It was sad news far and wide when Roland “Rollie” Doroff passed away April 5, Easter Sunday.
Everyone associated with newspapers knows Doroff as a legend in journalism who was at the helm of the oldest newspaper in the state – more than 170 years old, to be exact. Doroff began working at the Sauk Rapids Herald in the mid-1950s and bought the paper in 1970. For 60 years, Doroff was so dedicated to that paper and delivering local news to Sauk Rapids residents that some said he must have had newspaper ink coursing through his veins. He was passionately committed to his family, his newspaper, his beloved city.
Rollie knew Sauk Rapids like the back of his hand – better than the back of his hand. After his family, people in general and pets, he loved the newspaper-and-printing business more than anything. He did it all – proofreading, setting type, doing printing jobs, doing bindery work, reporting. And he did it all through the many rapid, startling technological changes that have occurred in the newspapering business during the past half century.
This new newspaper, the Sauk Rapids Newsleader, which made its debut May 1, cannot fill the void left by Doroff’s passing. His shoes would be impossible to fill. But, with Doroff as our inspiration, we hope to bring some of his passionate dedication to our coverage of the news in Sauk Rapids, and we hope Doroff would be pleased with our efforts.
We are very excited to be a part of Sauk Rapids, which is a dynamic, unique and flourishing river city, with interesting businesses, beautiful parks, friendly down-home people, an outstanding school system, long-established and cherished churches, and those wonderful old atmospheric homes up and down the picturesque hilly streets in the east of the city. Sauk Rapids sports its charms in every nook and cranny of the city.
We want our readers and advertisers to feel the Sauk Rapids Newsleader is their very own paper. We intend to cover news stories such as city-council business, interesting developments in the schools and city happenings, such as the fun summer festivals. We also want to highlight the soul of any city – its people – by writing feature stories about interesting people and their lives.
To help us do that, we need you the readers to keep those story tips coming our way. No newspaper can exist without a thriving two-way communication between the news staff and the people they cover.
This newspaper will be delivered, free of charge, every Friday to every residence and business in the city limits of Sauk Rapids.
We encourage readers to call us or email us with story ideas. Call the Sauk Rapids Newsleader at 320-363-7741 or email us at news@thenewsleaders.com.