“Our publisher at the time, Ann Charles, decided if we were

going to do it, we would do it right. She hired a company out of

in a string of corrections
at the time and publisher
Y. Martin Thomas
Wichita to teach all of us the ins and outs of putting out a paper Bruce Buchanan had had Y. Martin “Monk” Thomas was a
using the newer technology. The attic was cleared out and work enough. Buchanan called bit of a Parsons Sun legend, having
stations set up with the new Macs. I don’t remember how many Hanna into his office and worked at the newspaper office for 50
there were, I just remember we put the paper to bed around 2:30 told him he had to write years before retiring in June 1982.
or 3 in the afternoon and then we spent a couple of hours in the a correction and call the He was a reporter, wire and sports
attic working on the Macs,” Teller recalled. woman and apologize. editor, city editor, managing editor
Teller also served as interim managing editor at times. The M.E. The woman was gracious. and senior editor. He hated errors and
normally would check newspapers as they came off the press for “It’s reminded (me) had a keen eye for catching them.
errors that would require changes. ever since to be careful Clyde M. Reed Jr. commented on
“It was quite a rush the first time I had to go back to the press with names,” Hanna said. Thomas’ keen intellect and memory
of Parsons’ past. Thomas “had for-
room and holler ‘Stop the presses!’ A photo was upside down on Allen Edmonds said as
gotten more about Parsons and Par-
the front page, if I remember correctly. I don’t think Dale appre- he remembers his time sonians than many — even most —
ciated that very much. at The Sun, he doesn’t ever knew,” Reed said.
“The Sun was a good place to work – a lot of good people, know if it feels like yes- When Thomas retired he was giv-
good friends over the years, friends I’ve lost track of, unfortu- terday, or a far different en his typewriter, scissors and a solid
nately,” she said. world when he and oth- brass pica pole, a measuring device
ers were vastly different formerly used in the newspaper in-
people working at a craft dustry.
Photographers that no longer exists. In reflecting on his 50 years of
Steven Hausler was hired his senior year, 1985, at Pittsburg State work, Thomas wrote: “To have been a
“The camaraderie we
University to replace Rich Sugg as a photographer. witness to, and a contributing factor
shared as a group of
“It was a great honor for me to follow somebody like Rich Sugg,” in conveying, all that has happened
young reporters freshly
Hausler said. (over those years) has been a sublime
out of college is some- experience.”
He started an internship program at The Sun for summers and
thing I have found would He died Jan. 6, 1994, at age 79.
arranged for unpaid interns to stay with community members.
never be replicated. Par-
“It was just another way to get another warm body to do pictures.
sons and Labette County
There was a desire by college students back then to work at some of
were a home to all of us
these quality Midwest newspapers, and Harris had a bunch of them,”
in a way I can confident-
Hausler said.
ly say we would never find again,” Edmonds said. “We learned
Hausler was a member of the National Press Photographers As-
during major, unforeseen events such as the 1986 flood how to
sociation and competed in its monthly clip contest. He was named
work together and cover for each other over days that seemingly
regional photographer of the year and also won many other awards
had no end. And then found time to waterski on Big Hill Lake
from the Kansas Press Association, The Associated Press and Harris
during spring and summer events after work using a parent’s
Enterprises.
borrowed boat, or to make a road trip to Chanute to watch the
Hausler enjoyed covering small town festivals. He mentioned the
big Leonard-Hagler fight on pay-per-view at a giant bar with a
bean feed that’s part of the Old Soldiers and Sailors Reunion in Erie
long-forgotten name.”
and the Thayer Watermelon Festival.
Randy Mathews was hired in 1987 as cops and courts reporter.
“Those little town festivals were extraordinary for opportunities to
He was one of three hires that summer, including Lori Stratton
get great pictures. You know, seeing the Thayer watermelon queen in
and Erin Eicher. He married Eicher after he left The Sun staff
the seed spitting contest. Those are the kinds of things that you can
and they will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this year.
only dream about as great opportunities for pictures,” he said.
Mathews recalls covering two murder cases in his first two
Mike Gullett, now a professor emeritus at PSU, called his hiring at
years. He also remembers 14-hour days on Fridays when the staff
The Sun in 1979 as a coming home. He grew up in Parsons and took
would turn out a Friday afternoon paper, eat dinner and return for
his first photo class at Labette Community College before heading
another long shift to publish the Saturday morning edition.
to KU.
“During high school football season, we all became sports re-
At The Sun, Gullett said he put together three photo pages a week,
porters on Fridays, whether we knew anything about football or
which was a great way to get visual images to readers.
not,” he recalled.
“The Parsons Sun was one of the best newspapers in the area
Roger McKinney is a Chetopa native. He joined The Sun in the
and state. The training I received from The Sun was instrumental in
early 1990s and then went to The Joplin Globe. He’s been work-
my career at two other newspapers and teaching photojournalism at
ing in the newspaper industry for 31 years. He said he was allowed
Pittsburg State University,” Gullett said.
to try new things at The Sun and he even wrote a story about city
surplus property in rhyme once.
Reporters “I’m still in touch with many of my former Parsons Sun col-
John Hanna, longtime political reporter with AP in Topeka, leagues. I feel so very fortunate to have got my start in the news-
served an internship at The Sun in the mid-1980s. He remem- paper business there. The town’s history wouldn’t be the same and
bers misspelling a woman’s name in a story. That was the last wouldn’t have been documented without its newspaper.”

Labette County Community Guide • 2021 27