Mel told me 'no'

An unusual memory came to mind last week when I was honored with the coveted "Montana Mentor Award" given by Jane Karas, Flathead Valley Community College president. The event took me back to 1966 when Owen Sowerwine first asked me to help him found the community college, chiefly in public relations. Although I wasn't enthused about what seemed an impossible dream, I accepted because Owen was so sincere and because he was president of the board of directors at the bank where I worked.

Began contacting influential people from all walks of life and things went well in Kalispell. One of the first I talked to in Columbia Falls was my friend Mel Ruder, at Hungry Horse News, for whom I wrote a column. He listened to my presentation then got right to the point: "No! I can't help promote a community college. We have some big issues with schools here; however, I will do nothing to oppose the college."

I thanked Mel. He wished me luck, and that was that. I went on my way, continued writing the column, and promoting FVCC. What Mel and like-minded friends in Columbia Falls attained in raising the scholastic bar is well known history. Rules were enforced regarding pupils who were disruptive, etc.

Around 1970, a United Press story said the student body president in every major college in Montana was a graduate of Columbia Falls High. There is a Ruder school, and that says about all we need to know about Mel's devotion and accomplishments in his adopted hometown.

While on the subject of selling our community college's founding, there are a couple on things I recall. At a meeting one night, someone brought a newspaper clipping in which a man from Whitefish had written a negative letter about what we were trying to do. By that time, I had my heart and soul in the project and said something about driving up there right now and "telling that nut a thing or two." Owen said, "No, George, that's not the answer. I'll drive up and talk to him. You stay here and work with the group." Owen put on his hat and left. He returned in little over an hour with a check for $75 from our new supporter. I was embarrassed but learned a big lesson.

When it came time to design a flyer to give the citizens, I got the job. It wasn't big and splashy like pamphlets now but did have a touch of color. We simply explained the obvious good things that would come to our valley with a college, then told about how much we needed in a founding mill levy, pointing out it was a relatively small amount per taxpayer. Owen kicked in some money.

I contacted the town's VFW clubs and got them to agree to chip in what they could and agree to let us put the VFW logo on the cover. Distribution was a problem, but that was solved when someone suggested the Boy Scout Troops. Leaders agreed, and several thousand of those leaflets were hand-carried to a majority of the homes in the county within a few weeks.

I kidded that maybe people who didn't vote for it were against vets and boy scouts. We got the mill levy and were in business, with the college opening the next year using older buildings in Kalispell. I taught classes in a dank basement room of the old Central School. Heating pipes across the ceiling were wrapped with frayed asbestos.

As for Mel Ruder telling me "no," after his work with Columbia Falls schools, he backed FVCC in word and money. We are talking big money here, something written with a lot of zeros.

I don't know if that man from Whitefish ever gave any more or not.

G. George Ostrom is a national award-winning Hungry Horse News columnist. He lives in Kalispell.