(Editor’s note: In the 50- year history of the official newspaper of the Diocese of Rapid City there have been four editors: Msgr. William O’Connell, Brian Olszewski, Eileen Sullivan Rotert and myself — Laurie Hallstrom. As the two living editors, Brian’s recollections are on p. 6 and mine are here.)

I started work at the West River Catholic, June 30, 1986, as a staff writer/assistant editor. Then-Fr. William O’Connell, my pastor, recommended me. I was armed with a degree in Speech-Mass Communications from Black Hills State College, Spearfish, and a few years of experience at the Plainsman (former newspaper of Ellsworth Air Force Base) and some freelance credits. I was issued an old stapler, a pair of dull scissors and told to bring my own pens and pencils.

Eileen Sullivan Rotert had just taken over as editor. We typed on electric typewriters using the back of paper with other stories or writing on one side. We just crossed out the text we weren’t using and sent the stories to a typesetter at the Rapid City Guide — a weekly newspaper on Quincy St. It was owned by Morris Hallock of Sturgis and printed on the Tri-State Livestock News press.

In those days copy, headlines, and photos/graphics were all processed by different machines and printed on wax-able paper. Although line art could be one color, a full color photo separation cost around $200 per plate and four plates were needed to print a color photo — one each on the black, magenta, cyan and yellow stations. Color was also limited to the front, back and center pages of each newspaper. After switching from a mechanical press to a computer operated one, we can now have color on all pages.

We trimmed the copy with scissors, and photos and graphics with box knives. Each item on the page (headlines, dates, page tops, art, captions, and text) had to be hand laid individually on a grid sheet called a flat and rolled down tight.

To avoid paying for advertisements to be typeset time-and-time again, they were peeled off the previous month’s flats, waxed again and rolled down. Some of them got pretty thick over the years. The news outside the diocese was sent by subscription from the Catholic News Service in big, thick packages.

By 1989, Eileen got the first computer, a dual floppy, word-processor that needed one disc for the program and one for the file. I got one in 1990 and then a year later we acquired the first modem to send stories. The Catholic News Service changed to a teletype and a satellite dish five-feet across was mounted to the roof of a tiny six-office building that housed the newspaper and two other ministries.

Early on mailing lists were kept by each department and the WRC list was sent to the publisher for labels to be mechanically printed. The late John Bell was finance manager and he combined the mailing lists. Around 1992, both WRC staff members upgraded to computers and software that were more user friendly.

When the Guide was sold production of the WRC changed to a different Sturgis company, the Meade County Times Tribune, owned by the Allison family. Eileen and I drove to Sturgis one week a month to hand layout the paper.

When desktop publishing was developed, Eileen set up a light table and hot waxer in her office and production was done there. You could hardly turn around. Aside from computers with more memory and software upgrades, work was focused on ordinations, priest assignments and parish centennials.

In 2004, Eileen retired and I was selected by a committee chaired by Fr. Dan Juelfs to be the editor. Becky Berreth came on board as assistant editor. She still holds that position, but has added Media Specialist to her title, so her work includes social media.

There have been many wonderful opportunities in the course of the past few years. It was painful learning the history of the Wounded Knee Massacre during the state Year of Reconciliation in 1991. However, that background was helpful in explaining the work of the early Lakota catechists in 1992. Chief Harry Blue Thunder was chosen as the recipient of the Extension Lumen Christi award. He was recognized as one of the last living men who traveled on gumbo paths, sometimes on foot, to spread the word of the Lord in his native language. We went to Boston for the awards ceremony and hearing passages I had written used by cardinals from Boston and Chicago was thrilling.

In 1993, I went to World Youth Day in Denver to see Pope John Paul II. Seeing four helicopters circling the sports stadium, knowing one held the pope, was astonishing and I will never forget the enthusiasm of the young crowds.

It’s been great to photograph deacons, priests and episcopal ordinations, and to meet the guests who have attended. It has also meant a lot to me to go out across the diocese and meet the hard working souls who keep the diocese going.