel involving genealogy and another trip (or two) to Africa in the future. And a trip to England and Europe.

It’s been a great ride for guy who didn’t plan to stay here for more than three or four years, as that had been my longest tenure at previous news writing jobs. But plans change, as they say. It’s interesting that the news writer’s job at this newspaper is now open for only the third time in probably 50 or 60 years. Gordy Sellnow held this post for many years prior to his unexpected death in 1977. Pat Misener replaced him and worked here for four years prior to moving on to a pastoral position (quite a switch in roles) in 1981. That’s when I was hired by the then-publisher Paul Caquelin.

Nearly 20 World War II veterans took part in this Staples World sponsored float in the 2003 Railroad Days parade. News Editor Tom Crawford piloted the Farmall H, not a lot unlike his younger days on a South Dakota farm. Veterans of other eras were honored in three other Railroad Days floats sponsored by the newspaper. (Staples World file photo by Janice Winter) Most responsible for my being here for nigh on to 30 years is a woman named Patricia. Plans change when you run into a woman from Motley. She not only has shared (read that managed) my life since 1983, she has been through more than one story, research project and served as a sounding board. She has spent many nights home alone while I’ve been at ball games, meetings, etc. More than many spouses could be, she has been patient and understanding. And loving.

I thank my co-workers, past and present, my employers and all I’ve come in contact with over the years. All except ad salesman Gary Mueller, who I now can bequeath the title he’s given me: Oldest relic in the World.

All of us connected with any newspaper also have to thank our subscribers and our advertisers, the folks who make our paychecks possible.

I have found that Staples, despite being a supposedly quiet town, has been a treasure trove of news happenings. In the past 29 years, we’ve had natural and unnatural calamities such as wind storms, a tornado or three, blizzards too many to count. We’ve had fires and accidents (I came a year after the big Philbrook wildfire, a couple years before the Motley train collision). We’ve had a murder or two. A Centennial. A hazardous waste incinerator was once proposed, as was a pairing of two school systems. One came about, one was rejected.

But those aren’t the only stories I recall. The ones about the little people, the folks who didn’t pound on the door to get their names and story into the paper were the really good stories. I seemed to have hit a vein of independence among older folks in stories I recall. I hope to be able to be as independent in future years as some of my story subjects.

There was a little old lady running her snowblower just behind the first Lakewood Clinic building on Fourth Street. “Somebody’s got to do it,” the 89- year-old Mrs. Gripne said.

Emma Klos was another story, a very similar and very independent woman who insisted on living on her own at her pleasant little home on the south side, despite the desires of her children. She was full of humor, wisdom and great quotes on the eve of her 98th birthday.

Another of my favorites was the story of the Becker Township farmer/ mechanic and his wife, Emil and Jane Kurti, who lived just north of the Crow Wing River. Jane and Emil would cut wood with a buzz saw, with Jane handing him the chunk of wood after cutting it to firewood length. “I’ve got my pilot’s license. She saws it up and I get to pile it,” he’d say, running those last two words together. His wood stacking was immaculate, just like his shop, not one item out of place. Did I mention that Emil had been blind since 1945?

I say thanks once again to those people who opened up their homes and their lives to me. Many objected, saying they were not worthy of a story. They were always the most interesting.

In an earlier position at Owatonna, I had specialized in farm stories. When I came here, I tried to cover ag issues as well. It’s always interesting to see farm people get news coverage, as many newspapers lack writers willing to write farm stories.

Sports coverage consumed much of my attention over the later years, with many trips to state and section tournaments for the Staples Motley teams and coaches. Don Dravis, Jerry Riewer, Glen Hasselberg, Lynn Peterson, Pat Held and a host of others who are not only good coaches but also great people.

But I think as memorable as those were, one state meet sticks out in my memory. Driving to Cragun’s (?) I think in April, 1988, walking into the state Knowledge Bowl meet in progress, and finding the Motley High School team in contention for the state title (against some 30 other schools) at that point, was a neat experience. Becky Hasselberg and Pam Sach’s team finished third; maybe if I’d stayed away, the team that included Dan Stelck, David Anderson, Alan Bjerga and Dana Bacon would have won??

My ‘beat’ all these years in Staples has been the city offices and city council. There have been some long council sessions and more than once a news story that didn’t sit well with the powers that be. I’ve usually had a good relationship with the elected officials, and at others times I’ve probably been on someone’s ‘hit’ list. If you do the job right, that will happen. If you do the job wrong, it can also happen. At the same time I’ve been able to develop good relations with a succession of mayors, council members and city staff. My thanks to all those folks who have helped in any way, from answering a phone call to providing a ton of paper backup for a major city project.

I’ve also worked all these years with people in the schools, covering school board meetings on occasion and school activities. The Staples Motley school district has been blessed with many very devoted staff members, teachers and administrators and I’ve enjoyed working with them. I cannot mention them all but have to point out one: Don Sanda has followed up his years in the classroom with many years of volunteer work with the speech team and with Dollars for Scholars. His generosity with his time, talents and finances is an example for all of us to admire and try to follow.

I began writing stories about area veterans about 1985 on the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II and have interviewed many others since then. I especially enjoyed stories told by former POW’s such as Orville Ingebritson and Jim Richmond. I’ve been fortunate enough to interview and write the tales told by two men who were at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 when the war started and also aboard our ships in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 5, 1945, for the peace signing ceremony. Vern Whistler was the first one and Arlyn Welling the second. One of my last veteran stories was last Nov. 11, when I wrote about Bill, Vern, Arlyn and Clarence Koehler. Along the way I’ve met and written about veterans from Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War and most recently, the two Gulf Wars and Afghanistan.

Those veterans and their stories were the seed for one of my most satisfying experiences at the World. Beginning in 2003, the Staples World entry in the Railroad Days parade was a float honoring our veterans. To start with, we sought out World War II vets and gave a wagon load of these WW II veterans a ride down Fourth Street, pulled by Lloyd Nelson’s H Farmall (about 1945 vintage also). We followed that with Korea in 2004, Vietnam in 2005 and Cold War vets in 2006. They were all great experiences, with each group receiving a standing ovation from the crowds along the parade route.

I must confess that honoring the Vietnam vets (of my own generation) was my overriding reason for taking on this project. While all four groups had people who had never been in a parade before, who had never been given appropriate thanks, it meant so much to those Vietnam vets. Several of them, such as Glen Hasselberg, Larry Knosalla and Ken Klose, with a hint of moisture in their eyes, commented after their parade, “No one’s ever thanked us for serving before. Thanks for doing that.”

But it’s time. It’s time for a younger person to take over. In 39 years, I’ve seen newspapers go from linotype machines to computer screens. Years ago I wanted to learn all I could about computers and all the new technology. I always said I didn’t want to become a dinosaur, unable to accept changes. Now I’m cresting that hill. Now we have social media, Facebook, Twitter, social networking and video feeds for web sites. Yikes! All that will be better nurtured by someone younger (and more technically savvy).

Don’t think I’m letting you folks off easy by disappearing into the sunset. I intend to keep working with the Staples Historical Society and other groups. As I wrote in my letter to general manager Brenda Halvorson, I intend to stop into the office often, rapping out a news item about the Staples Historical Society, the Old Wadena Historical Society, the Railroad Days parade or some other project that I might be working on at that time. I may ‘bless’ the morning coffee crew at Tower Pizza with an occasional visit as well

So it’s Happy Trails to you, until we meet again...