Proud of my brother Don!

One of the owner’s of the Rainy River Record and Fort Frances Times, Don Cumming, received a very special award from the Canadian Community Newspaper Association last Thursday evening. He was the recipient of the “Gold Quill” Award. It is bestowed upon individuals who have worked within the newspaper for 50 years and have been active in their community.
I was fortunate to offer Don’s name to the board and to actually present him with the award.
Today it is almost unheard of for someone to work in a profession for 50 years. In the last 15 years that I have attended the associations annual meetings, I know of only one other person who has been in the industry for that long and received the “Gold Quill”
The award now only goes to someone who was born into the industry. Previously, the award has been given to people who began as copy boys, or served in a war and began their careers at a very young age. Most recipients were well into there seventies.
Don too began his career at a young age, delivering papers from the paper mill to the arena along the south side of First Street. He did that for almost five years.
On Saturdays, waiting for papers in the carrier room in the basement of the old Times building on Church street where Canada Customs are now located. Don would be conscripted to carrying lead “pigs” from the basement where they had been made upstairs to the main floor where they were melted and consumed by the linotype or Ludlow machines.
By the time Don was 14, he had advanced to cleaning presses at the end of the day. Washing up rollers, forms etc. and wrapping printing for delivery were his job. And also making deliveries of letterheads, envelopes and invoices to customers of the Fort Frances Times.
When he graduated from high school, Don was a journeyman pressman and chose to go into the family business. He became the Operating Manager of the Production Department of the newspaper and chose the make and model of the press that today we print the newspaper on.
Through a myriad of computer production equipment, Don has kept on top of the industry. No problem was too big for him to tackle, and he constantly sought out service manuals from every service technician who came to the newspaper.
Don has always kept to the background. Yet he has been active on many Fort Frances Boards. His biggest enjoyment is his participation with Duck’s Unlimited. He has been active with the Rainy Lake Fisheries trust.
It is a rare individual who even after 50 years in the business, looks forward to every day at their job. Don is that rare individual. He is a perfectionist and works hard to create the best printing products from the premises of the newspaper. The colour reproduction is the envy of many newspapers from Newfoundland to British Columbia.
Many of the awards the newspaper has won can be attributed to Don’s hand in production.
I am a proud of my younger brother. Don has earned the recognition not only in this community, but in the community of over 800 papers across Canada.
Congratulations again Don.
–Jim Cumming,
Publisher