Rotarians honor Mark Olson

This is not the trophy that the Rotary Club gave Mark Olson, but it should be. 

We used to call him Opie, but that was more like eleven years ago when he had a bit more of an impish grin than now. Chaska, Minnesota may be no Mayberry RFD, but it does cherish small town values and our Opie has always been a good fit.
Last week the Chaska Rotary Club presented Chaska Herald Editor Mark Olson with the club's annual service award. We couldn't be more proud of our man.

"To know Mark is to know a person who doesn't just have the responsibility to report the news, but he cares about Chaska, cares deeply about how its health is today and will be into its future," the Rotary President gushed during the award presentation at the new Hazeltine National Clubhouse.
He sure got that right. Stan has seen a lot of community editors come and go over the past 35 years and has hired plenty of good ones. (Some bad ones too.)

Little Mark "Opie" Olson in Third Grade

But Stan can't think of one of them who would be more deserving of the prestigious service award given to Mark last week. And that would include Stan, himself. Back in the 70s, Stan held Mark's editor's job at the Herald. Nobody even thought of giving him an award.

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"Mark is not just a story-teller," Rotary President Tom Croft continued. "He's a story-teller that cares about the story and its impacts. It is a job that isn't very easy much of the time because you may disappoint and in some cases anger those that may disagree with an opion or a story.
"Mark also understands the concepts of small town and community and what it means to value and respect each and every person. His presentation and coverage of stories provides to community members the stories of the community and helps get an insight to what it all means. His actions support the meaning of community and in essence serves our needs to better understand and appreciate where we live."

Official Chaska Herald editorial board meeting, Sept. 20, 2007. (Minutes have been lost.)