…in a separate accounting of our ten years included herein, more of the details and our trials and tribulations are covered.
What it is important for us to acknowledge here is how we have grown over the years through not just our failures and our successes, but, also through the mistakes we made.
We learned it serves no good when we go pick a fight with some one. Those fights come to us often enough.
We learned also to be less sensitive to criticism, though mindful of constructive
We also learned that, like Winston Churchill said when he exhorted Londoners to have courage during the London blitz, that “The only thing to fear is fear, itself.”
So we took on the big boys when we felt we had to, when it became apparent that our readers needed that kind of support: Sierra Pacific Power, Mt. Wheeler Power, Gallagher Ford, the Tooele County School Board and their Wendover High School Administration, the Elko County Clerk, a bond election in White Pine County, the Elko County District Attorney, Wendover, Utah City government, the State Line Hotel/Casino, the list goes on.
We discovered how good it felt to take up a just cause, even if we didn’t win, and we won most of them.
Our whole ten years have been an uplifting freeing of the spirit and for it we are more than grateful “For whatever gods may be for our unconquerable soul.”
Through all of this decade we have forever, it seems, just barely made it, financially.
And though we are more confident of our future now than ever before, we shall always be glad we have done what we have with our newspaper.
Editorial marking the 10th anniversary of
The High Desert Advocate
by Harry Copelan
We have a sense of deep satisfaction marking this 30th year milestone.
In going through edition after edition we smiled, with the memories of our parents of course, but also that the character of our newspaper has not changed.
Every thing else has.
Cutting edge 30 years ago was typing out a story on an electric type writer, setting type on something called a comp setter. It used photographic paper, that was then dried, waxed and pasted up on large inclined tables, kind of like a jig saw puzzle.
Ad artwork was contained in volumes and volumes of ready printed slick pages. It was cut out with razor blades and slapped on the pages.
The completed pages were then photographed, developed as negatives and driven to whoever happened to be our printer.
Ten years later we were still using paste up but we trashed the comp setter and used computers to write, edit and print the stories.
Another ten years later laser printers and digital cameras closed the dark room altogether. A year ago we gave an old enlarger to our niece whose mother worked on Advocate, she was interested in obsolete technology.
This edition like about 600 which have preceded it has been completely prepared electronically and is being transmitted to our printer via ftp.
A version of it will also be on the internet on our website, a thing 30 years ago not even imagined.
All in all the new technology has been good. We can put our newspaper faster, cheaper and better looking than the product 30 years ago.
We are also more accessible to our readers. Post a story and the reaction can be immediate rather than having to rely on the mail.
We think it is important to note that we also weren’t around when the Advocate was born. We came three years later with a two year old girl and another baby on the way. It was boy by the way and we had two more sons after him.
Raising a family while running a newspaper gave us a valuable perspective on our home town.
Many of our friends and acquaintances we met through our children either as parents of friends or as teachers of our children.
And as for those children they turned out pretty good. Pretty damned good if you forgive us our boast.
While putting out a good newspaper is rewarding nothing can compare with the joy of seeing children succeed.
This being a small town our joy is shared and freely given to all and so is sorrow.
And we grieve when we report on a tragedy that befalls any resident of our home town.
What pains us most of all is when a child our children’s age commits a crime. More often than not we knew that brooding face in the mug shot as a happy go lucky boy without a care in the world and the future at his feet.
There is nothing more tragic as a wasted life and we have seen too many.
But we have also seen triumphs not only athletic or political victories but triumphs of the spirit.
Forgive us if we celebrate a bit too loud but achievements in our little corner of the world should be trumpeted as loud as we can.
If too loud we suggest ear plugs, because we will never lower the volume.
Another thing we will never stop doing is reporting the news.
Yes we have made mistakes in the past and will almost certainly make mistakes in the future. But the errors we have committed and will commit are those of the heart.
We will also never stop finding the humor in those in authority complaining when they are taken to task.
Some of those who have freely and arrogantly wield their power are taken aback, driven to tears when they are criticized. It gives us a tremendous satisfaction.
The early 20th century humorist Peter Dunne said “A newspaper comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable”
From the first issue of the High Desert Advocate to this one upholding that mission has been our privilege.
And it is you dear readers who every week shell out three quarters at a time who have allowed us to fulfill it.
So thank you.
Thank you all.
