LETTERS: Editor was influential years ago
To the Editor:
Bill Meyer was my mentor.
I didn't recognize many of the faces at Bill Meyer's funeral, but I'm sure glad I was there. Certainly there were many from Marion I knew. But the dozens of editors from around Kansas who attended were a testimony to Bill's influence in the state. Just as Jim Hoch mentioned in his letter in the Nov. 22 Ol' Thing, my only regret is that I hadn't stopped to see Bill when I was through Marion last summer.
Writing in early 2000 in support of Bill's nomination for the Gaston Outstanding Mentor Award, I told the selection committee "no other individual has had more practical impact on my career, and no one more exemplifies the term 'mentor' than Bill Meyer. My association with Bill and the newspaper goes back more than 30 years — to summer internships during the late 1960s — when I was a journalism student at the University of Kansas.
"I believe I was among the first in the long line of interns to work with Bill over the years. I certainly can say that experience was a watershed one for me. I had discovered journalism through an introductory news writing course late in my sophomore year at KU. So the opportunity to work with Bill during the summer really provided the impetus to dig into the program in earnest. He insisted that I learn something about all aspects of the newspaper business — from editorial, to the front office, to ad development, to the back shop. I learned how to set type, make up ads from mats, and generally understand all aspects of running a newspaper. That made me unique among my peers in journalism school. And he took the time to help me both with development of my technical skills as a journalist AND with my understanding of the role a newspaper can play in the community it serves. That experience has proved as valuable as any in my career. And Bill has been a 'wise and trusted counselor' over my years since college as well."
During the reception after Bill's funeral, Eric Meyer and I visited about the summer we set up a photo darkroom and I taught him to run it. His dad was always looking for ways to improve the newspaper and streamline its production. That passion carried over into everything he did for the Marion community as well. But thinking back, one memory stands out among the rest. That was the summer when, after a couple of weeks back from school at the Record, Bill announced that he and Joan were taking a vacation trip that had been a long time coming. While I know that several long-time Record employees were there to make sure I didn't do something stupid, Bill still left me alone to put the news together.
Thirty-odd years later, I realize how remarkable that experience was for me, for anyone at that time in life. I'm sure the evening phone lines were busy between their vacation hotel and Marion checking up, but neither Bill nor Joan ever mentioned it. As the many people who've written about Bill mentioned, that's just the way he was. Once he'd sized you up, he trusted you to do your job. That was a really powerful life lesson — one to be cherished from a good friend. Thank you, Bill Meyer.
Don Westerhaus
