In the summer of 1995, I worked a three month internship at The Warroad Pioneer, which I'm sorry to say has since ceased operation. This was the first professional newspaper that I worked for in my career, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. I had only worked at Bemidji State University's newspaper for about a year and half before landing the internship. At The Pioneer I gained experience in sports, feature, beat and government reporting. I designed pages, took and developed photographs and was responsible for community relations. The best part is that I remain friends with the owners nearly 30 years later.
Aug. 15, 1995
By Devlyn Brooks
It is with a sad heart and much sorrow that I am informing you that this will be the last week that I will be in Warroad. I will still be writing for next week's paper, but will probably only be here for a few days to clean out my apartment. So, I decided to write my farewell column this week so that I could say goodbye while I am still here.
For those of you who don't know, I will be returning to Bemidji State University for about four quarters of school beginning this fall. At this point, I really don't know what my future plans are after that.
I want to extend my gratitude to your community for the hospitality that you have shown me. A newspaper is important to a community, and I am thankful that you entrusted me with the job of being your local historiographer for three months.
I have had the opportunity to get involved with a great many things in my short stay here. And I must say that Warroad is one of the most vibrant and alive rural communities that I have ever seen. This community hasn't rolled over and let the migration to urban centers take over. No, you have fought it.
As I have written before, I'm not good at saying goodbye. So, I don't know what I'm going to spill out in this column. Bear with me.
I came to Warroad knowing that I would only be here for three months, but I didn't think I would have problem leaving. I was here to do a job, then leave ... simple. Now, I will admit that it has not been an easy realization that I will be working here for only a few more days.
For the last week or so, I've been wondering whether or not it would have been easier to just not get involved in your community as much as I did. However, I also know that my stay wouldn't have meant as much to me if I hadn't gotten involved in your community.
That's the funny part about being involved in a small, community newspaper. If you don't get involved and become part of the community you cover, the work is meaningless. Trying to write stories about your town without getting to know you would have made for some really boring stories.
I guess you could say that about a small community in all aspects. If you don't care about it, it is pointless to live there. But, I haven't seen a lot of that attitude in Warroad. There are a tremendous number of people who are concerned about the wellbeing of this town. That is great to see.
I also want to take the time to thank all of those wonderful people who were involved in WST's "Man of LaMancha." We just finished our last show on Sunday, and I have had some trouble believing that it is all over. I will admit that there were nights when I would go home and wonder just what the heck I was doing getting into theater again. Theater is time-consuming, and I admire those people involved with WST who have families.
I was once told by a professor that, "Everybody likes to have written, but nobody likes to write." Well, I guess I have to look at my involvement with "Man of LaMancha" much the same way. There were nights when I went home frustrated because of the time commitment or other reasons, but now that it is all over, it was one of the most fantastic experiences of my life.
I can't think of any eloquent words to say this. So, I guess I'd just better say it. Thank you, Warroad, for the hospitality you extended me, and thank you, Warroad Summer Theater for providing me a home for the summer. Thank you, Pam, for the patience you exhibited in training someone who you knew wasn't staying. And thank you, Julie and Rollie, on the gamble you took with one green rookie. I hope it paid off.
So, for now, Warroad, I bid you adieu.
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