Remembering Jerry Apps – Publisher of many books, along with a newspaper column with the “Outdoor Notebook” in the Waushara Argus in the late 1960’s

I so remember Jerry Apps when I first began as a typesetter at the Waushara Argus in the late 1960’s. Back in the 60’s, anything that came into the Argus for publishing came in typed on a manual typewriter or handwritten. From there, it went to the editor for editing and to the typesetter for formatting. At that time, a copy was set on a Justowriter with a ticker tape and a carbon ribbon.
Being just a year out of Teacher’s College and looking for a job, Howard Sanstadt hired me on the spot to set type on the Justowriter. I had never done anything like that before, but I was a fast typist on a manual typewriter, so seeing the Justowriter was electric – I thought it was just the best! I would typeset late in the day and into the night, and one of the first columns I did was Outdoor Notebook by Jerry Apps.
The column came in typewritten, and because of Jerry’s writing skills, it required very little editing, if any. The first thing that came to mind as I was reading and typing his column was how educated he must be, as he was a great writer – he wrote about the land he loved and about life. Argus readers certainly could relate to his columns. He began writing in 1968 for the Argus. A column “Do You Hunt From Your Car? Then you are not a Sportsman” from Nov. 13, 1969 began “Off the main roads, the concrete ribbons that tie this country together, they come. They drive new cars and old cars, big cars and little foreign bugs, station wagons and convertibles with the tops securely fastened against the chilling winds of fall.” As I typed Jerry’s column each week, I thought about what a vision this man has – a vision of the land, a vision about life, and so well educated. I would go home and reset the column in my head.
It wasn’t long and I met Jerry when he came to the office to bring in his column and he was slender, well slicked dark hair and dark rimmed glasses. He was just so well educated – he didn’t flaunt it – you just knew and such a kind and gentle man. He was always pleasant and spoke as well as he wrote. At that time, there was no doubt in my mind that someday he would be a published author and do great work. He far exceeded anything I thought was possible. It wasn’t long, and in 1999, he published his 25th book, “When Chores Were Done” – boyhood stories – printed on the cover - “author of Rural Wisdom”. There was a childhood photo of Jerry wearing a straw hat, bib overalls, boots, and pulling a Radio Flyer wagon.
That book was available at the Bookworms – a bookstore downtown Wautoma, and I have a copy of that book along with most of his other works throughout the years. His publisher would send promo books to the Argus, where we would write up a story about the book, take a photo of the cover, and use it along with the story. It was just one of the ways that we promoted Jerry’s books.

The late Elaine Reetz, a farmgirl herself, wrote a lengthy story on the book “When Chores Were Done” and how, for her, it was a “Trip down Memory Lane”. She writes in her column, “Jerry is a master storyteller, who writes through the eyes of a child and with the wisdom of a man.” That is how I felt about every book of Jerry’s I read.
The book was dedicated to his brothers, Donald and Darrel, and neighbor boys David and Jim Kolka. Reetz wrote – “This is one of those books, where if you begin reading a chapter and it is so interesting you can’t put it down until finished. To date, this remains one of my favorite books Jerry Apps wrote.”
To me, Jerry’s books brought the reader into whatever story he was telling – his writing came from the heart – as he wrote about the land and the people he loved. What a legacy for an author who grew up in Wild Rose, learned many life lessons, and received his education at UW-Madison. Jerry Apps was a true blessing; he touched so many lives, including mine, and left this world a better place, and I know - Jerry’s Chores Are Done and Done Very Well.