The Missouri Miner: Editors-in-Chief: Dave Blume

Research Project: 100 years of
The Missouri Miner 1915-2015

Est'd. 1915, Fred Grotts, Founder

David Blume
EIC 1963-1964

DB: Before jumping into the questions, here is some brief background. I was Editor-in-Chief of the Miner from April 5, 1963 until April, 1964. Prior to being elected as Editor in Chief, I had served as Make Up editor, copy editor, and as a reporter.

RB: What were the biggest challenges you faced as Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Miner?

DB: My biggest challenges included:

a) balancing school with the duties on the newspaper. I had switched majors and was attempting to graduate in 4 years by taking 23 credits per semester for the last two years.

b) The school had a new Dean, Merle Baker, who was succeeding Curtis Wilson, who had been Dean for a very long time. Dr. Baker wanted to make changes, and some of these were controversial.

c) Varsity athletics was struggling to remain competitive with other schools in the conference. It was difficult to objectively report consistently negative results.

d) The traditional "differences" between the community and the school became worse with two nights of student "rioting" that got reported nationally.

e) Reporting on local student affairs while the nation was beginning to struggle with events such as the assassination of J.F. Kennedy.

RB: What were your greatest accomplishments as Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Miner? What issues were most important to you?

DB: I believe my greatest accomplishments were:

a) getting greater student awareness and participation in the Miner. We conducted an "If I were the Editor for a day" project with two pages of student editorials.

b) improving the reporting of campus events to be more factual and unbiased.

RB: What "big" stories are most memorable to you and why?

DB: The biggest stories that I remember are:

a) the decision to rename the school from MSM to the University of Missouri at Rolla,

b) the arrival of a new Dean, Dr. Baker,

c) The bands for St. Pat's got arrested in New Orleans and were not able to get to Rolla. The story of how the St Pat's Board handled this was an interesting story.

d) the beginning of a humanistic and social studies curriculum.

RB: How significant a role do you feel you and the Missouri Miner played in campus life during your tenure as Editor-in-Chief?

DB: I do not believe the Miner played a significant role on the campus during my tenure. It was not the focus of debate or of issues. It was a source of information.

RB: How did your time as Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Miner help prepare you for life after college? What lessons did you learn?

DB: My role on the Miner was an important preparation for my future. The experience of staying on top of details and balancing multiple tasks has been most helpful. Also the interaction with senior people helped build my confidence that I could work at high levels.

RB: What was your staff like at the Miner?

DB: The staff on the Miner during my tenure was excellent. Most freshmen apprenticed as reporters, and that gave the editors the opportunity to see if they could write clearly and well. The best freshman was usually chosen to be the copy editor in his sophomore year, and if he (the entire staff was male) performed well the role of layout editor was next as a junior. There was a natural progression of roles. While there were breaks in this progression, the editor usually had three years experience before becoming Editor-in-Chief. He also had a say in the selection of the other editorial staff.

RB: How would you describe your management style?

DB: My management style at the Miner as in my later career was very collaborative. The paper was truly a team activity.

RB: Describe your relationship with the administration at UMR.

DB: The relationship with the UMR administration was generally good. Dr. Wilson was so experienced that he knew how to pull the strings very diplomatically. He was Dean for the first two months of my term. In the fall of 1964, Dr. Merle Baker came in and he was more forceful in his ideas and less patient in his style. My best memory of him was when he called me into his office to persuade me that the name change was for the good of the school. The decision had already been made, and he wanted the paper to support the decision. To his credit, he did not just try to tell me what to write.

Dr. Merl Baker (left) replaced Dr. Curtis Laws Wilson (right) as Dean of the Missouri School of Mines in 1963.

RB: Describe your relationship with Student Council at UMR.

DB: The Student Council was only beginning to become a power at the school during my tenure. The power previously was primarily in the St. Pat's Board and the Inter -Fraternity Council. The majority of students were in fraternities. The Council President was an Independent (non-fraternity) and was trying to wrest some power from the fraternities. The new Dean, Dr. Baker, wanted to reduce the power of the St. Pat's Board and the IFC and therefore, he involved the Student Council President more than his predecessor. I, like many on the Miner (but not all), was from a fraternity, so the SC President tried to marginalize me and the Miner. However, the newspaper provided a weekly forum that he needed so that he came to recognize that cooperation was the better approach. In the end, he began to work with other organizations, but it was a rocky beginning.

RB: Summarize your thoughts and feelings about your time as Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Miner.

DB: I believe the experience on the Miner has been a significant contributor to my personal and professional successes. It was the first time that I had full responsibility for an important endeavor. Several years later in the U.S. Army I was recognized for leadership skills. Certainly some measure of these skills were developed by my stint on the Miner.