TERRE HAUTE —
Of all the sentences I’ve imagined writing in my long, moss-covered newspaper career, this is not one of them: I am quitting my job to get married.
Just a few years from Social Security and Medicare — if they don’t keep moving the finish line — I no more saw myself hanging up my scribe spikes early than I saw myself calling somebody “husband.” I was a happy spinster and career gal, content with friends, family, a barge full of great experiences and a relatively secure job that has never been about making much money.
But the problem with humans is, we can see ourselves only in the past and present. We really don’t know what’s coming at us, no matter how much we pretend we can plan for all contingencies. As I have written before, a wonderful man named Bill came my way and I have been persuaded to leave the road-less-traveled.
Right about here I need to call time-out to qualify what I just said: I am quitting my job at the Tribune-Star because I’m getting married in a few months, but — sorry, Tom, Mike, John, Ray and the rest of the letter-writing critics — I’m not disappearing forever from the opinion page.
After my Jan. 2 column, I plan to take time off, then return to the Trib-Star as a freelancer. Same opinions (sorry, again, gents), just not as often and minus my other full-time duties here. Readers who think I write only on Sundays probably won’t notice a thing.
I suppose I could sever all ties to the newspaper business (except as a subscriber), but I’d just as soon not conduct that experiment. Other than a four-year stint at a magazine in the early 1970s, I have worked at a newspaper since I was 19 years old. I have been a sports reporter, a higher education beat reporter, a general assignment reporter, a feature writer, a columnist, an editorial writer, an editor, and I have spent time at that most fulfilling, difficult news task, investigative journalism.
As you have read before in this space, I love newspapers, newspapering and newspaper people. Like cops and EMTs, we keep weird hours, get too much salt in our diet, lean toward inky dark humor and routinely see people at their most vulnerable, nasty, generous and triumphant. If a newspaper person is bored on the job, he or she belongs in another line of work.
Conservative pundits think they invented newspaper bashing, but print journalists have never been revered by society. One of my all-time favorite lines about the business is from the 1940 film “His Girl Friday,” with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. Playing the tough, veteran reporter, Hildy Johnson, Russell listens as a beleaguered news subject complains about the cynical and cruel patter of a bunch of city hall beat reporters.
“Why, they ain’t human, Miss Johnson,” the woman says.
“Of course they ain’t human,” Hildy replies, “they’re newspaper men.”
That was 70 years ago. Then, we had no hearts; now, we’re part of a vast liberal media conspiracy that is bankrolled by George Soros. (Still waiting for my hush money, George. Any day.)
A little more than six years ago, when I took over a vacated desk in the Trib-Star newsroom, I was grateful for the hiring window that allowed Max Jones to add me to the team roster. Relocated back to Indiana after 29 years in San Francisco, grieving my dad who died in October 2004 (and grieving my friends and home so far away), I found solace in the familiarity of daily newspapering.
I’d left a staff of hundreds for a staff you can count on your fingers and toes, but my colleagues — and our work — were no different from any I had experienced over the decades. Sometimes, after a long day, I would walk into the parking lot and be startled to realize I wasn’t in San Francisco. The workday was done, another newspaper was headed for bed, my world was as it had always been.
Because I am leaving as a full-timer, I can now state that anyone who isn’t in newspapering can’t appreciate how hard the reporters, photographers and editors of the Tribune-Star work to put out this paper. Whenever I hear people criticize our news coverage or complain that “you guys never dig into any real stories,” I want to bring them into the building and defy them to do what a handful of folks, working on Clinton-era computers, manages to accomplish, day in and day out, 365 news cycles a year.
One of my most treasured days in journalism, ever, was June 7, 2008, when a taped-together Saturday staff went into overdrive to cover the story of widespread flooding throughout the Valley. I still remember the moment news editor Zach Taylor and I were looking at a stunning aerial photo by Jim Avelis on Zach’s Macintosh. I wondered aloud how big we could run it. With a few clicks and keyboard strokes, Zach blew it up and it became one of the most dramatic page-ones I’ve ever seen.
But the symbol of that day — and of the business I love — was septuagenarian sportswriter Tom Reck. Soaking wet and in his sock feet, he came straight from his evacuated apartment to the newsroom, downed a cup of coffee and wrote a first-person account of his escape from fast-rising flood waters. That’s a newspaperman.
As I mentioned, my past six years would not have been possible without Max Jones. As editor, he takes regular heat for letting a liberal have her say here in the heartland, and he has backed my right to express my opinion even when he did not share it. (Max is old-fashioned that way; he really believes in the First Amendment.)
In Susan Duncan, assistant editor for news, I have found a friend, sister professional and a role model for the kind of “boss” I tried to be when I was promoted to the one and only managerial spot I expect ever to occupy. Take her out of the equation and my shelf of journalism awards would be much barer, my therapy bills sky-high.
As for publisher B.J. Riley, we have only a little history, but I recognize in him a crackerjack businessman who loves newspapers and respects the people who put them out. (Believe me, I cannot say that for many of the other publishers I have known over 40 years.) B.J., too, takes heat for giving me a forum, and I appreciate his offer to take some more when I return in the spring.
The last of the kudos goes to the readers of the Tribune-Star. Without you (and your renewed subscriptions), none of us would be here.
I confess, I didn’t expect much enthusiasm or support from you, but you surprised me from the beginning. For one thing, there are a lot more liberals in these parts than most people, including liberals, imagine. (Debs lives!) For another thing, even readers who tend to disagree with me still hear me out. I look forward to our continued exchanges.
Thursday, I will follow tradition and share my own eclectic roundup of notable people who’ve passed from our midst in 2010. Next Sunday, I’ll say au revoir with another blast about Indiana public education. After that, Tom, Mike, John, Ray, et al — you get the rest of the winter Salter-free.
Stephanie Salter can be reached at (812) 231-4229 or stephanie.salter@tribstar.com.
Stephanie Salter
Stephanie Salter: I've got some really good news for some of you guys
- Stephanie Salter
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STEPHANIE SALTER: The more things change, the more they … change
What the late, great Pittsburgh Pirates slugger knew, so knew the ancient philosopher, Heraclitus, the Buddha and Andy Warhol.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Making room for the least among us — and their kin
Christmas. Quiet time. Down time. Not exactly the kind of day most folks tend to contemplate their fellow Americans behind bars. And yet, the United States leads the world in percentage of population in jail or prison, far ahead of second-place Russia. About 2.3 million people — nearly one in 100 adults — are incarcerated in this country.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Carols for the worn, weary and wigged out
For those who are agog and aglow with “the season” — you who start bouncing and humming in Toys R Us at the intro guitar notes of “Jingle Bell Rock” — better search elsewhere for a soul mate.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Times change. Things disappear. Toilet paper here to stay
You may have seen an email going around with “Nine Things That Will Disappear in Our Lifetime.”
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STEPHANIE SALTER: What I learned on election day
When I identified myself as a volunteer for the non-incumbent mayoral candidate, the woman on the other end of the line cut me off. “Save your breath, dear,” she said.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Of politics, protests, coupons and e-wishes
It’s roundup time again, that periodic hunting down and herding together of items that have but one thing in common: They grabbed me.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: ‘Understandable’ not the same as ‘wise’
Because I’m not running for office and don’t plan to, I figure I am free to publicly question the designation of some 30 stretches of city streets as “memorial ways” for police and firefighters killed on the job.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Where have all the protest songs gone?
A telling moment came during the annual Eugene V. Debs award banquet late last month, when the career protest singer and songwriter, Anne Feeney, implored a huge Hulman Center audience to join her for the refrain of “We Shall Not Be Moved.”
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STEPHANIE SALTER: It’s business as usual, but what does it cost to stay angry?
As painful and profoundly sad as the 10th anniversary of 9/11 has been, I found the actual day a balm.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: The unfortunate bottom line … St. Ann’s will close
Ever since word came down that St. Ann Church and Parish have less than a year to live, there’s been much invoking of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: The Economy: One complex, thorny, bedeviling issue
No matter how much time and energy I spend trying to understand the Hydra we blithely call “The Economy,” I often worry that its mystery will forever elude me.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Thinking, now and then, about now and then
I am lying, poolside, in a plastic chaise lounge, listening to pop music and watching water droplets dry on my skin.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Thousands of things she would have missed
For several years, until she received an official information packet in the mail, my mother planned to donate her body to medical research.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Marriage? There’s an app for that ... but it’s tricky
As I watched all the happy people celebrating passage of New York’s same-sex marriage law, I couldn’t help but project to a time when Indiana adopts a similar statute.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Back in the saddle — with the usual burr under it
I really didn’t expect to be gone nearly six months, but then, that’s par for the course these days: What I expect to happen and what actually occurs are often about 180 degrees apart.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: On the other hand … we’ll have a lot fewer leaves to rake
Editor’s Note: Former Tribune-Star Assistant Editor Stephanie Salter’s column resumes today in freelance form and will appear on this page every other Sunday.
TERRE HAUTE — My neighbor, Andy, had just lowered the bamboo blinds on his front porch when we heard a mournful sound. -
Memorable victories
This was about as much fun as a doubleheader split could get for Rose-Hulman’s baseball team.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Another batch of my status-quo-defending misinformation on schools
The day after state schools chief Tony Bennett responded to my three-column education series, a longtime friend and veteran teacher called.
“I just read the superintendent’s rebuttal in the Tribune-Star,” my friend said. “All I can conclude from it is that you are a dumbass. Welcome to the club. Anybody who doesn’t buy into his vision of education reform is considered a dumbass.” -
Stephanie Salter: One person’s roundup of significant folks lost in 2010
Every late December, as I comb through lists of notable deaths, I swear I will never repeat the process. It takes days of Internet research, mostly because I get distracted by looking up people about whom I know nothing.
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Stephanie Salter: I've got some really good news for some of you guys
Of all the sentences I’ve imagined writing in my long, moss-covered newspaper career, this is not one of them: I am quitting my job to get married.
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Stephanie Salter: A little history of mandated intermingling among U.S. troops
Back in July 1948, when President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, predictions for its effect on the U.S. military were dire. Sen. Richard Brevard Russell Jr. of Georgia echoed the sentiments of millions of Americans in an address from the Senate floor.
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Stephanie Salter: Another wronged woman becomes the nation’s paper doll
A few hours after the death of Elizabeth Edwards last week, the creepy, contemporary American ritual of vicarious grieving began in cyberspace.
“You are with your son now. Rest in peace.” -
Stephanie Salter: You’ve heard from me — now, listen to the teachers
As e-mail from Indiana teachers and principals continues to pour into my box, the portrait of this beleaguered group grows more poignant each day.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: Have you heard Indiana’s schools are failing? It’s a lie
In Gov. Mitch Daniels’ recent state budget PowerPoint, he put up a comparison chart: The percentage of Indiana public school students who’ve attained an advanced level of math achievement versus “the world.” Hoosiers lag behind the national average, trailing such states as Massachusetts, Oregon and New York, and such nations as Poland and Latvia.
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Stephanie Salter: Bashing teachers in the name of education reform
As I read the Tribune-Star’s recent Page 1 news packages about the governor’s push for education reform, I kept seeing faces.
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Stephanie Salter: After the turkey and before the pie, a round of giving thanks
As my colleague Alicia Morgan wrote last week, there is no downside to taking time out now and then to list and truly appreciate our blessings.
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STEPHANIE SALTER: A story of just one corporate lobby ‘investing in advocacy’
For those of you who know in your marrow that the president’s attempt to overhaul the U.S. health care system proves his socialist agenda, take the day off. What reporter Drew Armstrong of Bloomberg News shared this past week will be of no interest to you.
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Stephanie Salter: Inside today’s grab bag …: Stamps, bands and GOP $$$
It’s time for another roundup of items, little ideas that can’t grow big enough for a whole column, but just won’t go away from my field of focus.
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Stephanie Salter: Can’t make a decision? Consult strangers on the ’Net
A day after I heard screenwriter and director Nora Ephron talking on NPR about that moment in the aging process when you realize you are no longer cut out to be au courant, that moment arrived for me.
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Stephanie Salter: The years may pass, but a friend will always ride shotgun
I should have known there would be a first-aid kit. Susan provided for every contingency.
How like her to have tucked a 106-piece, American Medical Association-approved kit under the passenger seat of her Honda Accord. How like me not to have discovered it until I was deep cleaning the car to get it ready to sell. - More Stephanie Salter Headlines
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STEPHANIE SALTER: The more things change, the more they … change
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Chain-Reaction School Bus Crash Injures About 50
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Okla. Teens Get Video of Deadly Tornado Overhead
Raw: 80-Year-Old Climbs Mount Everest
Texas Students Coach Teachers on Fitness
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Wash. State Man Arrested Following Ricin Scare
Obama Offers Drone Strike Defense
Raw: Heckler Interrupts Obama on Guantanamo
Meet MJ, the Bike Riding Tabby Cat
New Forecasting Tool Eyed for Hurricane Season
Oklahoma Family Reflects on Lost Son
A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
Man Shot While Questioned in Boston Probe
Today in History May 23
Weiner Launches Bid to Become NYC Mayor
Raw: Kevin Durant Tours Moore After $1M Pledge
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
