During the years 1971-1976, the Blue Mountain Rock Festival was an thrilling occasion for Vandal college students to attend, however the date was at all times stored confidential till every week earlier than.
“The agreement that the ASUI made with the administration was that they could have the rock festival on campus, but they couldn’t publicize it to outside groups because they didn’t want unsavory influences,” stated Kenton Bird, who was the editor of The Argonaut from 1974-1975 throughout his junior 12 months on the University of Idaho.
He discovered it unfair that the {dollars} paid for the occasion got here from college students who couldn’t learn about it and would possibly miss it consequently. However, after one in all his reporters ended up determining what the key date was one 12 months, Bird needed to take the story to press sooner than typical.
The ASUI threatened to chop funding for the difficulty if the Argonaut went by with publishing the date in it, however Bird reacted accordingly. He referred to as the manufacturing supervisor of The Idahonian (the place The Argonaut was being printed), and the phrases “Blue Mountain Date Revealed” have been plastered on the entrance web page of the Argonaut a number of days later; the complete situation being printed in blue ink as a substitute of black.
Bird grew up in Kellogg, Idaho, the place he was editor of each his highschool’s newspaper and yearbook. Before arriving on the University of Idaho as a freshman in August of 1972, he had the prospect to work on the Kellogg Evening News. Bird interviewed a number of political candidates from Idaho who have been operating for Congress on the time, a kind of interview that requires plenty of confidence for a journalist at such a young age who’s simply barely beginning his skilled profession.
Through these political interactions, Bird was capable of meet James (Jay) Shelledy who inspired Bird to become involved within the Argonaut and to put in writing a letter to the editor whom Shelledy had identified from a marketing campaign they’d labored on collectively. Bird despatched in a letter, hopeful, however sadly by no means heard something again.
Keeping busy regardless, Bird determined to become involved with the marching band throughout his first semester at UI (taking part in the French horn). Then, in January of the next semester, Bird obtained a cellphone name from Rod Gramer, the brand new editor of The Argonaut who wasn’t the identical person whom Bird had addressed his letter.
“Rod said, ‘Well you won’t believe this, but I’m the new editor of The Argonaut and when I moved into the editor’s office, I found a drawer full of unopened mail. And one of them was the letter you had written last August,’” stated Bird.
Gramer requested Bird if he was nonetheless enthusiastic about writing for The Argonaut and shortly sufficient, Bird grew to become a employees reporter within the spring semester of ’73, his first story being a small story on the Community Development Center.
At that time in journalistic historical past, The Argonaut employees couldn’t depend upon digital strategies because it does now to design its paper; somewhat, the employees needed to put their papers collectively by hand utilizing a way referred to as “paste-up.”
“You would print out your stories in a long strip and then you would, using either a glue stick for small items or an electric waxer, wax the back of the pages of the paper,” described Bird. “Then you would put it on a grid sheet that was exactly sized to represent the newspaper page.”
After working in a number of completely different reporting roles at The Argonaut, Bird grew to become the editor from 1974-1975 and oversaw the manufacturing of a bit of over 60 points throughout his time period. He specified three completely different items that he felt most pleased with publishing whereas serving as editor.
Aside from poking again on the ASUI together with his blue-ink-bit, Bird additionally talked about a time when his workforce did an investigation into the college’s involvement within the improvement of the Palouse Mall.
“There were allegations of some inside trading,” stated Bird. “There wasn’t really an open call for proposals and other shopping center developers weren’t given a chance to apply.”
The third factor that stood out to Bird was a bonus situation that was devoted primarily to images, titled “A Day in the Life of the University of Idaho,” which was modeled after Life journal’s standard piece “A Day in the Life of the USA.”
“It was so popular that the Office of University Relations…ordered, with our permission, an extra thousand copies to give to campus visitors,” stated Bird.
Bird loved discovering a type of stability in reporting whereas at The Argonaut; in each exposing the hard-hitting truths and celebrating the moments of magnificence that he found in Moscow.
However, no one in all these tales Bird deems as his favourite one to have labored on. Instead, he talked of among the editorials he wrote whereas being the Associate Editor within the Spring of ’74. For instance, when a previous ASUI President, whom Bird known as “not particularly dynamic,” was stepping down from his time period, The Argonaut ran a really overt but very humorous article recapping his presidency.
“We said ‘We at the Argonaut are pleased to celebrate the accomplishments of the ASUI President whose term is ending, the column below lists all of his major accomplishments,’” stated Bird. “And then we just ran six inches of white space.”
By the time Bird concluded his work at The Argonaut and graduated from UI within the spring of 1976, he had already been writing full-time for The Idahonian and continued to take action till June of 1977.
However, throughout the summer time of ‘76, he received an internship at The Washington Post and moved to DC for three months of work only two years after Richard Nixon had resigned as a result of The Post’s reporting on Watergate.
Not being a fan of the swampy DC situations, Bird moved again to Idaho as soon as he was completed and shortly after started working at The Sandpoint Daily Bee, the place he stayed for 11 months.
“I was 23 years old in the fall of ’77 and the youngest managing editor of a daily paper in Idaho,” stated Bird.
Bird would quickly journey to Cardiff, Wales to work on his grasp’s diploma in journalism historical past, which he acquired in 1980. Once he completed his time overseas, Bird bounced round from paper to paper earlier than realizing it wasn’t what he needed.
“By the early 90s, I was burning out on daily newspapers and decided what I really wanted to do was teach journalism,” stated Bird.
While instructing at Colorado State University, Bird was capable of full and obtain his Ph.D. from Washington State University. In 1999, Bird got here throughout an open position on the University of Idaho and was employed, and, shortly after, Bird grew to become the director of the School of Communication in 2003, a position he fulfilled for 12 years.
“My goal as director was to get the school nationally accredited because, at the time, there was nothing in the state of Idaho,” stated Bird. “We finally became accredited in 2013 after my 10th year as director- and that’s really meant a lot.”
In 2015, Bird shifted to a brand new position and have become the director of basic training. Then, in 2017, Bird stepped down from director standing to that of a professor, a job he continues in in the present day.
“I’ve sort of come full circle to what I originally wanted to do when I got my Ph.D., which was teach journalism, advise students, help students find internships, and make professional connections between current and past students,” stated Bird.
As his retirement is quick approaching, Bird hopes his college students, each previous and current, will bear in mind the importance and worth {that a} free press provides a democracy and acknowledge that they, too, are able to making a place for themselves in journalism’s broader legacy.
Although, when talking of the legacy Bird will certainly depart behind himself, it turns into tough to explain the severity of his selflessness, steadfastness, and dedication to good and trustworthy reporting that’s centered round serving to different individuals.
In recognition of all the pieces he’s performed for this college and its college students, The Argonaut’s newsroom has since been renamed in his honor. Now identified amongst our reporters as “The Bird’s Nest,” the newsroom will perpetually be a testomony to a person whom The Argonaut, in all of its 125 years of operation and so forth, won’t be near forgetting anytime quickly.
Herman Roberts might be reached at [email protected]
