Harvey leaves Havre for Mississippi River town
Story By: Karen Datko
Havre Daily News
Managing Editor
Page Design By: Stacy Mantle
I had hoped that I'd never see this day.
My publisher, Harvey Brock, and I had what we liked to call the death pack: The only way either of us would leave Havre first is if one of us died.
But that's not how life works. We can't foresee the future and we can't always control it.
Harvey is leaving for a great job as publisher of a much larger newspaper in Iowa. It's a challenge he's earned. It means better security for his family and also more opportunity for him to develop the kind of leadership he's provided in our community.
He will be missed by the staff of this newspaper. Tears were shed when they learned he was leaving. He also will be missed by the community.
For those of you who never met him, here's what you've missed. I asked my fellow employees to provide their thoughts about Harvey:
Alan Sorensen: Harvey Brock has been a mentor, friend and catalyst to me during his reign at the Havre Daily. I've walked in support of cancer research and treatment, picked up an addiction for golf, and been treated as he said he would want to be treated by an employer. Though I at times had difficulty - between my deafness and his soft-spoken manner - hearing what he had to say, I always got his intent. His message was always very supportive and constructive, and his calm in the face of difficulties was contagious. And, of course, he was always there to help clean up after the community Thanksgiving Day dinner at St. Jude Parish Center. I'm going to miss you, Harvey, and wish you well wherever you go and whatever you do.
Larry Kline: Harvey is always good for a joke, and anyone who has ever eaten a bowl of his chili or one of his finely cooked steaks or hamburgers knows that he is a fantastic cook. Harvey is a kind man with a quick wit. He always sticks up for his employees. He offered good advice anytime I needed it and was there to lend an ear when I needed to talk. And he let me wear shorts to work, even though I know he didn't like it. He was a great boss and will be sorely missed. Harvey, I hope the cotton grows tall for you in Clinton. Here's one of Dixie English's famous poems:
The Havre Daily's staff is gathering
To offer “Best Wishes” to Our Boss.
Harvey's leaving us tomorrow;
Clinton's gain is Havre's Loss!
He's been here six-plus busy years
And has really led the way.
Havre's paper's changed a lot
Growing bigger and better each day.
We'll miss Harvey in a lot of ways
We've watched Tom and Amanda grow;
Heard stories 'bout Griff and Freda;
Learned “Precious Cindy” runs the show!
Fat days around the Daily News
Will never be the same.
Culinary skills practiced on his staff
Have earned him well-deserved fame.
We'll remember him slaving hours on end
Over his sizzling BBQ;
Steak, burgers, onions & hotdogs
The aromas filtered through.
We hear Mexican food is his specialty;
And his chili is sublime.
Karen says his burritos are the best.
Who else would take the time.
It's on to bigger and better things
For Harvey and his family.
Only two hours from The Windy City
And on the Mighty Mississippi.
His rafting gang will sorely miss him
I hear their float trips were the Best!!
He'll be making a new name for himself:
The “Huckleberry” from out West
Harvey, we hope you'll think of us
While enjoying those warm winter days
Be sure to say “Hi” to Oprah, and
Thanks for the years of Patience and Praise!!
Val Murri: Harvey, Im really sorry you're leaving the HDN. Things won't be the same,
especially at budget time and the trip to Seattle - I won't have to carry your luggage for you anymore or answer all the “intelligent budget questions” during the budget review. Good luck.
Stacy Mantle: I've known Harvey for the last five years, and one of the funniest stories I
could possibly share with everyone is a bit of the Missouri River canoe trip that was the subject of a story in the Havre Daily.
It was the second day of the trip. Nikki Carlson and I finally made it to shore, only an hour after everyone else. Needless to say, Harvey was patiently waiting there for us. Actually, he was
a little stressed. I think he thought that we might not make it at all, and he might have to paddle back upstream against the wind to find us.
After we got to shore, we had what seemed like a mile-long trip up to the hill on which we were pitching our tents that night. I was already tired from paddling the whole day, which I was not prepared for - being as they
called it a float trip and we did not float anywhere but into the the side of the riverbank.
We got all of our bags and coolers up to the top of the
hill. The wind there blows so badly, they even have three-sided shelters where we camped. Everyone began to put up their tents for the night, and I thought I would put mine next to Harvey's since his tent was the biggest and might protect my tiny tent from blowing away.
I was up all night pounding my tent stakes into the ground
with my flashlight because the wind was blowing them out of the ground. One of the times I was up, I heard Harvey and Cindy talking. I wondered what they were doing. It was about 3 a.m.
Since they were having the same troubles with their tent, they decided to move their sleeping bags into a shelter because it had a roof and a little protection from the wind. That
lasted two minutes, and they were back at the tent and Harvey was tying down
the tent strings with our coolers.
I was hoping there would be many more of these canoe trips to take part in. Even though it was the hardest-working weekend I have ever had, it was one of the most fun.
Without you, Harvey, it will not be the same. If you ever need a little excitement in your life, come back to Havre and we'll go floating, and this time we will really just float.
Karen Datko: Here's what I'll miss:
A newspaper is a strange creature. It's a public service with a duty to inform, but it's also a business that has to make money. The people who own newspapers want to see a profit. A publisher has to make sure the newspaper is profitable.
A great publisher makes sure that the business aspect of the newspaper - that need to make money - doesn't infringe on the news staff's mission to report the news aggressively and fairly. Harvey is one of the great ones. In my time here, our coverage has never been compromised by pressure from advertisers to change the way that we cover the news.
Many newspapers can't make that claim. But we can.
And even more to his credit, Harvey has always stood up for all the people of this community - all deserve a fair shake, he said, rich or poor, people with or without influence. He has cared about each and every one of you, in ways you'll probably never know about.
