Writing for The Enquirer

This year I’m celebrating not only 15 years of retirement from teaching English at Olivet College but also 15 years of a new part-time career writing for the Battle Creek Enquirer.

My first boss, Bill Miller, gave me easy assignments, such as various aspects of village business in Bellevue and Olivet. No matter how small and minor a task he gave me, however, I enjoyed writing about it.

Soon Bill let me start writing feature stories, most of them accompanied by color photographs taken by John Grap. Sometimes I was assigned stories, but for the most part I found subjects on my own. People got to know me and would give me suggestions for interesting stories.

Jonas Blanton was an octogenarian pilot, and, after our conversation about his years of flying, he took me for an exciting plane ride above Battle Creek.

Then there was an amazing horse owner, Tom Smith, who, though he was crippled from polio since the age of five, he certainly didn’t let that stop him. One of Tom’s best stallions, Rompaway Butch, had sired more than 200 foals and had earned more than $200,000 for Tom as a racehorse and $1,500 for each live foal he sired. Those colts then could be sold for $8,000 to $10,000.

A sad story involved Camilla Jaquette, who at the age of 54, in 1978, had completely lost her memory of anything before that time. Speculation was that she had a series of small seizures--and perhaps a blow to her head, so that if she wanted to know anything about her childhood, her marriage, her children, her life in general from her past, she had to ask others.

I also interviewed Bill Worthington, barber at the local “Clip Joint.” When I told him that I played the violin, he invited me to join his weekly music group. I still have a fun picture on my wall of me playing with Bill and his friends in his barbershop.

I enjoyed doing the story of Sandra Goble, who was reunited with her dad, Andrew LaRochelle, after 50 years apart. “I love him to death,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “He makes me laugh, but he’s also sentimental. He’ll cry at the drop of a dime.”

Then there were the twins, Marvin A. Cooley and Melvin A. Cooley, who celebrated their first birthday together since their birth in 1923.

It was inspiring to get to interview Miriam Brysk, who had been a toddler in Warsaw in the 1930s. Her powerful paintings, which were on display at the Art Center, were created particularly to ensure that people never forget the horror of what happened during the Holocaust.

Brooks Grantier, a fine organist with whom I play music often, also appeared at Union City’s Victorian Villa, together with John Sherwood, as Watson and Sherlock Holmes. I got to see their production and wrote a feature story about the show.

I even did a story about “gardening buff” Bill Schroer, a sometimes nudist and now a regular Sunday columnist.

And finally, for the last four years, I have been privileged to write a column for each Friday’s paper. I love this, too, being able to express my own opinions--and being completely on my own schedule.

I wish I could mention more stories and talk about various columns, but because I almost reached my limit of 600 words, I will end simply by thanking Bill Miller, Robert Warner and Charles Carlson for helping make my retirement so enjoyable.

Originally published in The Enquirer October 2013