Beacon Feb 2024

February
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2024
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Page 7A
H ere
was done under the watch-
very happy about that. written and proofread I had
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ful, wise, and loving eyes of
former Harrison Press owner
Bill Kuntz. Bill and I were
extremely close, like father
and son. As I say in the book’s
introduction, he was the best
man I’ve ever known.
As the years rolled by, I
began toying with the idea of
writing something about my
time as the Harrison area’s
news guy. I knew some stories
needed telling and people well
worth remembering.
I thought seriously about
doing a book of fictional short
stories based on true events
and even tried to write one.
But it took me forever and I
realized that wasn’t the way
to go.
I tossed around some other
ideas before it finally hit me.
Maybe I could try telling a
story through my From Here
columns.
There was a large body of
work I could mine. I wrote
upwards of 1,000 columns,
some of them state and
national award winners. If I
could find the right ones and
develop some sort of thread,
maybe there could be a book.
And maybe my body of work
wouldn’t be forever confined
in those big black books at the
Harrison library.
On March 2, 2022, I went
to the library for the first
of 24 trips over about six
weeks. And it was a hell of a
journey. I read every column
I wrote and often got sidetracked
by stories and photos
that brought back a flood of
memories.
There were prideful moments
mixed in with a lot of
cringe-inducing ones. There
were tears, chuckles, belly
laughs, groans, and I’m sure
times when the library ladies
thought they might have a
crazy guy on their hands. But
I finally managed to come up
with close to 100 columns I
could live with and I’m pretty
sure the library ladies were
I eventually culled the to create a book manuscript,
columns into a group of something I had no idea how
50-something that I thought to do. It was a tedious process
would work. But there was and took quite a while but I
a big problem. If there was got it done.
going to be a book anytime Then it was time to find a
soon, I needed someone who way to get the book printed
could type up the columns a and distributed.
lot faster than I could.
After studying a lot of selfpublishing
companies I settled
Irene Fritz. As I say in the on BookBaby. There were a
I found that someone in
book’s “Thanks” section, couple of glitches but the process
was faster and less difficult
“Irene wrestled the huge black
books into submission, magically
extracted the columns I cheap but I recommend them.
than I expected. They’re not
selected, and gave them to me There are a couple of photographers
I need to thank.
in great condition.”
Over the next several
months I worked on finding
a way to present the
columns in book form. I
B
Beacon
was having a tough time
USINESS
until I received some unexpected
help from “Deadline
NEWS ABOUT OUR
Artists,” a book I highly
ADVERTISERS
recommend. It is a brilliant
collection of what the
New Seasons
book’s editors say are the
best newspaper columns of Offers Services,
all time and I had purchased Peace of Mind
it for a good bedtime read. New Seasons Auction &
I really liked the way the Estates LLC is a familyowned
business offering
the way the columns were services such as total clea-
book was sectioned off and
grouped. So I went through nouts, personal estate pickups,
and downsizing/declut-
my columns in search of
a way to group them and tering. They are also able to
create sections in a similar offer the items for sale on
fashion. I initially came up one of their online auctions
with section titles like “The that reach nationwide, all of
Town,” “The People,” “The which take place right here in
Job,” “The Funny Stuff,” Aurora. Owner and Auctioneer,
Sherry Love, was previ-
but realized they were horribly
boring.
ously employed with a local
Eventually, it hit me that attorney specializing in estate
much of my stuff had an law.
emotional bent.
“Every day we had families
So I tried grouping the come in, lost, and just not
columns that way and knowing what to do with a
things started to come lifetime of belongings or even
together. I finally settled on where to start. I wanted to
“Heartstrings,” “Laughter,” help, so New Seasons Auction
and Estates was born. We
“Anger,” “Loss,” “Duty,”
and “Family” for the section offer a variety of services that
titles.
can help families reach their
Then I spent weeks writing
introductions to the sec-
Each situation is unique
goals.”
tions and many of the columns.
After everything was each family varies. One
which means the plan for
of
Get it All at www.goBEACONnews.com
Thanks to my wife Mary for
taking the book’s cover photo
and for being my wife Mary.
She dodged traffic, stood
in the middle of Harrison
Avenue, and captured a very
cool shot of the old business
district.
And thanks to Jim Campbell.
Jim took a photo of me
playing harp at Stanley’s Pub
a few years back and I stole
it for the back cover. Jim accomplished
what most people
thought to be impossible. He
made me look pretty good.
So, there you have it folks -
my little adventure.
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Ollie
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As many of you know,
All I recently Rights released a book Reserved. © Beacon News, Inc. All Rights Reserved. © Beacon
called From Here, the Soul of
News, a Town Newspaperman. Inc. Back All Rights Reserved. © Beacon News, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
in September, I hosted a book
© signing/discussion Beacon event. News, I Inc. All Rights Reserved. © Beacon News, Inc. All Rights
talked about how and why the
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book came together and
©
had
Beacon
a
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lot of fun answering questions
and hearing comments from
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folks.
New Seasons offers is the
I’ve decided to offer you
News,
excerpts of my
Inc.
presentation
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total cleanouts. They can
from that day for this month’s
go into a home and remove
© column. Beacon I hesitated to do News, this Inc. All Rights Reserved. © Beacon News, Inc. everything All from Rights
the tractor in
but finally decided it might be
the barn to the sewing needle
Reserved. something you would enjoy. © Beacon I News, Inc. All Rights Reserved. © Beacon in a drawer. News, This gives Inc. the
hope so.
family a clean slate, leaving
All Here we Rights go: Reserved. © Beacon News, Inc. All Rights Reserved. emptied-out © Beacon
buildings and a
broom-swept home. Any sellable
items
News, After I left The Inc. Harrison All Rights Reserved. © Beacon News, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
are then sold on
Press in 2011, I spent a few
one of their online auctions.
years licking my wounds and
Families are often grieving
the loss of a loved one or
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trying not to think about the
place where I’d spent about
assisting a family member
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twenty-five years.
with a living transition. The
But I gradually began to
process can be difficult and
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realize that a lot happened
overwhelming
© Beacon
to handle a
during my time there. I have
personal estate in a timely
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seen and experienced things
manner. Reserved.
In most cases, the
that most people don’t during
New Seasons team can come
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their lives.
in and have All the clean-out Rights
As I say in the book’s introduction,
we not only covered
completed in one to two days,
Reserved. © Beacon News, Inc. All Rights Reserved. © Beacon which News, helps expedite Inc. the family’s
next steps. New Seasons
the community news found
All in all local Rights newspapers. Reserved. We © Beacon News, Inc. All Rights Reserved. also helps © individuals Beacon who
published stories about mayoral
scandals, police Inc. scandals, All Rights Reserved. © Beacon News, Inc. All Rights ter. They Reserved.
sell total collections
want to downsize and declut-
News,
elections, fraud, embezzlement,
Beacon tornadoes, hurricanes, News, Inc. All Rights Reserved. © Beacon News, Inc. New Seasons All is Rights a commu-
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fires, floods, blizzards,
nity-based business, and helping
local News, families is important Inc.
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murders, and much more.
to them. New Seasons is
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Third Street,
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over the years Inc. and that’s All Rights Reserved. © Beacon News, Inc. All Rights be reached Reserved.
for a free con-
Aurora, Indiana. They can
News,
what I will always treasure
sultation at 812-290-5686.
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Their current
All
auctions
Rights
can be
friends than I did enemies.
viewed at NewSeasonsEstate
Nearly all of my work
Sales.com
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