Another 90 columns on the way for local readers

Greg Brownell announces his retirement from Post-Star after 42 years

By Ken Tingley

“The World” section in “The Last American Editor, Vol. 2” covers a lot of ground.

There are 90 more columns in the new books and while they are mostly about local people and events, the world often creeps into the equation.

From seeing the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team lighting the Olympic flame at the Salt Lake City Olympics, to my 5-year-old son’s reaction to 9/11, to my Irish cousins assertion that Europeans often viewed Americans through the lens of the Jerry Springer show.

It’s all part of the broad perspective over three decades.

The book reviews the priest scandal in the Catholic Church and how Sen. Betty Little wrestled with it over the years.

There is a visit to the 9/11 museum in New York City and the Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, but the story that says with me is the story of Queensbury’s Floyd Dumas.

Dumas was already in his 90s when I interviewed him in 2012 about his experience as an escaped POW during World War II.

Even now, more than 10 years later, I can still hear Floyd’s voice singing “Lili Marleen.”

It’s the kind of story that stays with you.

It’s the kind of story that we are not seeing nearly as much anymore.

If you miss that kind of story in your local newspaper, I urge you to check out the new book.

Here is a short excerpt from the book about Floyd Dumas’ story.

Life, song and the horrors of war

June 27, 2012

Floyd Dumas is 91 now. Still bright-eyed and energetic and living happily ever after with his wife, Vivian, as he has for the past 65 years.

Some may know him as the tailor who used to work at the old Stein's clothing store in downtown Glens Falls, others from when Sears first opened at Aviation Mall. Still others may know him from his regular rounds at Sunnyside Par 3 golf course or his early morning walks at the mall.

This snowy morning, we are in Floyd's basement work room -- where he still alters trousers from time to time -- talking about the war 67 years ago.

It is an amazing story of a soldier who survived three amphibious landings in Italy, was captured after the invasion at Anzio, escaped from the Germans 10 days later and survived four months on the run in the Italian countryside.

Abruptly, Floyd changes the subject and asks, "Do you know the song, "Lili Marleen?"

It is a German love song first recorded in 1939 that became wildly popular among the soldiers during World War II.

"Have you ever heard it?" he asks again. He doesn't wait for an answer. He breaks into song in surprisingly good Italian.

He is smiling and singing and telling you the story of that night so long ago.

Floyd was an escaped prisoner of war doing his best to survive with a Scotsman named Bill Robb and a half-dozen young Italians who were also on the run from the Germans.

Floyd is now in full throat, singing entire verses. He sounds wonderful.

It's as if he is somewhere else, back there.

Each column ends with a PS item that explains what happened afterward. Floyd made it to his 100th birthday and I suspect he was still singing “Lilli Marleen.”

Greg Brownell, the long-time sports editor of The Post-Star, will retire Sunday after 42 years at the newspaper.

Brownell retirement

Greg Brownell announced his retirement this week after more than 40 years at The Post-Star.

If you want to get a sense of what one person meant to a newspaper, to a community, then you should read Pete Tobey’s tribute.

When I talked to Greg earlier this week, his intent was to leave quietly and without any fanfare. But as Pete Tobey’s story shows, that is not possible when you mean so much to the community.

I suspected Greg might also buck the trend and not publish a farewell column, but he fooled me there too. He published his final thoughts about four decades in Glens Falls this week as well.

I hope you read both stories.