With Postmedia’s decision to end publication of the Wallaceburg Courier Press newspaper last month, Grady O’Flynn, whose late father, Gary, founded the paper, took a few minutes to reminisce.
“I’m not surprised that the paper closed,” he said. “I haven’t been involved in the business in years, but the big newspaper chains often don’t relate well to small-town operations.”
Grady said that although his father was the force behind the newspaper, it was much more of a family affair than many realize.
“My dad had left The Windsor Star and was looking for work. He knew that starting a newspaper would require the support of my mom, Marie, and the help and understanding of his children. Dad was concerned that we might have to leave town if he couldn’t find work, and he loved Wallaceburg,” Grady said. “Dad had vision, but he also lived in the moment. When he decided to go, we went.”
He added his mother’s work was a crucial piece to the family puzzle.
“My mom’s job as bookkeeper at (former Mayor) J.L. Thompson’s company was vital to our survival, and I’m not sure we could have made it without Mr. Thompson’s understanding of the situation,“ Grady said.
He recalled putting up drywall and moving bricks around in the Courier office, a converted storage building.
“I was a teenager who became a circulation manager and a sportswriter,” he said. “I got full press credentials for the Tigers and Blue Jays and I had my first real beer at Tiger Stadium.”
Grady’s sisters Beth and Deb both helped out in various capacities.
“Each one of us had our strengths, and we all pitched in. Looking back, it was pure gold to spend so much time with my father. The newspaper reporters in town loved their community, and they did a great job,” he said.
