This weekend’s edition of the Citizen-Tribune is the last before four staffers take the reins and form a new newspaper. Editor Gary Meyer has been at the forefront of the Citizen-Tribune, Clearwater Tribune and the West Sherburne Tribune for over 40 years.

Meyer has had an illustrious career in publishing and pioneered the Big Lake Chamber in his early days in Big Lake. Meyer grafted six years of internships at the St. Cloud Times, Bird Island Union and Cottonwood County Citizen in Windom.

At 73 years of age, Meyer has decided to ride off into the sunset, leaving a legacy of success, hard work, innovation, partnerships and long-held friendships.

Meyer was born in 1946 to Franklin and Ethel (Peterson) Meyer. His father was a farmer but also had a background in engineering and working on motors.

Gary’s mom, Ethel, was a teacher who graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College and went on later to receive her Masters from St. Cloud State University.

Gary has an older brother, Chuck (Charles/Chas) and two younger sisters, Anita Deuel of Big Lake and Diane Watkins of Missouri. Gary also has seven nieces and two nephews and numerous great-nieces and great-nephews.

At the age of 15, Meyer received his first taste of journalism when he wrote a story for the Foley newspaper and was published.

Meyer was in the Army during the Vietnam War and has often told interested parties of the horrors of war he and his fellow soldiers faced in that hellish conflict.

Upon return to the United States, Meyer got a job as a teacher in Windom, MN, following in his mother’s footsteps.

Later, at the ripe young age of 32 and with the support of his parents, he started the West Sherburne Tribune of Big Lake and Clearwater Tribune and subsequently acquired the Citizen-Tribune in Becker in 2001.

Gary played softball for many years for the Lake Café with many of his “cronies” including Doctor Greg Smock, Chris Conigliaro, George Schlicting, John Bruns, and Curt Snesrud, to name a few.

Over the years and mostly after his softball days, Gary liked to play golf and played recreationally and entered numerous tournaments over the years — taking home many prizes and titles. He seldom, if ever plays anymore due to lingering shoulder and back issues.
Gary loves to travel around the world with his journalism friends and had a close friendship with Big Lake artist Leonard Fellman, who died in 2012.

“I’ve visited 60 countries and learned about their citizens, always coming home with the realization, we may have it better than them, but they’ve been doing life for a lot longer time.”

The original Citizen Newspaper was started in April of 1994 by Mary Jo Mosher, Darlene Jacobson and Diana Bantz. The paper has had numerous owners, publishers and editors over the years and in 2001, Meyer approached Skyway Publications owner Hank Martinsen to “buy him out”. Martinsen had owned the Citizen for 2.5 years.

In 2016, the Citizen merged with the Clearwater Tribune to become the Citizen-Tribune.

While planning the start of the West Sherburne Tribune in 1978, Gary was short of the needed advertisers to begin the paper. He sat into the early morning hours at his parents’ home in Oak Park, his head in his hands. Meyer’s mom came down from upstairs and asked how the numbers looked.
“Not enough,” Gary responded.

She sat down, pulled the paperwork away from me, and said:

“Just do it.”

And he did.

For 40+ years.

Congratulations Mr. Meyer!