COLUMN: 'Flathead News' is the story of our remarkable citizens

Two important things are happening in my life today.

First, I’m going to find out if the Seahawks are going to be playing in the conference championship game next week. To do that, they need to beat the nearly perfect Carolina Panthers, a challenge made to seem less daunting by the fact that the only team that did beat the Panthers in the regular season was the mediocre Atlanta Falcons, whose 8-8 record is marginally worse than the Seahawks’ 10-6.

Fortunately, we should know the answer to that future sports trivia question by 2:30 this afternoon, which means I will not be too distracted when I join a panel discussion at the Museum at Central School on the topic of “Flathead News.”

To what do I owe the honor? Probably my stubborn refusal to budge from the Daily Inter Lake, where I have been a newsroom employee for 32 years this month, and editor for nearly 16 years. That means I’ve been on hand for nearly one-fourth of the existence of the Inter Lake, which started as a weekly newspaper in Demersville in 1889, moved to Kalispell in 1891 and converted to a daily in 1908.

Such a long career in one place, at one paper, gives me a pretty good perspective on Flathead news, but I’m just a piker compared to one of my fellow panelists — George Ostrom — who’s been in the thick of the Flathead news industry for all or part of seven decades — just as often making news as reporting it.

Ostrom has teamed up the last five years or so with John Hendricks, the owner of KGEZ radio, doing a morning show of “news and commentary” — mostly commentary. Hendricks has spent a lifetime in radio — working at stations in Seattle, Denver and New York City — but he jumped at the opportunity to purchase KGEZ when he had the chance. KGEZ was the only radio station in Kalispell for years after it was founded in 1927, and it’s certainly part of the storied past of the Flathead news business.

I’ll probably learn a thing or two from George and John today, and I’ll try to get a word in edgewise with these two guys who talk for a living while I mostly stare at a computer screen all day.

It should be worth your while.

The panel was put together by Gil Jordan, the executive director of the Museum at Central School, which preserves local history in a historical building, one of the earliest schools in Kalispell.

In fact, today’s presentation is part of the 14th annual John White  Speakers Series, which honors the beloved Cen-tral School bellringer and custodian, John White, the son of a slave, who served at Central School for more than 30 years.

According to publicity from the museum, White “knew all the students, and they knew and respected him, as did the citizens of Kalispell in the 1920s through the ’50s. White graduated from Flathead County High School in 1922 and became perhaps the most central figure in the history of Central School.”

While that’s all true, an example of how much you can learn from newspapers comes from taking a closer look at John W. White, janitor. In fact, Mr. White was the second John W. White to live in Kalispell, and he was the second John W. White to hold the job of janitor at Central School, and he certainly has competition from his father for being the most beloved figure to pass through the school.

Indeed, the elder Mr. White was held in considerable esteem by the community, and at the time of his death was lauded by no less than Sidney M. Logan, the former mayor of Kalispell, who wrote a column praising White that appeared in the Inter Lake the same day as White’s obituary on March 31, 1934.

From the obituary and a prior death notice, we learn that White had been born into slavery in North Carolina about 1855 and had served as janitor of the school for 33 years. He and his wife were pioneers, who had come first to Demersville, then moved to Kalispell with everyone else.

The obituary noted that “he had been honored and beloved by generations of boys and girls, by faculty, by trustees, by the whole Kalispell community and by all who knew him.”

Certainly Mayor Logan’s contemporaneous tribute — something rarely if ever seen in the pages of the newspaper — speaks volumes about White’s character and influence.

“There was about John White a dignity that commanded the respect of everyone. Unobtrusively but loyally, perseveringly and industriously, he went about his work during the 33 years he lived in Kalispell as an employee of the school board. He asked no favors or advantage except the right to labor... He reared his family with the tenderest care and transmitted to them much of his own fine character...

“He played the game, he fought the battle of life according to the rules, he struck no foul blow; he caused no one a moment’s sorrow or pain. He contributed much to the health and happiness and well being of our city’s beloved children. The great Referee of all battles and struggles may very justly hold up the right hand of John White in token of victory.”

And that my friends is a small but significant portion of Flathead news — because the news in this fine community is the tale of its remarkable people. I will happily do my part to relay some of that tale to whoever arrives this afternoon at the Museum at Central School for the first event in the 14th annual John White series.

Tickets for museum members are $20 for the series of all four, or $6 for any single event. General public tickets are $30 for the series, or $9 for any single event. Tickets will be available at the door.

See you there.

Frank Miele is managing editor of the Daily Inter Lake. If you don’t like his opinion, stop by the office and he will gladly refund your two cents. E-mail responses may be sent to edit@dailyinterlake.com