Time sure flies when youre having fun.
It doesnt seem that long ago when I was hired by the Plainsman editor, the late Roger Kasa, yet that day was 45 years ago next month. Through all these years since, Ive loved every minute being part of the lifeline the Plainsman continues to be for the community.
The newsroom in 1980 was buzzing with a crew of seven to eight people crammed into the basement where the newsroom was then located. Phones were ringing (the old rotary style), the AP (Associated Press) machine, which typed out a hard copy of each story, clattered in one corner as the typewriter keys struck the paper. There was no such thing as fax machines, internet or email. Its a far cry from the newsroom today, which now has a crew of only three to cover all the news and sports.
I thrived on the commotion and busyness of putting out a daily newspaper. Can you believe we published the names of people admitted and discharged from hospitals in Huron and throughout the area daily? Those who didnt want their name shared in the newspaper were required to opt out. That is certainly different from the strict privacy laws of today.
At that time, we published twice each day. The morning run was delivered for pickup by mail carriers for rural customers. The afternoon run, which was updated to show any news happening that day, was delivered by paper boys in town.
Only once did I hear the editor run through the newsroom shouting, Stop the presses! It was March 30, 1981, the day President Reagan was shot.
In the mid-to late 1980s, I remember there were many stories with farm wives who were making arts and crafts to sell at fairs and markets making a little extra money for the family. The plight of farmers during that era came into sharper focus when more women began taking jobs off the farm to help make ends meet and fewer focused on crafts.
Perhaps the thing I will miss the most in retirement is listening to the rhythmic sound of the presses churning out the days edition. When the newsroom was in the basement, where the press is located, it became part of the symphony of sound that accompanied us as we worked.
For the first article I ever wrote, I stopped at rummage sales and talked to people about some of their favorite finds. One answer I remember was a woman who said she found a vase lined with 18-karat gold, which led to the headline: Rummage: old to some, gold to others.
Helping people tell their stories over the years has been my greatest joy. Stories of resilience, hope and determination . . . my goal has always been to provide a voice for those who wanted to be heard.
Crystal Pugsley was the assistant editor of the Plainsman when she retired. She penned thousands of articles on the members of the Huron community and surrounding area over the years.
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