On April 1, Chronicle reporter Matthew Zylstra compiled a story from The Chronicle’s archives from 60 years earlier titled "Woman Walks Quarter Mile After Being Shot in 1963."
From what I understand, this is part of a series where you look back into the paper’s archives and share stories from the past. As editor-in-chief, I believe it would have been Eric Schwartz who approved the decision to run this 60-year-old article (complete with 60-year-old errors). While I understand the idea of this column — it's often fun to look back and remember things we've long forgotten about — I have to question why Zylstra felt like this particular article should be published? And why did he and the editor, Schwartz, think this was aligned with the purpose of the column? Maybe I am misunderstanding the idea behind the column, but resharing a tragic personal event that while it happened in Lewis County, impacted my family very deeply.
As the proud daughter of "The Woman Who Walked a Quarter Mile After Being Shot," please allow me to fill you in on just a few details about this most remarkable woman. By some miracle, she survived and went on to put herself through nursing school all while being profoundly hard of hearing (essentially deaf), while still raising her three youngest children (the witnesses). She rose above the heartbreaking and horrific circumstances of her life that continued through that quarter mile walk and went on to live a very full and absolutely heroic life. She raised 10 children, was a grandmother to 22, a great-grandmother to even more and posthumously a great-great-grandmother as well. She was a beloved friend to countless people, evidenced by the attendance at her funeral where hundreds came to pay their respects. She was a treasured nurse at Centralia General Hospital, so much so that patients would ask to be on her wing because she was so incredibly empathetic and kind. Despite being nearly deaf, she loved to dance and would keep time via the drum and bass. Creedence Clearwater Revival was a favorite. She was a wonderful cook who kept her family fed, clothed and sheltered despite living in absolute poverty. She was a brilliant gardener and in retirement her little cottage on Berry Street was a beacon of color to her neighbors. She loved to travel and enjoyed every single journey she took. She had a smile and kind words for everyone she met. She was an absolute role model and a source of unimaginable strength and resilience.
What adds even more pain to this article being brought up is that the original article got facts incorrect. It was not Birlie (sic) Stidham who was shot. That was the assailant, her husband. I realize that Zylstra did not write the original article, but if you're going to share old articles, perhaps a revisit into the stories themselves would be more valuable for readers and the paper itself.
I share this not because I was one of the witnesses and your decision was painful to myself and my family. I also shared it because as journalists, it is important that you remember the power you have to share and shape stories from your communities. The editorial decisions you make ultimately affect people. I urge you to think about this from the perspective of myself and other subjects of your stories, to ask yourself, what purpose does this story serve? Why is this important?
There are many events that are worth revisiting as a community. The story that ended up being told and now retold was inaccurate and only shared the worst possible night of my incredible mother's life. What good does sharing such a tragic event again do anyone? Please do better.
Pamela Madigan,
Proud daughter of Agnes (Stidham) Watkins
