Current and former employees, and spouses of former employees, of the Marysville Journal-Tribune gathered for a retirement luncheon Wednesday for 43-year employee Nancy Clark. Members of Clark’s family were also in attendance. Pictured above at the event are, from left to right, in the front row, Blanche Watkins, Jody Streng, Shirley Harbold, Buzz Clark and Cheryl Welty, in the second row, Sheila Kuba, Bob Putman, David Ohnsman, Ann Santos, Dorothy Rausch, Nancy Clark, Dick Bright and Becky Yoakum, and in the third row, Kevin Behrens, Will Channell, Sam Dillion, Chad Williamson, Mac Cordell, Brenda Maxwell, Janice Scheiderer, Colleen Koesters, Jacob Runnels, Vanessa Prentice, Marie Woodford, Sherryl Sheets, Spencer Schalip, RuthAnn Davis, Tim Miller, Daniel Melendrez and Dan Behrens.
(Journal-Tribune photo)
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After 43 years of loyal service, Nancy Clark is retiring from the Marysville Journal-Tribune. She joins the ranks of several other current and retired employees who have worked more than 40 years at the newspaper – Bruce Gaumer (52), Winfield Behrens (51), Don Streng (50), Dan Behrens (48), Forrest “Shade” Watkins (43), Gene Harbold (42) and Tim Miller (40) – and a handful of others who were close – Worthy Bright, Mae Rausch, Ronnie Price and Marie Strauss.
It is difficult to describe the value of Nancy and the others who spent most of their working years putting out the J-T each day. Nancy’s career has a different twist to it because during her tenure, the J-T switched over totally to a computer-driven operation.
When she was hired in 1974, each page of the daily paper was pasted up on a large sheet of paper which was then photographed and transferred to a thin plate for the press. In the late 1990s, that all changed with computerization. Some found the change difficult to handle, but not Nancy. She made the transition with ease and became quite adept at understanding the intricacies of the new technology and was even able to learn to trouble-shoot problems which arose.
But what stands out most during her years at the J-T is her loyalty to the newspaper and her devotion to her job. This was never more obvious than during the past few months as she planned for her retirement. She spent many hours teaching and training those who will fill her shoes when she is gone … or should we say try to fill her shoes.
To say she will be missed is a trite saying, but so appropriate for Nancy. Whatever needed to be done, whether stuffing inserts, cleaning restrooms, or performing her regular duties, she did it without saying a word. She truly has been a unique employee. The Journal-Tribune will mark its 170th year in 2019, and it could not have made it this far without her. All of us at the J-T wish her and her husband Buzz many years of happiness together in her retirement. She deserves it.