Last Friday was a fairly quiet, nothing special day. The last business day before a holiday usually is.
The entirety of the week was chaotic and overwhelming. We had people on vacation, a few huge deadlines and normal end of month stuff to accomplish. It was a week that I’m happy came and went.
Monday through Thursday the goal was just to survive the day. I’m happy to report that everyone did.
The resulting quietness of Friday allowed me the chance to hear people coming and going at our front counter.
One woman came in to pay her subscription bill and noted how much she missed Jim Barbieri.
She isn’t alone in that remark.
There is a statue dedicated to Jim in our front lobby. The artist who created it was our now-retired former employee Carol Studabaker. From time to time we hear comments about the statue as well as Jim’s legendary career at The News-Banner.
I never had the privilege to meet Jim, but I was surely aware of who he was. His legendary status wasn’t confined to Wells County. I worked at the newspaper in Columbia City earlier in my career. Everyone there knew who he was and revered him.
Friday, after hearing the comments at the front counter, I caught up with Barb Barbieri to see if she had heard what was said about her husband. She did, of course. Barb doesn’t miss anything.
I’m sure it’s comforting to know Jim’s legacy lives on after so many years.
Other phone calls and in-person conversations were less reflective but equally important.
I took some constructive criticism and helpful suggestions about our 4H publication, one of the major deadlines last week.
A phone call drew unsolicited compliments about our newly-minted editor Holly Gaskill and sports editor Ryan Walker.
We appreciate the compliments just as much as the constructive criticism. Our goal is to get better every day. Some days we win, some days we lose.
Friday we did both.
Later, my thoughts returned to Jim’s legacy. He received the Wells County Distinguished Citizen Award, the Chamber of Commerce’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year, was named grand marshal of the Wells County 4-H Fair parade and the Street Fair parade. He was twice awarded a Sagamore of the Wabash. Jim is also a member of the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. My mind then wandered to Joe Smekens, who was one of the kindest souls I have ever met. He was also a great newspaperman. Joe belongs in the Journalism Hall of Fame alongside Jim. There is an ongoing effort to make that happen.
Larisa and I have had a Rose is Rose comic strip on our refrigerator for the better part of two decades. Each panel in the strip shows a mundane chore that the family is accomplishing together. Fixing the porch, they note that it sounds like a nothing special day. While gardening, they say it smells like a nothing special day. Sitting together on a porch swing eating apples, they comment that it tastes like a nothing special day. In the final panel, the parents have tucked their son in bed. As they close the door, the son says “Who would have guessed it was something special all along?”
That nothing special Friday ended up as a day filled with reflection.
As it turns out it was something special all along.
dougb@news-banner.com
