It is with very mixed emotion that I will put my pen in the inkwell for the last time when I write this column. Through the years, I have written many columns in addition to a variety of feature stories, reports of the school and county board meetings, and many general news releases. They all require deadlines and a certain amount of stress. Stress and newspapering go together. I will miss those deadlines since I work well under pressure, knowing that things must get done at a given time.

Several readers have asked me to write something about the history of our newspaper, so I will touch on it lightly when, in reality, the story of the Nelson's Burnett County Sentinel could fill a book. I am most proud that my husband, the late Wilbur A. "Bill" Nelson, established a newspaper for Burnett County when none existed. Losing a newspaper is in essence the loss of identity. A newspaper is the hub of county and community business, social, and various other aspects of daily life. It is also an ongoing historical record. Without a newspaper, a county and its people lose their clout. Bill restored the county's ongoing identity when in 1962 his first issue came off the printing press.

He was an innovator in the weekly newspaper business back then. His Burnett County Sentinel was printed by a new method called "offset" which eliminated the need for the old lead type. There were only a small handful of newspapers printed by that method and it was something unfamiliar to him, as he spent his career as a printer using the customary lead type printing methods. Yet his first issue was a work of offset art, in our minds, and we were proud to show the people of Burnett County our work.

Leaving a good paying job with a good overtime plan to gamble with the unknown was both easy and hard. It is not often one can live a dream and his was becoming a country editor. So, after soliciting support from county businesses and the general public, we moved from Woodbury, MN to Grantsburg, my hometown, and the home of my parents.

Our three children, Cheryl, Gary and Janet, coming from classes of 700 or more, adapted well to a small school. My parents helped with child care and Bill and I went to work 10, 12 and 14 hours some days. We were the staff until we hired an expert printer to build up the printing part of the business. Gradually we were able to replace used equipment with better equipment when something came on the market that was affordable. We hired a young woman for office work and slowly added more wonderful, reliable employees.

We started off slowly, financially, trying to avoid as much debt as we could and we always kept current with payments although at times it was a challenge. Some of you will remember that our first location was in the big old blue building just north of the present American Legion Hall in Grantsburg. That building, in early history, was a pharmacy. We shared it with a gentleman who operated a TV sales and repair shop. Buying the building on Madison Avenue (Main Street) was a wise move and it remains the home of the Burnett County Sentinel.

We learned a lot through attending Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA) conventions in Madison, Wausau, Green Bay and other locations around the state. We attended all sessions, each going to different ones, taking notes and then comparing and discussing what we had learned about the community newspaper business. Getting to know other publishers and editors around the state and comparing notes was also valuable in our education process.

Bill was also an eager community booster, believing growth and activity in any part of the county benefited the entire county. He supported the schools, sports teams, sponsored the county spelling bee, and supported many organizations, churches and other projects and fundraisers with both free publicity and personal donations. He set the standards for the Burnett County Sentinel which still exists. His interest in young people lead him to work to get a swimming pool in Grantsburg, as the community had no lake, and he was the first donor to that fund.

Bill died on March 1, 1975 at the age of 56. I continued to publish the newspaper until 1989 when I sold it to our son, Gary, who published it until he sold it in 1994. During Gary's leadership, the newspaper entered the computerization era. Old ways of phototypesetting and production went by the wayside as the computers entered the office. Not only were computers used to typeset the pages, but also for our subscription list and billing, among other record keeping. He continued the association his father started with Publishers Printing Service, Inc., a commercial printing plant jointly owned by five publishers. I am proud to say that through all of these weekly changes, my weekly column continued until now when I have chosen to retire.

Bill's name remains on the pylon of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association's Trees For Tomorrow memorial at Eagle River, with many other fine state journalists who had kept the public informed over their career. My name will also be added to that pylon upon my passing and I consider that a great honor and a lasting memorial. The WNA has already honored me as a Golden Member.

It has been a long and fascinating journey — 46 years. We've had many experiences because of the newspaper. While at the White House with the National Newspaper Association's Government Affairs Conference, my daughter Cheryl and I had the chance to shake hands with President Reagan as he entered the East Room to address the newspaper people. He asked were we were from and then asked us to greet the people of Wisconsin. We met former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil, had lunch in the Arabian Embassy, had free reign of the main floor of the White House, and enjoyed other "perks" afforded the press, large and small. In addition, we've had breakfast twice at the Wisconsin Governor's Mansion, met three governors, many politicians and attended an international convention in Toronto and a national convention in Kansas City. I've walked among the hippies of State Street in Madison and have seen politicians and sports celebrities in our Grantsburg office. All are wonderful memories.

I tell you this not in a boastful manner, but to say that newspapering, though hard, stressful and demanding, also has its rewards. It's one of the few professions where your work is displayed publicly to thousands of people, and sometimes there are criticisms along with the praise. There have been many blessings, among them your friendship and loyalty.

Thank you for so many contributions over the years, and for your help and encouragement. I will miss you on these pages, but hope to continue to visit with you in person.

And so I leave you with this thought:

Through bloom and leaf

Through harvest and frost

The light of hope and courage

Helps the clouds to slowly clear

And all we've learned and loved

Is never lost.