Paying tribute to a former colleague

“Printing is ingrained in who I am,” Vern Elder said in 2013.

Elder was a pressman for the Daily American Republic at the time. It was two years before he would retire, and he was celebrating his 50th anniversary in the print business.

Elder passed away this week at the age of 82.

We often use this space to remember those who have had an impact on the community, thank those who have done something positive or identify needs in our region.

Today, we want to look at someone whose impact may not have been widely known to the public, but who was part of laying the foundation for a stronger community.

In his time at the DAR, Elder helped produce more than 13,000 editions here at our Second Street building.

Those editions were filled with information on articles on local school districts, government and residents.

Some of those stories helped highlight ongoing problems and led to change by elected officials. Others shared needs in our community and helped rally the public to do more or give more.

And many, many of those articles helped share the best parts of our region, the good that happens every day.

But those articles are so much more than the byline that reflect a single individual in the process of getting those articles to our readers, friends and neighbors.

Behind the byline are many people like Elder.

Elder held two jobs in his life, both in printing, and most of that here at the DAR.

“Printing is printing. You’ve got to have ink and paper,” said Elder in 2013, who over the course of 52 years with the DAR, estimated he had called in sick less than a dozen times.

He was someone who showed up 40 minutes early to start his day, and took pride in every step of the operation.

Elder helped the DAR transition from the hot metal press he started on to offset printing — a commonly used printing technique in which the inked image is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface.

He raised three children with wife Virginia while working at the DAR, something he said spurred him to take his career more seriously.

“The kids are what moved me to keep motivated in my career,” said Elder. “And, I think Poplar Bluff is a great place to raise kids.”

When he retired, Elder said he wanted to stay active and fishing with his sons was among the items on that list.

He is survived by his wife and sons, Danny Elder and Darren Elder, as well as his grandchildren and friends.

We want to say goodbye to Vern today and offer one more heartfelt thank-you for the dedication and love of his work that he brought to the DAR