Saying good-bye after 40 years

Publisher Marianne Gasaway

I’m feeling like a kid out of school today— giddy with the thought of spending the summer in the sun.  No schedule, no assignments, no one to squash my carefree attitude.  Yes, life is good.  

Today I am retired.

I was still a student at Iowa State University 40 years ago when I accepted the job as editor of the Mirror-Reporter from its new owners, Mike Finnegan and Dave Pressler.   I remember driving back and forth from Ames for weeks, working on the newspaper weekends and preparing for my finals in between. In retrospect, the phrase ‘jumping from the frying pan into the fire’ comes to mind, but at the time it was all very exciting.  Kind of like the first day of school, I guess.

It was apparent from the start that this community loves its paper and it welcomed us with enthusiasm back in May 1983.  A little too much enthusiasm, as it turned out.  

So many businesses wanted to participate in the first issue of the re-imaged Mirror-Reporter that the usual 12 page newspaper had swelled to 28 pages.  The only problem was that I had only prepared news for 12 pages. What about the other 16?  We pleaded for patience from the press room as we churned out more stories and photos to fill pages. Pizza and beer sent helped to ease the tension as we all worked into the night to get that first issue done.

Today, computers make it quick and easy to generate content, but back then we were using the print media’s precursor to the computer — the Compugraphic.  I typed my stories onto canary yellow paper back then and handed it off to our production staff, who would re-type it into the Compugraphic. The machine flashed light onto film to produce long strips of typed words.  And if there was a typo, a single line would need to be retyped and then cut into a strip which could be pasted with wax over the mistake.  I can’t tell you how many times the Compugraphic’s film would jam, or the chemicals to develop the film were bad and the whole thing needed to be re-typed again.  Thank heavens for the fast fingers of so many talented Mirror-Reporter staff members.  

Through the years we have progressed from working on the earliest models of Apple computers to new, big screen models on which we completely design the weekly paper and digitally send it off to be printed.  Likewise, digital cameras have turned our old darkroom into a storage space. There’s no more film to develop or prints to make.

But all of that is really just the physical changes of the job— and goodness knows there’s been many more over the past 40 years than the ones I mentioned.  It’s really the people I’ve worked with at the Mirror-Reporter and those I met through stories that signify the newspaper to me.

The job in Clear Lake was just going to be a quick stop. Why not spend the summer in a beautiful community on a lake after graduation?  The plan was to learn a little about lots of different aspects of the job and then move on to a bigger, daily paper.

Turns out, I liked everything about the job.  The Mirror-Reporter gave me something to care about and people to care about it with.  Teammates became friends, and those friends became family.  This family has given me love and support. They pushed me to be better.  They motivated and inspired. 

The memories I have collected as a member of the Mirror-Reporter team are endless, from meeting presidents to celebrating state championships.  I didn’t have to be at some big newspaper to have opportunities for once-in-a-lifetime experiences.  In fact, being the representative of a small Iowa paper actually put me first in quite a few situations.  More than once when a dignitary was in town they would look past the national media and invite local sources to ask the first questions.  They wanted to know about life in Clear Lake.  What’s important to our readers?  

One of my favorite memories will always be of Ventura Schools Superintendent Gary Schichtl handling the masses of media and fans following Ventura basketball phenom Lynne Lorenzen back in 1987.  The story of the Iowa farm girl who practiced basketball in the hay loft of a barn had caught the attention of the country as she closed in on a national scoring record.  Back then, Ventura was still playing in its tiny gymnasium which seated six rows of spectators on each side of the court. Fans had to be sure to keep their feet tucked in or they would literally be on the court with the players. One night, as Lorenzen was nearing a milestone, representatives from CBS, NBC, ABC, ESPN, the Des Moines Register and dozens of others crowded into the gym.  When Superintendent Schichtl saw me looking for a spot, he took me by the arm and escorted me to my usual spot under the basket, telling the others to step aside and make room for the local media. 

Of course, the local media has been more than just me.  

For almost three decades Kathleen Thul has been an integral part of the operation, lending her creativity and talents to  a variety of positions.  Michelle Watson first came to the M-R as the student-editor of the Dandy Lion, a page that Clear Lake High School students were given in the paper to share their news.  She attended NIACC and continued to contribute to the newspaper while pursuing a degree in communications.   After being a stay at home mom with her young children, she returned to the newspaper and uses her talents in a variety of ways. Chris Barragy is another CLHS graduate who I met while taking his photo as an student exhibitor in a school art show. He asked about doing some sports photography for the newspaper.  In probably my best decision ever, I said ‘sure!’  The newspaper has benefited greatly from the thousands of historic moments Chris has captured in his own unique way.

I have worked with these three the longest, but certainly there have been countless others who contributed greatly to the newspaper in a variety of ways.  I can say with absolute certainty that anyone who chose to work at the newspaper found it a rewarding way to serve their community.  Like me, I think they also had a great deal of fun.

I will probably never forget talking our former office manager, Lori Arends, into giving up smoking because I really wanted to write a story about the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout.  She grudgingly agreed.  And if the stress of sharing her story in the newspaper wasn’t enough, a local television affiliate saw the story and came over to interview her about her struggle.  Although she wasn’t able to kick the habit for good that time, with so many eyes upon her, she eventually did.  

Of course, former Publisher Mike Finnegan deserves deep appreciation.  He took a chance on a girl fresh out of college and supported me immeasurably through his 35 years of newspaper ownership.  He was a firm believer in the importance of local news and a stellar example of supporting local business and the community as a whole.  The newspaper thrived under his innovative leadership and example.

I’m not blind to the struggles and challenges that the newspaper industry faces today.  However, I whole-heartedly believe in its importance and endurance.  The weekly newspaper format is the best way to keep a community informed.  It may not have the instant gratification of the internet, but it gives reporters time to do things right. It also creates a lasting record of milestones, achievements, passages and decisions.  To our advertisers and readers, I thank you for allowing us to serve you.  You are the real reason this newspaper and team of dedicated professionals exist.  To host conversation and dialogue on so many issues is a real treat each day.  To see people express opinions and to offer solutions is what any media organization sets out to do, and I hope we did just that.

Before I go, I want to say thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way.  If we have chuckled together, worked together, or if you have emptied your heart out to tell me a story, believe me, I will not forget you.   All of you have had a profound effect on my life.  

And for the others— the ones who called to chew my ear about something. Sometimes it was deserved and other times not.  I’m sorry if I misspelled your granddaughter’s name.  I’m sorry about reporting a ‘lover’ transplant instead of a ‘liver’ transplant (I blame that one on spellcheck).  I apologize that I couldn’t be at every game, every reunion, every meeting.  I’m sorry if we had the wrong game listed in the sports contest.  The downside to a being a weekly newspaper is that you can’t fix something for an entire week. 

Just like a kid out of school, I’m thrilled to be looking ahead to a wide open future, but I also know I’ll be missing it all within a matter of days.