kuKendall Wild worked for nearly half a century at the Rutland Herald and he’s a legend in Vermont journalism. He died on April 2, 2015. By all accounts he was eccentric, competitive, and utterly committed to getting the story…and getting it first. Wild was the paper’s managing editor all through the sixties and seventies. There was a whole generation of journalists who came up through the ranks under Kendall and they went on to become formidable journalists, writers and political heavies in their own right. I invited a few of them who are still in the area to come sit on Bill Porter’s couch in Montpelier and tell some stories. So they did. They talked about the wild ride of working under Kendall, and they talked about what it was like to work in journalism during one of Vermont’s most exciting and tumultuous chapters in politics. They also talk about beer. Come listen.
If you have a story of your own, or a comment you’d like to make, just go to the bottom of the show page and comment there. It’s always nice to hear from you.
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Story Contributors:
Bill Porter worked with Ken Wild for 20 years, first at the Rutland Herald and later at the Times-Argus in Barre, and remained an admiring friend until Kendall’s death.
Nick Marro worked as a reporter at the Rutland Herald from 1967 to 1972 and then moved to the Barre Times-Argus when Bill Porter became managing editor. He went to the Vermont Press Bureau as a reporter in 1974, was Bureau Chief from 1980 to 1983, and then he was a reporter in the Press Bureau in the 1990’s.
Howard Coffin was a reporter for the Rutland Herald from 1996 to 1978, hired by Kendall. After that he acted as news director for Dartmouth College and UVM, and press secretary for U. S. Senator James Jeffords. Howard has written nine books, including four on Vermont’s Civil War history. He lives in Montpelier.
Glenn Gershaneck worked with the Rutland Herald from 1970 – 1978, then at the Times-Argus from 1983 – 1985. He went on to work as press secretary for Senator Robert Stafford, Governor Richard Snelling and Governor Howard Dean. He’s acted as both the secretary and deputy secretary for the Agency of Transportation, the deputy secretary for the Agency of Administration, and the deputy state auditor.
Ruth Porter is a fiction and writer and is married to Bill Porter.
Irene Racz worked for the papers from late 1974 until 1985. She and Allen Gilbert then became partners in a consulting business called PressKit, which offered writing, editing, media relations, and related services to clients in mostly the government and nonprofit sectors. In 1997, she left PressKit to become public affairs director at Vermont Student Assistance Corporation. She has been enjoying retirement since 2013.
Tom Slayton worked as reporter and editor for the Rutland Herald and Times-Argus for 20 years, from 1964 to 1984. For 10 years during that time, he was Vermont correspondent for the Boston Globe. For the subsequent 21 years, he was editor-in-chief of Vermont Life magazine. He’s been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Vermont, Southern Vermont College, and Sterling College. He was awarded the Franklin Fairbanks Award, which recognizes those making a significant contribution to the cultural life of the state.
Allen Gilbert worked with Kendall at the Rutland Herald from 1976 to 1983. He served as a reporter, city desk editor and assistant Sunday editor. He went on to teach for three years at a German university with other former journalists, then partnered with Irene Racz to establish PressKit, a policy writing and research firm. In 2004, Allen became executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Vermont, where he still works today.
Thanks also to Robby Porter.
Thanks also to A.J. Marro and the Rutland Herald for letting me run photos from their archive.
Kendall and Bill Porter at Nick Marro’s wedding. Drinking Schlitz.
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It’s really nice, Erica. You get the love as well as the competition. Ruth
What an honest and loving tribute to one of the deans of Vermont journalism. I had the good fortune of overlapping as an editor at the Sunday Rutland Herald/Times Argus with Kendall Wild, who would fill in occasionally after he had supposedly retired. Erica, this piece made me nostalgic for the days when journalists had time to focus on issues; before the Internet made journalism and our whole society ADD.
Fabulous compilation. While I knew Kendall a bit, I only worked “under” Bill Porter who I believe had the same drive to produce a great paper and to push his staff to the limits. They were exhausting and wonderful years. A typical Porter story – Jim Bornemeir was a new reporter and was told to write about a meat boycott that was going on and to take photographs. Borns asked Bill, “What am I supposed to photograph?” And Bill said, “Take pictures of people not buying meat.”
Oh my god that is hilarious.
Did we mention the beer? Oh right…Nice work Erica. Kendall was a piece of work and I butted heads more than once with his desire to embellish the words of his reporters. But the 1970s were a vibrant exciting time for journalists and the competitive juices were truly intense under Kendall and Bill Porter at the Times Argus in Barre. The newsroom culture and humor and zeitgeist was priceless and a lot of smart interesting quirky people called it home, some nights literally. That has vanished in our digital world and I was lucky to be a part of it.
Thank you, Kendall, for your many contributions to Vermont journalism. It was indeed a different time in the newspaper industry. And thanks to VPR for the wonderful tribute.
Sorry, make that thanks to VT Digger! How did I get that wrong?
Hey guys, I confess with some remorse that I was one of that very select group to get the wild Kendall dressing down.
You all remember Nancy Wright (I suspect with mixed feelings), but she not only followed his dictum to ask the tough questions but she literally broke from his very long leash and gave chase like a Mississippi sheriff after Sidney Poitier. Her freedom and the chase (that eventually brought her a two year free ride at Harvard) meant long days and nights for me attempting to escape her often callous pursuit. And for a small period of time I managed to elude her. That got Kendall on the phone letting me know that he didn’t “… care much what I had to say but I sure as hell wasn’t going to NOT speak to one of his reporters.
Well I didn’t spend all my time being stupid and I gave in and met with Nancy in my office the very next day. It was very awkward and at one point I broke a span of nervous silence by roaming into the personal and asking Nancy if she was married. Her response was a brief and pretty surly “No!”
It was then that I lapsed back into my “stupid” mode and not without a dash of meanness replied, “Well, I can certainly understand that, Nancy.”
Within 5 minutes of her angry exit Kendall was on the phone dressing me down like I had lost my rifle back on Parris Island.
Now I suspect Nancy probably never made Kendall’s hall of fame, but whatever his feelings, I was to learn that he wasn’t going to let one of his reporters – .300 hitter, or not- be treated with anything but the utmost respect.
Wonderful picture of the town, the times and lives of days gone by. I wonder about our town, Wayne, and the SUBURBAN paper…what fun it would be if had some record of that time. You captured a very special moment in the lives of those who gathered to remember. Thank you.
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