The Missouri Miner: Managing Editor: Fred M. Springer

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

Est'd. 1915, Fred Grotts, Founder

Fred M. Springer
Managing Editor 1948-1949

This exchange is pieced together from answers provided on questionnaire postmarked May 5, 2008.
Words in brackets have been added for continuity due to this piecing process. -RB

RB: From when to when did you work at the Missouri Miner? Who was Editor-in-Chief during your time on the paper? Share your memories of these individuals.

FS: I worked at the Miner from 1945-1949, all four years of my time at Rolla.

RB: I assembled my list of Editors-in-Chief by basically going through every staff box of every issue of the Missouri Miner. I have Michael J. Delany as Editor-in-Chief briefly in 1944, then again in 1947, then Donald G. DeBolt for a few issues in 1947 before Delany resumes again in 1947. Do you remember why DeBolt serves as Editor-in-Chief in what seems to be the middle of Delany's term?

FS: I do not remember anything about Delany/DeBolt terms or why.

RB: What positions did you hold on the Missouri Miner staff? What were your reponsibilities? How were elections held? How did you become involved with the paper?

FS: I was Exchange Editor in the early years and then Managing Editor my Senior year. Maybe my bio in the yearbook is more detailed. I will look up my copy when I have time. It is in my second home in Santa Fe, NM, and I am in Texas now.

RB: What events involving or reported by the Missouri Miner are most memorable to you and why?

FS: These were the Dean Wilson years and there was lots of debate about the status of the School of Mines within the University system and the Miner editorials were all for more independence from Columbia. When Dean Wilson handed me my diploma he said something about he was glad for my graduation as he was tired of my editorials. I think he gave me too much credit as this was joint effort by the Editor-in-Chief and the Managing Editor.

RB: How significant a role do you feel you and the Missouri Miner played in campus life during your time on staff?

FS: I believe the Miner was the principal source of news and opinions about the School of Mines during my era there.

RB: How did your work at the Missouri Miner help prepare you for life after college? What lessons did you learn?

FS: In the era I was at Rolla, there was very little humanities in the curriculum and my career as an engineer with Mobil Oil evolved into a top management position (I retired as Vice President of Mobil Diversified Businesses) and the Miner helped me develop my written communication skills which I did not learn in class, and were the key component in my career growth at Mobil.

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?

EC: I became an excellent writer and proof-reader. [My experiences at the newspaper] enabled me to produce well-edited text for reports in my later career with Shell (refinery questions, refining research, oil production research).

RB: What was your staff like at the Miner?

EC: Excellent.

RB: Who was the Missouri Miner's faculty advisor?

EC: [We had] none at that time.

RB: Where was the newspaper's office? What equipment did you use to produce the paper every week? If you published at the Rolla Daily News (the local city paper), what was your relationship with Ed/Steve Sowers? If not, where did you publish the paper?

EC: There was no office. We had staff meetings for my first three years, [and the paper] was printed on a half-page format at the Rolla Advertisor, in [my] fourth year [we printed in] full-page [format] at [the] Rolla Herald.

RB: How would you describe your management style?

EC: Cooperative.

RB: Describe your relationship with the administration at UMR.

EC: Very little, we were independent.

RB: Describe your relationship with Student Council at UMR.

EC: There was no Student Council at the time.

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

EC: I was proud of it.