A job well done

Jim Maurer shut down his computer at The Courier for the last time Monday, unassumingly retiring after working at the paper for more than 45 years. Among Maurer's duties on his last day were editing obituaries, putting together briefs and a trip to the publisher's office to be interviewed for his weekly column. I having nothing but respect for newspaper people like Jim. His story is not unlike many who came up in this industry through its golden years — paper boy turned part-time writer turned full-time reporter. But as the world, and this industry changes, there just aren't that many people who stick to one career — let alone one location — for years. There are less and less Jim Maurers out there. I'm also interested in the stories of people like Jim because they are people I've tried to emulate. Jim got his first paper route at the age of 9 or 10 (on Findlay's north side near the Hillcrest neighborhood). So did I. Jim entered the newsroom of his hometown paper as a part-time sports writer. So did I. Jim eventually veered over to the news side of things. So did I. A quality of his I admire is one I admit I am continually working on — calmness in the face of pressure. Jim shared his philosophy on how to deal with the community. "You just do it. You listen and try not to get worked up about it. If you tell somebody you will call back, you call back. If you are supposed to meet, you meet." Not a bad lesson learned from dealing with stories and people over the years. Maurer estimates he's sat through thousands of meetings and has written thousands of byline stories. That doesn't even count all of the briefs, the docket, the obituaries. As all in the news industry do, Maurer has also taken his share of calls from upset readers. He's often dealing with people when they are at their most frustrated point, but a calm, understanding voice is what greeted callers on the other end of the line. "You can't let it bother you," Maurer said. "It might ruin five or 10 minutes, but you can't let it ruin your day." Maurer recalls talking to a family in the moments after a relative, a firefighter, died in a blaze. Moments like this are where his sturdiness showed. Maurer's steady wife, Beth, has been by his side for all these years, and he's proud of his sons, Andrew and Philip, who both live in the same apartment complex (but not the same unit) in Massachusetts. He'll miss the people of The Courier, especially longtime reporter Jeannie Wiley Wolf, his often partner in crime during the first couple hours of the morning. "Another day for fun and frivolity," Jim was apt to say to Jeannie as he walked in. "Because we rarely have much fun or frivolity," Maurer added to me. Just like that paper boy delivering his route on that first day, Maurer spent his final day without fanfare, the steadiness a perfect antidote to the ups and downs of the news business. His first day in retirement was spent going to breakfast and then heading over to Amish Country. He and Beth have many trips planned to see friends and family across the country. Just as it did when longtime city editor Kurt Leonard retired late last year, The Courier, and the newspaper industry, loses a steady news man with Jim Maurer earning a deserved retirement. "I'm glad I've gotten the opportunity," he said. "I can't think of anything I'd rather have done. You come in. You do your job. You go home." A job well done. * Speer is publisher of The Courier, Findlay, The Advertiser-Tribune, Tiffin, and Review Times, Fostoria. He can be reached at jeremyspeer@thecourier.com or jspeer@advertiser-tribune.com.