By Jeff Brady

Editor Emeritus

I knew I had officially “made it” in the Yukon when the Whitehorse Star cut up a photo of me and sprinkled pieces of my beard on the printed page for the “Name The Beard ” contest during Sourdough Rendezvous. A lucky soul pieced together the bits of my “horrible beard” puzzle, and I was “outed” in the pages of the Star. There is no greater honor, especially for an Alaskan editor who feeds off the Yukon.

I was an easy target. I printed The Skagway News at the Star every second and fourth Thursday of the month. One day, as I was fixing a typo on the layout board, Jeanne from the ad staff caught me by surprise and took my photo for the beard contest. Look at that photo from 1994. I’m beaming, and this was before the post-press run beer next door at Joe’s Redneck Inn.

Actually, the relationship between The Skagway News and the Star began long before I decided to print my paper in Whitehorse in the 1980s.

Elmer J. “Stroller” White was a reporter and assistant editor for The Skaguay News (old spelling) in 1898, eventually moving on with the gold seekers to Dawson City. He worked for two papers there, and then moved upriver to Whitehorse and the Star. His first humorous “Stroller” columns graced the Star’s pages for several years before he moved to Juneau, still spinning his Klondike tales until his death.

After I moved to Skagway and started up the old “SNews” again in 1978, I channeled some Stroller in my first “Splinters in the Boardwalk” columns, and now, even in retirement, occasionally pen an “Under the Boardwalk.”

I was asked by Michelle and Melanie Pierce to write something for the final edition of the Star. So I’ll be reaching from under the boardwalk to over the border.

My first engagement with the Star was when our printing operation in Haines went up in flames in June 1981. The Haines and Skagway papers had merged and the gods in the furnace mechanism threw a spark over that arrangement. We were devastated, of course, but guess who came to the rescue?

I called up the Star, spoke to Jackie Pierce, and drove my van up with some fire photos on film and a story in my head. The Star reporters, Jim Butler and others, let me work on one of their new computer typesetters, Vince Federoff developed and printed the photos, Linda Burns assisted me with layout, and we put out a special edition. I came back a month later and did another one, and we also started printing our tourist paper in Whitehorse. This arrangement helped us survive and kept me from moving back to the Lower 48.

When the South Klondike Highway, a/k/a ‘The Skagway Road” as you call it, opened year-round in 1986, I knew where I wanted to print the paper full-time.

Such were the beginnings of a beautiful friendship, and so many memories. Here’s a few:

– Being asked to be a sub for the Star Rats drinking, uh, softball team.

– Those post-press gatherings at Joe’s. “Drink or beer?” he’d ask as you walked into the smoke-chugged bar, and knew what you wanted.

– Advising pressman/columnist Rick VanSickle on how to write his “THE Yukon” column. He used my suggestion that those who were trying to eliminate the THE were “Yukkies.” May the THE reign fovever!

– Laughing with Linda and crew over the brilliant Weenie Wagon ads generated by Andy Gregg. When one of the “I Love My Weenie” ads made the National Lampoon, we all celebrated.

– Visiting with John Stuckey, Joanie Pierce and others on the circulation/stuffing crew while waiting for the paper to come off the press. I gave up trying to explain Trump to you all. Hell, who can explain him?!

– Taking the fresh, ink infused copies of The Skagway News upstairs to give to every person working up there. Talking story ideas with Jim, Chuck and others. It was sad to see the reporter and staff numbers dwindle. I feel for you all.

– Taking my kids upstairs with me to visit Pat Wilson. She enjoyed keeping up with them as they grew up, and taking my checks for Jackie (RIP), who was also great to chat with about our newspaper history.

– Finally, getting to call up Don and say, “STOP THE PRESSES!” when the ferry float sank in the Skagway harbor on the morning of the press run.  I had sent up the pages via email the night before, and he would start working on them when he arrived in the morning. The paper would be printed while I drove up the highway. Anyway, the floating dock filled with water and sank overnight. I caught Don just in time to say those newsie dream words, write the story, and remake the front page. That was one of my last big stories before I retired, also shared with the Star. Don usually let loose a few F-bombs when things went wrong, but not that time.

Even after I sold the paper in 2015, I stopped by on my trips to Whitehorse to see everyone. And I was happy to see the new SN owners continue printing my old paper there, until the pandemic changed everything.

I understand the need to quit when things are no longer the way you want them to be. This is especially true for us “old hats” in the news business who have tried to hang on and adapt to the new media. Trying to keep a quality print product on the streets in an often-unreliable social media dominated world is difficult, especially when there’s competition. Good journalism comes from dedicated journalists who must be paid, but how can you achieve the proper balance of being able to pay people to produce a good newspaper when those who pay the bills, the advertisers, stray.

I too have crossed over somewhat into social media for promoting things I’m involved with, but I still advertise my bookstore in The Skagway News because I know it helps keep the paper alive. I wish more advertisers would have helped out the Star before it was too late.

My Facebook profile “About Me” says I’m “Tar Heel born, Tar Heel bred, Alaskan sworn, Yukon fed.” Friends wonder what that last bit means. It doesn’t mean that I do all my grocery shopping in the Yukon. It means that what feeds me are the rivers and forests and people of a special place, the kind of people at the Star.

For the Star – that’s what appeared under my byline whenever they picked up a story of mine. Thanks for the opportunity one last time.

Damn, I’m going to miss you all and your paper. Love you guys.

This column appeared in the final edition of The Whitehorse Star on May 17, 2024.  A new Yukon Star is scheduled to debut online and in print later this month.