Sixty-One YEARS OF COMMUNITY NEWS Sunday, October 16, 2016 • Featured Section 1955 - 2016 2 Sunday, October 16, 2016 SIXTY-ONE YEARS www.tctimes.com Publisher Rick Rockman, Sr. promised January 1997, we left our offices at the that the new paper would provide Fenton Mini-Mall on North Leroy Street, complete, in-depth coverage of all area and moved into a new state-of-the-art news and activities. We believe he had facility on Fenway Drive in Fenton’s not only lived up to that promise, but industrial park and added a print shop exceeded the community’s expectations and mailing house called Allied Media by the many additions and improvements (formerly Allied Mailing & Printing) not only to the Sunday newspaper, but along with Rockman & Sons Publishing. with the addition of TCTimes online In November 2003, we added the (tctimes.com) in 1997, and the addition final phase of our communications of the Wednesday Midweek edition in network by creating a full service ISP, September 1999. Tri-County Wireless. The rapid growth of “This area desperately needs a your hometown newspaper then made it TRI-COUNTY TIMES | FILE PHOTO newspaper with local news,” said necessary for us to build yet another new Due to the success of the Tri-County Times, a second state-of-the-art facility was Rockman in April 1994. “We feel that building, directly next door to our facility opened in 2005. the hometown paper concept has all but on Fenway Drive in 2005. disappeared over the last few years. We’ll Serving you, our valuable readers, and focus on local news and events that are advertisers always has and always will of interest and concern to the citizens of be our top priority, and we thank you for The Tri-County Times this area.” your continued support. With that first issue 22 years ago, The Times has been the dominant area came the return of Rockman’s popular medium for more than half a century. To NEW BEGINNINGS “Straight from the shoulder” column and this day, it is still owned and operated by nTri-County News becomes County Times on April 3, 1994. It was the Hot lines. its founders, the Rockman family. Every the first time in nearly 40 years that tri- Over the years, there have been a employee of the Times organization is the Times in April 1994 county residents witnessed the birth of a number of changes at the Tri-County dedicated to providing readers with the By Vera Hogan new newspaper, following the demise of Times, all of which have been changes finest, most professional newspaper in [email protected]; 810-433-6823 the former Tri-County News. that benefit our readers, advertisers and the state. Start the presses! The new publication was based on a communities. That was the banner headline that 40-year tradition of strong newspaper Many new employees have also been appeared in the first edition of the Tri- experience. added to our staff over the years. In STRAIGHT FROM THE SHOULDER Who knew growing older could be By Rick Rockman The following “Straight from the Shoulder,” a weekly column by Tri-County News (and later Times) Publisher Rick Rockman was published on Dec. 20, 1984. Rockman worked tirelessly for his readers until he died in March 2011. ‘A NEWSPAPER HAS RESPONSIBILITIES’ so much fun! I have been publisher of the Tri-County News since its inception in 1958 and during that time have made many friends and many enemies. It bothers me that at times I’ve had to criticize friends and foes alike but that is what a newspaper man must do if he’s worth his salt. It would be very easy for me to ignore the self-serving and irresponsible school board members we have on local boards. It would be even nicer to not have to criticize my friends who serve on govern- mental bodies in the area. It would definitely be safer for me to ignore the dope problems we have in Fenton, Holly and Linden. It would be much easier on me and my family to overlook the few cops who abuse their authority. LIVE HERE FOR THE BEST OF YOUR LIFE® It would be beneficialto me to act like crooked and lying politicians don’t exist, but they do. Rent Includes Independent Amenities Include In other words, the typical newspaper • Daily Continental Breakfast Senior Living Community • Beauty & Barber Shop publisher in small communities such as • Daily Light Housekeeping • Ice Cream Parlor ours is a nice guy who attends all the • Weekly Full Maid Service Personal care assistance available • Movie Theater right functions and prints nothing but • All Utilities (excluding phone & cable) • Convenience Store good news, BUT I don’t see it that way. • Full Activities Program • Coffee Shop • Scenic Courtyard A real newspaper has an obligation • Small Pets Welcome • Chapel • Exercise Room to its readers and that is to report the • Emergency Help Button • Library • Private Party Room news — good or bad. A real newspaper is your watchdog over the goings on in your community regardless of what the consequences are. The Tri-County News has an obligation to its subscribers to “tell it like it is.” If a politician is crooked; if a city man- ager is incompetent; if a school board is inadequate; if a cop is corrupt; if your neighbor is a child molester or if your governing bodies aren’t doing their job, I’m going to tell you about it. If you don’t care and choose not to do anything about it that’s your business. If I inform you as best I can, which is the 3221 E. Baldwin Rd. • Grand Blanc, MI • (810) 606-1110 • www.abbeypark.com function of this newspaper, then I have fulfilled my obligation to you. www.tctimes.com SIXTY-ONE YEARS Sunday, October 16, 2016 3 development of the newspaper. Tri-County Times. It began with a 23-year-old The Tri-County News’ last downtown In 1996, Rockman decided to make office site was in the last building to be another move and built a new facility on who wanted to play football torn down during Urban Renewal. In fact, Fenway Drive in Fenton’s multi-million Rockman remembered wrecking dollar industrial park. The doors crews knocking down an to the new facility opened adjacent building while he for business in January of and his staff were trying 1997. Realizing that the to put out an issue of As one of the very few the paper. newspaper must The office had privately owned family k e e p u p w i t h newspapers‘‘ left in the United rapidly changing a l r e a d y b e e n moved twice to States, we face challenges t e c h n o l o g y , stay ahead of the every day from multi-billion R o c k m a n wrecking ball. dollar corporations. authorized the l a u n c h o f t h e Later, the Tri- THE LATE RICHARD County News moved ROCKMAN, SR. ’’ newspaper’s popular founder of the website, Times online, to the newly built Tri-County Times Fenton Mini-Mall, which at www.tctimes.com. Rockman owned with long- In September 1999, the time business partner Dean Tri-County Times, which was Moore. distributed on Sundays only, added a Over the years, the Tri-County News second weekly edition. The Wednesday Fenton High School Midweek edition is mailed to subscribers. nRichard Genesee County enjoyed steady growth, becoming the hometown newspaper readers came Rockman’s sons have all been an Rockman, Football Class “B” integral part of the business over the years, Champions 1945 to rely upon for all their news and information. including active roles Sr. changed (PF-210-PA-13) in the subsidiary Although physically located in Fenton, Front row: Alan c o m p a n i e s game plan, Rockman took pride in the fact that Niskanan, Cline — Rockman the newspaper always covered not launched See 23- Hagerman, Bill only Fenton, but Holly, Linden and the YEAR-OLD newspaper Hill, Norm Spears, surrounding communities. “We’re not on 18 career instead Penrod Wright and just a Fenton paper,” he once said. Art Bush. Second row: Due to a variety of circumstances, John Howe, Jack McKeon, By Vera Hogan Rockman decided to go into retirement George Granger, Bob Butts, [email protected]; 810-433-6823 and sold the Tri-County News to a Detroit The Tri-County Times journey began co-captains Ken Wegner and Vince media group in 1989. 61 years ago with the hard work and Harrison, Ray Steede, Estelle Gushwa In April 1994, after a year-long legal determination of one man. and Bob Torrey. Third row: Bob Fessler, battle with the media group owners, Richard Rockman, Sr., founder of Phil Kelley, Jim Botticelli, Bernard Sin- Rockman came out of retirement and the Tri-County Times, didn’t set out clair, Richard Rockman, George Howe, took back ownership of his newspaper originally to become a newspaper Bud Cole, Bob Glaspie, Jack Groll and through court action — renaming it the publisher. He actually dreamed of one day Coach Ivan Williams. Fourth row: Allan becoming a professional football player, Gale, Chuck Franks, Frank Winn, Leo having played semi-pro football for Bob Foley, Phil Scott, Bruce Dorland, Vern Beach, owner of the Fenton Independent Clark and Clare Whitman. and Ray Hunt of Hunt-Smith Insurance Agency. It would later become the Tri-County Beach, whose Fenton Independents News Advertiser, and ultimately the Tri- were Michigan champions, gave County News.