Publisher column: Sometimes a building is more than a building

By Randy Capps

I often think about my days in the newspaper business, and how much I don’t miss them. But while you can take the guy out of the newspaper, you can’t take the newspaper out of the guy.

Recently, the Shelby Star building was torn down to make way for a new justice center — and a little piece of my life went with it.

That was the site of my first full-time newspaper job. It was where I learned how to write a decent lede, cover high school sports — all of them — and discovered that Tar Heels is two words, and not one.

It was the place where I found my voice as a writer, picking up a few press awards along the way, and it was a spot under the learning tree, as I got to sit five feet away from a legend in the newspaper business, Alan Ford, for more hours than either of us care to count.

That spot on East Graham Street in Uptown Shelby is where I learned to conduct a proper interview and, both inside the building and out, challenge authority. It was where I got to cover my alma mater, Gardner-Webb University, fairly and impartially, which meant a great deal to my development as a journalist.

It's where I worked when I found out that Ethan had autism, and it's where we all learned how to be a family — and how that was more important than any career ambition.

I may not miss the business, but it turns out that I have a soft spot for its old buildings.