Quite a journey from Cotanche Street

SCHULKEN

Schulken was a newly minted East Carolina University graduate with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in journalism when she took her first job Jan. 2, 1980, at The Daily Reflector. She became one of five reporters on the staff, and she stayed for nearly a quarter-century.

"During that time, I made quite a journey, and The Daily Reflector made quite a journey. I love the Reflector. My heart is deeply imbedded there."

Schulken worked in many areas of the newsroom, starting with general assignment and education reporting. She took a brief reassignment to help edit The Enterprise in Williamston, then later returned to work on the copy desk, edit the Sunday section, work on the sports desk and write editorials.

She was assistant managing editor when the newspaper switched from afternoon to morning publication in August 1991.

She appreciates what she could do at a paper such as The Daily Reflector, especially as an editorial writer and columnist, and she excelled at her craft. She was writer of the year in the Cox Newspaper chain in 2000 and earlier had won companywide awards for editorial and column writing in 1998 and 1999.

"There were no sacred cows. I was never told not to write about anything and never had to back off. I was never reined in on the editorial page."

She also has respect for how the Whichards managed the paper.

"You'll find no better stewards of the community interest than the Whichards. They are very focused on the community, and on local news," she said.

"I appreciate the role of the community newspaper so much. The opportunity for having an impact on the community is much greater in a small town newspaper than a metro paper," she said from her office at The Charlotte Observer, where she is an associate editor.

"You are directly accountable every day for what you write. If you want to have an impact, you need to practice journalism at a community newspaper."

DR. ED MONROE

A 'force' for Monroe

"'Big Dave' was an ardent supporter of the university" and its plans, Monroe said, referring to publisher David Julian Whichard.

"The Daily Reflector was much involved in pushing the message that the college could develop a school of nursing to serve this region," he said of the newspaper's support in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Later, "the local newspaper was one of the key elements in helping get the medical school started," Monroe said.

A mayor's news source

NANCY JENKINS

She has had more than casual reader's relationship with the paper. She served as Greenville's mayor in the 1990s and also as chairman of the city school board before city and county school systems were consolidated.

"I was always pleased with the way the news was covered," she said. "They wanted to tell the truth." She added that she never encountered "a single person from The Daily Reflector who wasn't a good journalist and fair. We were very fortunate to get good reporters, including young ones, to work on our newspaper."

Jenkins, who grew up in Raleigh with the much larger News & Observer, was "expecting that kind of coverage" when she moved to Greenville. But she doesn't fault the smaller local paper for its efforts and still reads the paper today. "I couldn't do without it. I depend on it, and I appreciate it as much as I did years ago."

A newcomer's guide

ROBERT HUDAK

"The No. 1 thing to point out is that The Daily Reflector is a good illustration of what it means to be in a big town and not a big city. We were part of a 20-county metropolitan area in Atlanta, and our area was covered in the paper once a week," he said.

"Here, you have a good blend of world and national news, but the paper really seems committed to Pitt County."

A paper such as The Daily Reflector must walk a fine line, Hudak says. It can't be too boosterish, but it can't ignore small but often vocal groups in the community.

Hudak says the local paper "does a good job presenting issues, but they leave it for the readers to decide how to become involved in the community."

"I've been very impressed with how attentive people are in keeping abreast with what's happening in many areas of the community."

A historian's reflector

He described the paper as an example of a local enterprise that "always led efforts for progress from the beginning. It's always been a major promoter of civic progress." It reflected the times but "didn't stay away from controversy."

He said the newspaper's support for a regional airport ran counter to several local self-interests, but even when the matter ended without the airport being developed, the newspaper "never lost face in the community."

Kammerer is worried that, perhaps because of the acquisition by Cox Newspapers in 1996, some of the local flavor that made The Daily Reflector so valued in the past might have diminished.

"It seems to have lost some of the commitment to local issues. I question whether they are taking the pulse of the community as much as in the past," he said.

D.D. GARRETT

Changing with the times

Now in his 10th decade, Garrett remembers when the local paper segregated the subjects of news and feature stories into "white" and "colored" sections, "but that was what was going on in North Carolina papers and across the country at the time."

In time, the local newspaper attempted to lead the community into greater acceptance of desegregation, especially in public facilities and accommodations.

"I think they were trying hard to follow the pattern of progressive newspapers. It seems that the idea was, 'We don't want to be first to integrate, but we don't want to be last either.'"

Garrett says The Daily Reflector "always had clout in the community, and they swayed opinions a great deal." He remains a reader today. "I think they do a good job reflecting all of the community. They carry all the achievements of blacks in the community."