Reader Says Gannett Has, In Essence, Been Killing Off Bits And Pieces Of the Register, And Now the Company Has Finally Lowered the Coffin

I am shocked beyond belief with the lack of respect being shown Brian Duffy, the veteran page one cartoonist who has been dumped by the Des Moines Register.

When someone has been at a place for 25 years, you'd think the editor and/or publisher would write something about him when he leaves -- whether it's his idea to exit or someone else's.

But there hasn't been a word from publisher Laura Hollingsworth or editor Carolyn Washburn.

I mean, Duffy's drawings graced the front of the paper five and six times a week for a quarter-century. The guy was the last page one newspaper cartoonist in the nation!!

His bosses even had him serving as a spokesman for the paper's summertime bicycle trip across the state.

Then he's caught in a massive layoff, and he's treated like he's a slab of hamburger that has spoiled.

Here's an e-mail I received today from R. H. of Des Moines, who has some excellent background information on Duffy and other topics:

Ron,

"I was checking my trusty little BlackBerry when news broke of the eventual layoffs at 715 Locust. What was interesting was not how short the story was, but it was how it was written. The initial internet story did not mention Brian Duffy by name, only by saying that 'the layoffs included the Register's editorial cartoonist.' As Frank Sinatra would croon, 'Ain't that a kick in the head?'

"An hour later, I stopped at the Gateway Market, on the corner of Martin Luther King Dr. and Woodland Avenue for a short meeting. No one needed to read the newspaper the next morning to know that Brian got whacked. It was the big story in the Market.

"First, the Big Peach, and now the front page editorial cartoon. Thanks for nothing, Gannett. Gannett, in essence, has been killing off bits and pieces of the Register, but I believe they have finally lowered the coffin.

"At least they could do the humane thing and take RAGBRAI behind the woodshed and go 'Old Yeller' with it."

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[More from R. H. of Des Moines]:

"On Sunday, we recall our friend from Eastern Iowa, who complained about the Cedar Rapids Gazette not publishing a story on the Wartburg-Monmouth playoff game.

"Well, Mike Hlas decided to correct a wrong and put the Gazette back, hopefully, in the good graces of our Eastern Iowa correspondent.

"Here is the story, courtesy of the Gazette, written by Mike Hlas:

Wartburg will fire up the football buses again Friday

By Mike Hlas
Gazette sports columnist
mike.hlas@gazettecommunications.com

College football playoffs? A burden? Not at Wartburg.

The Knights of Waverly know the drill. They get on a bus Friday, travel four or five hours to meet a ranked opponent, win, and come home.

It's not really that easy, of course. The teams the Knights have beaten were good ones and the games have been doozies.

Wartburg won at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 26-21, in an NCAA Division III first-round game. Then, after trailing 28-14 at Monmouth (Ill.), the Knights rallied for a 30-28 second-round triumph. Nick Yordi threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Justin Vetter with seven seconds left.

"It's been a lot of fun," Wartburg Coach Rick Willis said Tuesday.

It's been busloads of fun. With a roster that consists of about 90 percent Iowans, most of them from the eastern part of the state, the Knights have won two games in a D-III football tournament for the first time. Next up is another road trip, this one to defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The loudest argument in college football is if the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (major college) should go to a playoff format. All other divisions have had playoffs for decades with no noticeable horrible side effects, and D-III has a 32-team field with a playoff that lasts five consecutive weeks.

"It's a longer season than what we're accustomed to," Willis said. "When you're traveling every weekend, there's certainly some strain that goes with that. The players have to efficiently balance their priorities between academic responsibilities and football responsibilities.

"But we haven't missed a lot of class because of it. Our travel's been minimal, trips of less than five hours. We've been leaving at midday on Friday."

The games have been close enough that Wartburg has had as many or more fans at Stevens Point and Monmouth than the home teams. That's mainly because so many family and friends of players live in Iowa themselves.

Junior quarterback Yordi, who set the Wartburg season record for passing yardage in the last game, is from Solon. The Knights' leading rusher is Alex Boom of Manchester. Their leading tackler is Jason Lansing of West Union.

Josh Faaborg of Cedar Rapids Jefferson leads Wartburg in interceptions with five. Benton Community grads Marcus Hemesath of Norway and Kyle Goodchild of Van Horne have four each.

The coach has Eastern Iowa roots himself. Willis is a Cornell College alum, but he's a Wartburg man through and through. Willis was Wartburg's head coach from 1997 through 2005, racking up four D-III playoff berths and a 79-14 record.

He stepped aside to become the athletics director, with assistant Eric Koehler taking over. Wartburg didn't drop off under Koehler, going 16-4 in two seasons. But he left the school suddenly in late July when the opportunity arose to become the offensive coordinator at Division II football national power Grand Valley State in Michigan.

"It was a situation where it was two weeks until players would be reporting," Willis said.

"There really weren't a lot of other options. Obviously, I'd done this before, and it was exciting to have the opportunity to do it again."

Handling the dual roles of AD and head football coach "has been a challenge to me," Willis said, "but we have an outstanding staff and we've figured out a way to make it work."

Something's working and keeps working. Year after year, Wartburg reels in lots of fine Iowa high school players. The 10-2 Knights just won their 11th Iowa Conference title, and fifth since 1999.

But this deal about going into a third week of the national playoffs, this is something new for the school.

"I think it's a pretty big deal here," Willis said.

It certainly is a pretty big deal.

Mike Hlas' "The Hlog" is at gazetteonline.com.
To contact Mike: (319) 368-8840 or mike.hlas@gazcomm.com

*

"Best,"

R.H.
Des Moines

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: Back to Brian Duffy and cartooning for a minute. Evidently, the cartoon at the right was his last one for the Register. That gave me an excuse to also print the final cartoon drawn by J. N. "Ding" Darling, courtesy of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. Darling won two Pulitzer Prizes for his Register page one drawings. His farewell cartoon was titled, "Bye, Now. It's Been Wonderful Knowing You." Ding gave the cartoon to his secretary to use after his death. It appeared on the front page of the Register on Feb. 13, 1962, the morning after he died. It shows what his studio may have looked like--hunting devices behind the sofa and pictures of Farmer John, Teddy Roosevelt and his duck stamp design on the walls. I guess Duffy would draw quite a different cartoon of his final day at the Register drawing board. What a shame the guy had to leave the place in that manner. Thanks to R. H. of Des Moines for sending Mike Hlas' column on Wartburg. I messaged R. H. this morning, saying I figured he'd be making the trip to Wisconsin for tomorrow's playoff game. Here was his reply: "Thanks, Ron! Unfortunately, I will not be heading to Wisconsin for the game. Long before everyone knew Wartburg would qualify for postseason play, I purchased tickets to watch the Christmas with Wartburg concert at the Des Moines Civic Center downtown. The concert is tomorrow night! So, a large group of alums and friends I know who are heading up there will be calling and sending emails to me throughout the game. The good folks at the concert would enjoy being in a festive mood if the football team pull off a great win tomorrow. But, if they fall short, we won't feel bad, because it's been a heck of a ride for the Orange and Black. We couldn't be any prouder of these guys!!!" By the way, shown in the photo at the left is Wartburg football coach Rick Willis, courtesy of the Gazette.]