Comment on Passing of Emilia Stahura
The election has somewhat eclipsed several other items of varying importance that I intended to post on the blog.
One very important item is the passing of Emilia Stahura. I met her when I first began reporting on Plainfield in the early 1980s. She was the municipal clerk from 1977 to 1987 and as I see in her obituary, she had previously worked in City Hall from 1937 to 1950.
Emilia Stahura was one of the most dedicated public servants I ever met. She was quiet and detail-oriented and helpful at all times. I was writing for the long-defunct print weekly known as Plainfield Today (not to be confused with Dan Damon's online production of the same name). Having little background in journalism but a keen interest in municipal government, I was in and out of City Hall often and relied on her help to decipher council issues.
Mrs. Stahura gave her all to the city, once attending a City Council meeting even as pressing family matters might have called her away.
Some could rightly say the mold was broken when she retired as clerk. Certainly City Clerk Laddie Wyatt has her own style, but she has also always held Emilia in high regard for her example.
As Laddie will tell you, the municipal clerk is one of the most timeless offices in government and has its parallels in every form of government throughout history worldwide. For this most basic role in government through the ages, Emilia Stahura's memory stands as a measure to be matched.
--Bernice Paglia
One very important item is the passing of Emilia Stahura. I met her when I first began reporting on Plainfield in the early 1980s. She was the municipal clerk from 1977 to 1987 and as I see in her obituary, she had previously worked in City Hall from 1937 to 1950.
Emilia Stahura was one of the most dedicated public servants I ever met. She was quiet and detail-oriented and helpful at all times. I was writing for the long-defunct print weekly known as Plainfield Today (not to be confused with Dan Damon's online production of the same name). Having little background in journalism but a keen interest in municipal government, I was in and out of City Hall often and relied on her help to decipher council issues.
Mrs. Stahura gave her all to the city, once attending a City Council meeting even as pressing family matters might have called her away.
Some could rightly say the mold was broken when she retired as clerk. Certainly City Clerk Laddie Wyatt has her own style, but she has also always held Emilia in high regard for her example.
As Laddie will tell you, the municipal clerk is one of the most timeless offices in government and has its parallels in every form of government throughout history worldwide. For this most basic role in government through the ages, Emilia Stahura's memory stands as a measure to be matched.
--Bernice Paglia
posted by Bernice at 5:44 PM
1 Comments:
Thoughtful tribute to Emilia Stahura. She was all you said and some. She loved Plainfield and her citizens.
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