Kenny and Ruby delivering papers

Newspapers are one of the pillars of democracy and I’m sorry, but digital versions do not provide the same community experience for a variety of reasons not covered here today.  Yesterday subscribers of the Cedar Rapids Gazette were informed they were reducing paper delivery to three days a week. The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald is doing the same. I am glad they are continuing delivery. I am glad they are surviving.

The news reminded me of a letter to the editor I wrote to the Iowa City Press-Citizen back in 2009.  I would like to share it today.

Dear Editor,

It’s the end of an era. When Press-Citizen carriers were given word that, due to the Gazette taking over delivery services, they would be out jobs, our carriers, Kenna McKeever and Jerome Fox, informed us that they would no longer be delivering papers.
Kenna and Jerome split their route, so for eleven years, Kenna and Ruby (her friendly, gentle pit bull), brought our local paper right to our door.

You would see Kenna and Ruby on the sidewalk together every morning, with their stroller that carried the newspapers, Kenna handing out treats to the dogs that lived on the route. Our dogs looked forward to running into them on their morning walk, and if by some happenstance of schedule they didn’t cross paths on that particular day, our dogs would park themselves in our front window and wait for Ruby and Kenna to appear. Ruby would pull on her leash in front of our house as they went by, if Sage and Zucchini were not outside.

Usually, the dogs would go out for a quick visit and a treat. Kenna would have them sit for the treats, and we would try to use the encounters to practice doggy front door ettiquette, like staying calm and not jumping up (with limited success). All this took just a minute or two, then they would be on their way, back to work.

We came to know Kenna as a neighbor and friend. At Christmas time, everyone on the route received a newsletter, complete with family updates. Kenna even gave out her cell phone number to customers. This week, she left her final newsletter saying good-bye, telling us when their last day would be, explaining that she could have re-applied, but after eleven years, it’s time to move on – all those vacations and trips not taken, for all those years, because of no one available to cover the route.

“We want to again thank each one of you for being loyal customers during our eleven years of delivering papers. It’s time to hang up the old paper bags, pack away all our extra winter stuff and retire the old stroller. We have decided we are tired of being tired all the time and not being able to go anywhere because of not finding anyone to sub for us.” And then she added, “many, many thanks!”

As if WE did something. Now that is dedication and commitment.

For many, the delivery of the P-C is a frustrating experience of not getting the paper on time, not knowing where to find it in the yard, not knowing if it was going to appear at all. In the past, we’ve cancelled our subscription off and on for the exact same reason.

But for the last 8 years, as long as we’ve lived on our street, our carriers were as regular and steady as clockwork, and the way they did their job added to the quality of our lives. We should all take a lesson.

We will miss Ruby and Kenna coming by our house every day, but we know we will still see them out walking in the neighborhood. Many, many thanks to you, Kenna and Ruby, and Jerome, for your great service to our community! We wish you vacations, treats, and lots of sleeping-in time!

Trish Nelson, Iowa City

Sage and Zucchini