DBH: Once upon a scribe
Duane Hagadone wore many hats during his 88 trips around the sun.
Newspaper publisher. Resort owner. Developer. Visionary. Mega-millionaire. Coeur d’Alene native son.
But you’d have to be an old-timer to remember his brief stint as a reporter.
In August 1951, 70 years ago, Duane joined six other newspaper and Spokane radio representatives to inspect Air Force bases in England, France and Germany.
A Press article noted that the son of owner Burl Hagadone would spend three weeks in Europe and return home to begin his sophomore year at the University of Idaho. He was to file reports along the way to the Press and Spokane’s KNEW radio station.
Duane, then almost 19, began his assignment by interviewing 10 men from the 116th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of Spokane. They had flown Saber jets to England. And were impressed with the RAF.
Duane, who would later be known for his vast hospitality and newspaper holdings and mega-mansions, was content to stay in a Quonset hut during the first leg of his tour.
Here are some of the observations about England that he sent to the Press:
• Driving: “At first this really scares the life out of you — when you see a car coming at 50 miles an hour down the wrong side of the road — but then you realize you are in England.”
• Wardrobe: “Englishmen dress plainly and are not particular about their clothing."
• People: “I’ve noticed that the streets and homes are very clean, and the people are very friendly here, but you must make the first move and then it’s hard to get away from them.”
Burl Hagadone made sure his son learned all aspects of the newspaper business. That knowledge helped Duane survive and prosper in the tough industry when his father died eight years later at age 49.
Bundle of joy
Whenever the 22nd of August rolls around, Gail Curless of Dover (Bonner County) remembers a 1975 pack trip into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness with hubby Randy.
She dreamed that night of walking into a deserted, empty house. The moon was shining through the windows. She walked until she found a large room with a fireplace. In front of the hearth was a cradle. In the cradle was a baby girl. Gail picked up the baby and left.
Five years before, Gail and Randy, the longtime, former Dover mayor, had lost their 7-year-old daughter following open-heart surgery. They had been trying to adopt a child for nine months.
A month after her dream, Gail received a call from adoption services. A baby girl was waiting for them in Helena, Mont. The Curlesses would name her Erica.
Today, Erica is an oncology massage therapist. Back in my day, she was a top-notch investigative reporter in the old Coeur d’Alene bureau of The Spokesman-Review. Erica celebrated her 46th birthday Sunday. Yes, it was Aug. 22, the same day of the year her mother met her in a dream.
As the late Paul Harvey would say: “Now, you know the rest of the story.”
Fan Mail
In last week’s Huckleberries, Mayor Steve Widmyer told of his biggest failure as an elected official — his vote of no confidence, as a 1996 North Idaho College trustee, in then-president Bob Bennett. Onward. Nancy Sue Wallace emails: “The one regret I have during my terms on the City Council (1990s) was to let Ken Thompson go as the city administrator. I’m glad I’m not the only one with regrets with a vote.” Thompson was a capable city administrator who later served Spokane Valley well as finance director.
Huckleberries
• Poet’s Corner: In days gone by, the kings were odd/and conquered foreign lands for God./We’re more enlightened now, you see,/and do it for democracy — The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Civilization Marches On”).
• Evelyn Sue Coon of Coeur d’Alene admits she checks newspaper obits to see how many of the Dearly Departed were younger than her. She’s done it for years. She isn’t surprised she has made it to 76. Years ago, a fortune teller in Albuquerque, N.M., predicted she would live long. “Don’t laugh,” Evelyn told Huckleberries. The proof, as old-timers say, is in the pudding.
• Naomi Boutz, owner of the Vine & Olive and Vicino Pizza, Facebooked a photo of a clever, typed note taped to a door: “A bartender or server will seat you shortly. We appreciate your patience. If you are out of patience, feel free to fill out an application.”
• The previous item reminds Huckleberries of a comment by Press business reporter Mike Wickline 25 years ago: “I’m worried that some Coeur d’Alene area restaurants are latching onto a big city trend — waitresses who aren’t pleasant and don’t even give their customers a ‘thank you.’” Now, consider today when quality eateries, like the Vine & Olive, are understaffed. P’haps it’s our turn to thank the hired hands who show up for work? And to tip generously.
Parting Shot
In the same month teen-age Duane Hagadone visited Europe, August 1951, the Press welcomed two married doctors and three of their four children to town. Donald and Jane Gumprecht had finished a stint at Fairchild Air Force Base after beginning their careers in 1947 in Three Forks, Mont. Both Gumprechts had received their degrees at University of Minnesota Medical School. Before their deaths in 2009, they would be revered by generations of local residents. Their three sons — Donald, who was 3 1/2 in a 1951 photo published in the Press, Tom, who was a baby, and yet-unborn Ernie — became doctors. “Dr. Jane” was the first woman to establish a long-term practice in Coeur d’Alene. She fought prejudice against female doctors in medical school and early in her career. The Lake City was lucky that she changed her major after her first year at Montana State from home economics to pre-med.
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You can contact D.F. “Dave” Oliveria at dfo@cdapress.com.
