The late Pete Hutchens embodied quiet charity

By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher

“Grip and grin” photos are what we in the media cynically refer to as the check-passing photos in which good deeds are recognized. There is no room for photographic creativity. One looks the same as the other, with only the people changing. Some newspapers despise them, and a few even refuse to do them. I don’t mind recognizing good deeds in the hope that it will inspire others.

I never took a grip-and-grin photo of Pete Hutchens of Ontario, who died last week. He was a man with a healthy dose of cynicism, and he did not suffer fools lightly. As it turned out, he also was endowed with a strong streak of Santa Claus.

Many of his acts of generosity were unknown even to his wife until after his death. Most of us saw a guy who, even as his life was dwindling away, escaped his wife’s watchful eye, hijacked the car and headed to Rockton for a round of cards.

What we did not know or see was a man who was quietly slipping money into the hands of others. Desperate people and good causes often were the beneficiary of his quiet charity. One young lady always found a $5 bill anonymously bestowed on her when she made the honor roll.

And, yes, even I was once on the receiving end of his largesse. The occasion dates to 2007, and I am still baffled by it. We had published a special section in honor of Ontario’s sesquicentennial and filled it with old articles about Ontario. I still think I may be half-blind from the hours I spent wading through roll upon roll of microfilm at the Monroe County Local History Room. One of the stories was about Pete’s dad and a truck accident he was involved in near Wilton that killed the driver of the other vehicle.

Not long after the special section was published, Pete pulled up in his car and signaled me to come over and talk. I figured I was in for a scolding. He always enjoyed reminding me that something had slipped past me and not appeared in the paper.

But this time it was for something that had appeared in the paper. He tearfully told me that the story about his dad’s accident had solved an age-old mystery for him. He had known there was something dark in the past, but it had been hidden from him. And then he thrust a $100 bill in my hand.

I was speechless for a moment, and then told him in no uncertain terms that this newspaper did not now, nor ever, accept money for editorial content and never would as long as I was in charge. People cannot buy off the news about their drunk-driving tickets or the dumb things they voted for at board meetings or any of a million reasons people would want something to appear or not appear in the paper. What is paid for is in a box and is called advertising. Readers need to feel confident the rest is just honest reporting to the best of our ability.

My pompous rant on journalism ethics left Pete visibly unimpressed, and he drove away. I ran down his family members and was told to let it go.

Last week I sought advice from his son on what I might do with this touching gift.

“Pay it forward,” was his advice.

Yes, I believe that is exactly what I will do.

I guess I always knew our communities contained an extraordinary amount of generous people. But 2013 has been a year when I have been reminded of it often. Though it is not unusual to see many thousands of dollars generated at fundraisers for those with serious illnesses or traumatic losses, there is also a quieter source of giving that most of us aren’t aware of.

The group behind the renovation of Palen Park in Ontario had its share of fundraisers, but I also know that many in the group reached deep into their own pockets to fund the project, and, in fact, one who insists on remaining anonymous supplied $3,000 in funding for the visitor center. Also, contractors and businesses have donated time and materials. At some point, I hope to recognize them all.

The hugely successful sales of Three Bears Waterpark passes mean we now have the funds to complete the purchase and installation of new playground equipment this spring. We owe that streak of good fortune to the Dippen family, who allowed us to keep all of the funds generated by the sales.

We do not live in an area of enormous wealth, but each of the communities served by this newspaper is blessed with an abundance of kind and generous hearts. For that we can all be grateful.

As the clock soon turns to 2014, I leave you with the words of John Wesley (1703-1791), commonly considered the founder of the Methodist church and an early advocate of the abolition of slavery, despite being persecuted by the Church of England.

“Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.”

Comments are closed.

  • Brookwood tackles old problem of teenage drunk driving

    October 1st, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher I am not quite sure what I expected from the mock crash held […]


    History shows bike trail sparked contrary controversies

    September 24th, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Years ago, when the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail crossed Highway 71 just east of […]


    With ubiquity, is photography losing meaning?

    September 17th, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Of all the changes that technology has brought into our lives, I am […]


    Rural life more complicated than popular depictions

    September 10th, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher I was cruising from Ontario to Kendall last week when it occurred to […]


    Report gives view of Wisconsin that gubernatorial candidates may not address

    September 3rd, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Labor Day is over, which means the usual: go back to school, change […]


  • N-O-W's $1.2 million loss in federal aid cannot be recovered easily

    August 27th, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher You can’t really blame the Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School Board. After all, wouldn’t your curiosity […]


    1930s textbook reflects Wisconsin's dramatic changes

    August 20th, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher I was rummaging around on a dust-covered shelf in the office last week […]


    Will Wal-Mart come to dominate medical care?

    August 13th, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Has the Wal-Marting of America been good or bad for the average citizen? […]


    Drug, alcohol abuse not in short supply locally

    August 6th, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Whenever I find myself totally disgusted with the newspaper business, as I did […]


    Kickapoo canoeing is a phenomenon

    July 30th, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher It appeared that every Wisconsin resident had come to the same conclusion Saturday: […]


    Kickapoo Pearls offers rare glimpse into local history

    July 23rd, 2014
    by

    By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher I was rummaging around last week for information on the now-gone Ontario dam […]


  • Archives