Former editor was a life-changer

I was sitting in Vagabond blues having my afternoon coffee thinking about the changes going on in recent days. The news that Heather Resz was leaving the Frontiersman as editor was hard hitting for me. I did know about it a little before some people, yet when the time did come it came on like a whirlwind. Thoughts like these were tumbling about in my head this weekend sipping on that coffee.

You see this column wouldn't be one if it wasn't for Heather. Without her I wouldn't have been writing for the valley's own newspaper. Let's go back five years ago...

Back then I was writing comments on a couple of newspaper websites: The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, The Seattle Times, The Anchorage Daily News and The Mat­Su Valley Frontiersman. Things got a little weird with the Seattle Times (they booted me from the site for reasons unknown) and things got a little heated on the ADN. The News-Miner was full of … well lets just say more than a few were playing with half a deck of cards at the time.

Now the Frontiersman was getting interesting for me. I was doing quite a bit of commentary in the Faith section of the Frontiersman online. I was having a good time in friendly, respectful (for the most part that is) discussions and debates on subjects brought up by various writers – quite a few on articles by Howard Bess. It was because of these responses and debates that I garnered the attention of Heather Resz who was screening the online responses from readers to articles in the paper.

I received an E­mail from her basically saying she liked the way I wrote things and would I like to be a columnist for the Frontiersman? Let’s see, it took me all of three seconds to say yes. I was embarking on a new life path at the time. I could no longer soldier on as a G.I., my body couldn't take it any more. I had my first heart attack two years prior to this. And I was retired from the Army a year before that too. So I was trying a completely new thing: Writing. Since my PTSD made my hands shake, art – my other talent – was for the time being out for a while. Writing was a perfect creative outlet and later on a perfect way to deal with my personal demons from PTSD.

At first it was articles in the Spectrum section with my name on the byline. Later it would be my own mug and my own column called “Front and Center.” That title was left up to me by Heather. The subjects I took on were mine as well. Sometimes I got a little verbose. That is where Heather came in as dditor. She could cut through the verbal mess with ease and sometimes made the piece really sing far better than I could. Of course, that was her job as editor and she did a great job.

Valley Voices would be another column rich in writer’s opinions by Charles Hayes, Tom Anderson, Chuck Legge and myself. A concept brought about by Heather and publisher Mark Kelsey for a politically based opinion column by multiple local writing talent. Heather would take a recluse, i.e. myself, and somehow get me hooked up with a wonderful community scene. Like Ron Travis, a fellow veteran and head of Alaska’s own Last Frontier Honor Flight, which flies veterans of WWII and the Korean war to Washington D.C. to say thank you for their sacrifices in service to the nation in war; Pete and Denise Christopher of the Mat­Su Miners; Alaska Governors Sean Parnell and Bill Walker; plus Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich.

Mike Chmielewski and Lee Henrikson of KVRF 89.5 Radio Free Palmer would introduce me to radio broadcasting, which would start a long involvement as a volunteer technical staff member and Tuesday morning co-host.

All of these meetings of people and causes are thanks to Heather Resz and the Frontiersman.

From veteran suicides, gun rights, school shootings, politicians both local and national to the plight of the homeless in the Mat­Su, the stories I wrote about would take me deeper into the issues and in serving the Valley. Then there were the personal stories involving my struggles with PTSD, smoking, heat attack and quintuple bypass surgery, all made public in the hope others would be inspired to better themselves. My day job with the Frontiersman’s circulation section would follow, a job I thoroughly enjoy – repairing and fielding those green newspaper rack machines across the Valley.

All of this became a reality because an editor of a local newspaper took notice of an unknown comment writer in the Faith section five years ago. Thank you Heather Resz for putting up with an old G.I. trying new things, and most importantly, helping a recluse to become a member of a thriving community here in the Valley. That is a good mission to be on for an old soldier who only wishes to serve.

Now I have a new editor to break in, so to speak; Matt Tunseth – who is really a nice guy by the way. I wonder what the next five years has in store us all. I think what ever the future holds for us it will prove to be a fun ride finding out.

Daniel D. Grota is a retired U.S. Army veteran with over 21 years in service. He is also a Tuesday morning co-host on KVRF 89.5 FM, Radio Free Palmer. Write to him at news@frontiersman.com.