2/18/2009:
In 1959, Granville, North Dakota, became grounds for celebration. The residents said it was “Roble recognition night,” and the Robles, Fred and Amanda, were the guests of honor.
Before coming to Granville, Fred and Amanda lived in several places, including Devils Lake and locations in Minnesota. As partners in a printing business, the two had been a team since before their marriage in 1908. When they settled in Granville in 1925, Fred said, “it was time to get out of the tall grass.” They bought the Granville Herald and set to work.
The Robles put out their paper with great pride. Amanda worked as compositor, and soon learned how to operate a linotype, and Fred worked as editor and printer. Occasionally, they took on youth from the community as extra help, teaching them the ropes of the publishing game. Later, Fred also wrote outspoken columns. Many people called him the “sage of Granville,” and at one state conference, he was called the “Mark Twain of North Dakota.”
In the spring of 1952, they finally sold the paper, having grown too old to keep up with the daily demands. Fred and Amanda had spent more than fifty years working together as teammates in the printing and publishing business in Granville and elsewhere, teaching and working hard. So, the community wanted to honor them.
They had to convince Fred and Amanda, but finally, everything was put together, and on the evening of the 12th of February, the celebration was enjoyed by all. Three hundred attended the party. Though the Robles had no children, their relatives came from all over, even from Minnesota, where traffic was all but stalled due to snow storms.
On this date, the party and its honors were still fresh in Fred and Amanda’s minds, and in the end, they got the last say. See, they still worked for the paper as reporters, so they wrote:
“Just how does one go about writing about oneself?
“That’s a problem—or project—we’ve been faced with since we, currently attached to the Herald as reporters, were feted in an honorary observance.
“…We hope we haven’t overlooked anyone or anything. For a week prior to February 12 and since, we’ve sort of been walking in the clouds. …We sincerely thank you all.”
By Sarah Walker
Sources:
The Granville Herald, Thursday, February 19, 1959
The Granville Herald, Thursday, February 12, 1959
The Granville Herald, Thursday, February 5, 1959