Huckleberries: A timely tribute to Tony
Two roads diverged in a wood, and Tony Stewart – Tony Stewart took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Well, it made a lot of difference.
Poet Robert Frost’s rhyme is tailor-made for the local human-rights leader.
In 1970, Tony came to that fork in the road. One path from Washington State University led to familiar North Carolina. The other to a junior college in the wilds of North Idaho. One led home. The other to an influential career in political science and a trail-blazing role in fighting racism.
Tony didn’t want to go to Coeur d’Alene.
At the time, he was a graduate student filling in for a WSU political science professor on sabbatical. His mentor, Thor Swanson, had fielded a call from then president Barry Schuler of North Idaho Junior College. Schuler needed a political science instructor – pronto. The 1970-71 school year was nearing.
As a favor to prof Swanson, Tony drove to Coeur d’Alene and met with Schuler and Dean of Instruction Ray Stone, who would later serve two terms as Coeur d’Alene’s mayor. Schuler tried to talk him into taking the job. But didn’t offer a job that day. Stone did that, as Tony was driving back to North Carolina.
Stone called every day until Tony reluctantly accepted the teaching post. He took the job with an understanding that he would teach at NIJC for at least three years. (In 1971, the junior college changed its name to simply North Idaho College.)
Why am I telling you this?
Fifty years ago this week, the Coeur d’Alene Press printed a story on Page 11, introducing 11 new NIJC faculty members, with black-and-white mug shots, to the community. Tony was one of those. He wasn’t the only NIJC newcomer who would make a splash.
Also that year, the college hired John Stone, a data processing instructor with a business administration degree from Gonzaga. Later, Stone would establish himself in Spokane as a developer – and then return to Coeur d’Alene to transform an old mill site into the transformational Riverstone development.
Meanwhile, Tony launched a weekly public TV show that lasted 36 years and the Popcorn Forum (an annual symposium focused on current events) that lasted 38 years. With Norm Gissel, Marshall Mend, and the late Bill Wassmuth, he revitalized the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. The task force fought the Aryan Nations at every turn and developed a model community response to racism.
Now retired, Tony has eased up some. But he remains on the path he took so long ago.
Mini, Midi, Maxi
As Tony was preparing to start his career at NIC, local fashionistas in September 1970 were buzzing about the latest fad: Midis. The style featured hemlines that fell – my oh my — BELOW the knee. Candy O'Brien of Marie O'Brien's described the midis as "plain ugly." Candy told the Coeur d'Alene Press she was OK with lowering hemlines. But she wanted to hold the line above the knee. However, Margie Cope of Rusan's said: "People are still afraid of the midi-skirts. Right now, most are looking but pretty soon most will be buying." And manager Rose Phillips, of Mode O Day, said: "If a few, maybe just one of the very respected women started wearing the midi, a lot of others would follow." A trend-setter must have bought a midi. They’re still around.
Huckleberries
• Poet’s Corner: Where the snow never falls/and sun can’t be found,/remember your children/who toil underground – The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Prayer for Silver Valley Miners”)
• If a tree falls in the urban forest – atop a North Idaho College building – it makes a sound. A very loud one, according to Lisa Wood Hunt of Coeur d’Alene. Lisa and a friend were catching up while walking along the Dike Road when they heard and saw the destruction on windy Monday. Close call. They checked the swaying pines and didn’t stick around for an encore.
• Kootenai County Democrats will visit with new chairman Evan Koch online at noon today. Koch hails from Spirit Lake via Baltimore, Md. As a nurse anesthesiologist, he knows about such risks as COVID cooties. That’ll serve him well, says a Democrat Facebook post: “If he doesn’t understand the risks associated with being an out-in-front Democrat, he’s about to find out."
• Sign of the Times (in the window of Funky Monkey in Wallace): “No soliciting: We are too broke to buy anything. We know who we are voting for. We have found Jesus. Seriously, unless you are giving away beer, PLEASE GO AWAY.”
• Today’s edition of Huckleberries is brought to you by the No. 24 – or the number of concerts that Chris Guggemos of Handshake Productions staged this COVID summer. Chris swapped out two early cancellations for two later ones. The last one will be Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. When almost everyone was canceling events, Chris found a way to make them happen. Salute.
Parting Shot
Whoever came up with the phrase, “waste not, want now,” should share a cup of coffee with Jeanne Helstrom of Coeur d’Alene. On a recent Thursday morning, Jeanne re-heated a half-cup of Keurig cappuccino left over from the previous day. She didn’t want to throw it out. She finished her drink while reading the paper. As she rinsed her cup in the sink, she spotted a dead fly at the bottom. She had killed two flies in the kitchen the day before. But one had gone missing. There might be a lesson in all this. But Jeanne sums up her experience with an understandable “Eeeuuuwww!”
D.F. “Dave” Oliveria can be contacted at dfo@cdapress.com.
