The end of an era; Happy retirement, dear friends

Now that the deal has gone through and last week it was reported on in these newspapers, I can finally write about it. The end of an 83 year era in Western Iowa newspapers.

When I first met Mike Lyon, I was intimidated. And justifiably so, but not just because he’s so tall or because he can be “hard to read,” but because he’s a consummate professional. He took pride not just in his own work, but in the caliber of everything Lyon Publishing produced.

I was a gung-ho college kid. I’d been editor of my high school paper but opted not to pursue the same path in college. I drew cartoons and wrote opinion pieces, but didn’t have to gather information and report it, interview or sell ads.

My then fiancé, Bethany had worked for Mike and Barb Lyon in high school and summers after working on the COU yearbook and Ye Aulde Bobcat. She had gotten very good at interviewing and reporting. The summer we got married she somehow talked them into hiring me for some special projects like a special edition of the NEWSpaper for Charter Oak’s Centennial.

That year Lyon published a plat book, so I learned fast about how to sell ads, which can be very hard. Believe me, asking people for money is always hard even if you don’t take rejection personally and you really believe in the product or service you’re providing.

Where both advertising and civic involvement are concerned, Mike was a good teacher and a good example. He believes in small town Iowa and supporting the local community. Advertising in your local paper isn’t just supporting the paper, it’s participating in that community. It shows that you’re proud of your town and it’s investing in that community.

Of course a newspaper is a business and even journalists and publishers need to make a living, but so many small towns aren’t lucky enough to have newspapers. And newspapers benefit their communities in lots of ways, like churches, schools, and sports teams, they are something citizens share in common. They add a cohesive element that brings and holds folks together. They’re a catalyst that can promote community and participation in civic life, activities, projects and politics.

Whether it was Mapleton activities, the Loess Hills, The Iowa Newspaper Association, community clubs and commercial clubs, the fire department or the schools in Schleswig, Mapleton, Charter Oak and Ute, Lyon Publishing and Mike and Barb Lyon have led the way in promoting communities.

As you read in last weeks paper, Mike pioneered the technological revolution in publishing. When I joined my high school newspaper staff we were still mopping photo-developing chemicals up from under our typesetter. Mike took the plunge and started using Apple Macintosh computers with laser printers, then he convinced his colleagues all over Iowa and the Midwest to follow his lead.

Lots of people like to talk about having seen horses, early Fords and now electric-hybrid and ethanol cars during their lifetimes. During his life time, Mike watched his father and grandfather loading printing presses with moveable lead type, developed film in a darkroom and used smelly typesetters and now can download digital images from a camera, complete an entire edition of the Mapleton PRESS on a computer and email it to the printers in minutes.

My fond memories will include laughing and sharing coffee, treats and family stories with Barb twice a day at break time. Like a mother hen, she’d remind us when we were laying out pages that stories and pictures are nice, but you couldn’t even have a newspaper without ads.

I will remember and appreciate all the lessons and advice about designing layouts, ads and t-shirts, and taking and processing photos from Mike. How he’d always call me “young man,” or “friend.”

The front office was always busy with visitors. Many were neighbors and friends, many were clients and merchants, but it was fun to hear the laughter and banter with Mike and Barb of people who came in every week, almost like a restaurant or bar has its “regulars.” And of course lunches at either the Beef and Brew or Picadilly Circus in Mapleton.

Last summer when he broke the news that they were looking for a buyer, the Lyon Publishing “family” wept and comforted each other. This family business wasn’t just a business, it was and will always be a family. That makes it a labor of love.

Mike and Barb, thank you. Please know that many, many people love you and will miss you in this business. May God bless your retirement and restore your health.

Readers, why not shower the Lyons with cards or at least shower these three newspapers with letters to the editor and cards of thanks expressing your good wishes?

The new owner Mark Rhoades also owns the Seward Independent. As an alumnus of Concordia University in Seward Nebraska, I can tell you that we’re very lucky that he’s who finally purchased these papers. The Independent, like the Mapleton PRESS is a well designed, good looking paper with excellent news and feature coverage.

Believe me, there were three alternatives and none of them are as good for us as Mark Rhoades. Many small town newspapers are “rinky dink” things that look like they’re thrown together sloppily by folks who may mean well, but either aren’t well trained or don’t take as much pride in their work as Mike and Barb have.

Many small town newspapers have been swallowed up by huge corporations. This isn’t all bad. I love the look and photography and writing of some of our neighboring towns papers. But if you happen to see the several of them on the news stands next to each other, you notice that they all look alike. Just like every Applebee’s, Denny’s, and McDonald’s looks the same.

And of course many towns just lose their papers altogether. The best way to keep that from happening is two things. Please continue to support us with your subscriptions and your advertising, and contribute.

Especially in this day and age of digital cameras, even camera phones, computers, faxes and emails it is easier than ever to help support and participate with your local newspapers. You don’t have to be a professional writer or photographer- or even amateur ones like me! Send us your letters, send us your story ideas, and send us your stories and pictures. In the past, people have contributed travel journals, puzzles, columns, tid-bits, recipes, and of course pictures.

What I did on my Summer Vacation

Last May, as summer was getting closer, I started thinking about finding a summer job. Lots of teachers do. Last year, I helped a contractor strip and re-paint coolers in the Farmland for a few weeks. It was hard work. Unfortunately, the contractor had jobs lined up this year that would put his operation in Illinois most of the summer. Not that Farmland is in a position to use him right now anyway.

I remembered advice that my Aunt Rene' gave me years ago; "do something that will help you in your field." Rene' was a college academic and career counselor, after all.

So, since I'm the yearbook advisor for Boyer Valley High School, it made sense to look for work taking pictures, writing stories, and designing layouts.

When she was in high school, my wife Bethany had worked for Mike and Barb Lyon at the Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper and the Mapleton PRESS. So, I knocked on Mike's door (actually it was an email). I felt that I had to convince him that I was far more competent than I was as a college kid when Bethany and I worked for him on the Charter Oak Centennial Edition the summer before we got married. To my surprise, he gave me a chance.

What a great job! I had three goals when I started; to get to know more people in and more about the community, to hone my skills so that I'd become a better Journalism teacher in the Fall, and to give back as to the people who have given so much to me and my family.

What I got was to live out a boyhood fantasy. Other guys dream about winning the Daytona 500 or playing quarterback in the Rose Bowl. As editor of my school newspaper at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona I planned on pasting-up copy at a major metropolitan daily. My best-case scenario had me either as the political cartoonist or a political columnist for the Chicago Sun Times.

This summer I not only had to ask the Crawford County Democratic party chairman on line one to "please hold," so that I could answer a call from the Republican party chairman on line two- I actually got to sit in the boss' chair and layout the front page. More importantly, I got to meet and know more about some wonderful people- you.

So, I must say thank you to Mike and Barb for giving me this opportunity and to you, gentle readers, for your gracious encouragement and support. If teaching, coaching, Church youth group, and helping raise two little girls will allow it- I hope to freelance some stories, commentary, and maybe even some comics for you throughout the year. We need your input too. Please give us your feedback and ideas. Email us your opinions, story ideas and reactions to what we run. This is your paper; participate with us in serving our communities.