The Morris-based newspaper has been through a series of retrenchment. Not to say it cannot be a pleasant thing to look at. The Anfinsons have done all they can, although I frankly think they have dropped the ball with the website. This isn't to say the website should be a duplication of the print product. But at present I find that the site is not worth visiting at all. One of my old newspaper compatriots from this part of the state says the current Morris newspaper website is "worse than no site at all."
Nothing personal, but I frankly agree.
Howard like so many of us was susceptible to the toll of age and infirmity. And like a lot of us, he probably did not adjust to all of that as soon as he should have. But the time came for him to exit his role at the Morris paper.
I will never call it the "Stevens county paper." Chokio still has its own paper, just like it is hanging on with its school. I hear that the recent graduation removed a swath of students there that will create a more challenging situation. C-A has not had its own sports teams for some time. How I cherish the memory of the "Spartans." Seems unfair that the name has faded out at the same time that Hancock looks to be so vibrant with everything. I of course covered all these activities through my years with the paper.
I suggest that Howard was a throwback to the days when you could get by with being a character at work. Howard was a most charming character. People thought that pranks were amusing in those days. Today there's a litigation risk. Have you noticed how the media hardly mentions "April Fools Day" any more? For that matter, Valentine's Day has fallen into some obscurity too. Valentine's Day might get you in a bind relative to the #MeToo cause.
Is it fundamentally risky in the present day and age to simply show personal interest in an opposite-sex person? I am sure I stepped over the line on some occasions relative to #MeToo. It was all verbal.
Howard Moser made frequent trips to Lowry where Quinco Press is located. This got a little dicey during the whole power line controversy of the 1970s. I think he had to pass checkpoints. Remember that whole mess? It has largely faded into the mists of history. Like so many other things.
Such as, cultural phenomena like the popularity of social drinking to excess, how we'd be amused by it, how we lived with the late-night "bar rushes" at a couple of the local restaurants. People acted ridiculous and would then smile about it later. Today it would just be seen as ridiculous.
What shall we remember most about Howard? Well, he was in fact a dedicated employee even with his personal irreverence. He was dependable. Today he'd have to tamp down some of his personal idiosyncrasies, because that's just the way of the world. He had the image of a pervert but in a harmless and amusing way. People who knew Howard will not object to me writing that. He was not offended by x-rated material. Deep down, you weren't either, were you?
I remember one day Howard was walking along the various pages in back and noticed an item on David Souter being named to the Supreme Court. The item noted that Souter had never been married. Howard paused thoughtfully and said, "makes you wonder. . ."
Perhaps that anecdote encapsulates Howard's charm.
Howard was hugely into movies, especially from Hollywood's so-called "Golden Age." He told me he'd sometimes watch the same movie twice in one night. When he was at the nursing home and suffering from the toll of being human, I tried getting a spark of response by mentioning an actress from the time. "Gene Tierney," I said. No real glimmer, unfortunately.
He had biographies of some of these actors, like Charles Laughton, around his apartment. He had lived in Cyrus until coming to Westwood Apartments in Morris. Unfortunately his decline accelerated there. We were going to see the movie "A Prairie Home Companion" one night. I arrived at his apartment, stepped inside and found him on the floor, unable to get up. We canceled going to the movie and I propped him up on a chair.
Eventually I found that his issues were getting so advanced, I was taking a personal risk just being involved to any great extent. At the time I read a column by a syndicated columnist in the Willmar newspaper. A national writer, she told her story of simply having to withdraw as a caregiver for someone. Her story could have been my story, 100 percent, and I shot her an email.
You have to experience this sort of thing yourself to understand. And, I was on the cusp of looking out for my parents in the same exact way. Maybe we ought to resent God for how he created us.
Howard looked like Willie Nelson. If you didn't know him, you might think he was a little shady. Law enforcement might react that way. So it was probably best that he stopped driving the Sun-Tribune van when he did. And then I took it over. Phasing into that was greatly helpful for my career.
Howard believed in collectivism. He believed that rich people should be taxed to support the poor. He claimed he voted for the Communist candidate for president, and I think we all believed him. He had a heart of gold. He wanted to see everyone live comfortably and enjoy life. What an attitude to leave behind as a legacy. Howard is in a better place now. Howard Moser, RIP.
Addendum: I remember when Howard entered the building one morning, quite interested in how Jerry Falwell (of the Moral Majority) was critical of the "Tinky Winky" character of "Teletubbies." There was speculation that Tinky Winky was gay. Heavens.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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