Office left to memorabilia, memories

This is not fun.

I am standing in the office of The News and Sun in Dunkirk late on a Friday afternoon. At 5 p.m., the office will close.

Dunkirk’s weekly newspaper will continue to be published, but the office itself — its footprint in the community — is closing.

At the moment, it’s just Pam Brown and I, sharing our thoughts and sharing our regrets.

She regrets that the decision has been made. I regret that I’m the one who had to make it. It’s a business decision, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

Pam’s worked at The News and Sun for 19 years, and for much of that time she’s been the everyday public face of the newspaper in Dunkirk. But she and I have both known for a long time that this day was coming.

Now, with the office closing and the building for sale, Pam and I try to figure out the next step.

Though the office is closed for business, it’s going to take awhile — several weeks at least — to figure out what to do with its contents.

The place is as packed with memorabilia as it is with memories.

What do we do with Leo Glogas’s collection of commemorative soft drink bottles made at the plant that now operates under the name of Ardagh? Leo’s in Fort Wayne these days, and both Pam and I doubt he wants those bottles. But where should they go? The Glass Museum? Most likely.

What do we do with the Speedcat championship basketballs from long-ago tourneys?

What do we do with the Dunkirk High School composite senior pictures? I think there are at least three still in the building?

What do we do with the treasure trove of American Flint Glass Workers Union memorabilia that Chris Nixon and I rescued from the union hall before it was demolished? The paperwork says it belongs to the Jay County Historical Museum, but the intent was to display the items in Dunkirk.

What do we do with all of the award plaques received over the years from the Hoosier State Press Association?

What do we do with Pam’s enormous collection of teddy bears? Or her collection of snowmen? Or her collection of snow village pieces? That’s going to take some time to sort out.

We’ll take it slow and easy.

As Pam and I talk, I keep thinking of all the personalities that have shaped the weekly paper over the years.

Mark Mann was editor of The News and Sun when I returned to Jay County in 1974. The paper’s offices were in the Todd Building at that time.

Other editors followed, some staying for such a short time that I can’t remember their names. But, off the top of my head, these come to mind: John Maust, Ron Boeckman, Larry Smith, Delora Scott, Perry Washburn, Joe Potter and Bob Banser.

Each of them made their mark.

While editors came and went, the office and advertising staff was more stable. The delightful Dorothy Campbell and Wilma Depoy were mainstays for years. We’ve lost Dorothy, but Wilma’s smile still lights up the halls at Miller’s Merry Manor. Others followed: Marilyn Curts, Debbie James, Maralene Giddings and — of course — Pam.

So, we’ll take it slow and easy. Treating the memorabilia and the memories with the respect they deserve. But there’s still a paper to put out, and we take some comfort in that.