Steve Newvine Steve Newvine

On the Job- 50 Years

Can you envision doing the job you’re doing right now for fifty years?  Imagine outlasting every supervisor except the one you’re working for right now, and you know there’s a good chance you’ll outlast that one.  Can you see yourself watching scores of coworkers come and go?  It’s likely you endured some low points, and certainly had many high points.

Steve Newvine and Don Alhart who marks 50 years on the air at WHAM-TV in Rochester, NY.  Photo: Newvine Personal Collection

What would it be like to find just the right career and staying with your company for fifty years?  

I know someone who reaches that milestone in June of this year. 

My friend Don Alhart is the six and eleven o’clock news anchor for WHAM-TV in Rochester, New York.  He arrived at the station on June 6, 1966. 

First as a reporter, and then soon as an anchorman, Don has enjoyed the work and the station’s newscasts have remained popular in the ratings.  Seeing no reason to hang it up at a time when many might retire, Don continues to deliver the nightly newscasts on Channel 13.

My memories of working with him center on a globe that at one time occupied a corner of the newsroom at Channel 13.  More on that later.

For eight years of Don’s fifty-year tenure, I was part of the station’s news department.  I produced the six o’clock news, helped Don create the station’s noon newscast, and produced special projects including election night coverage and documentaries during my time with the station.  

My memories of working with Don include the five years he was paired with the late Dick Burt on the six o’clock news.  I enjoyed working with both of these broadcasters.  There’s no question in my mind that I learned an awful lot from them. 

If as the title of the popular book by Robert Fulghum is true, All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, then I can say with some authority that all I ever needed to know about television news I learned from Don Alhart and Dick Burt. 

More to the point, I learned how to write more like how people talked.  I learned why striving for accuracy was paramount in a business where trust is highly valued.  And I learned Don’s constant refrain that we earned audience loyalty one viewer at a time.

Throughout those eight years I worked alongside Don (1983-1991), another constant in our professional lives was our friend, the late Bill Peterson.  As the station’s meteorologist, Bill would offer nightly forecasts and an easy target for Don to express his sense of humor. 

At times it seemed that Don, with very little effort, could make Bill laugh on the air.  The station’s blooper reel is filled with footage of Bill breaking up after Don planted an image of something funny during his introductions to the weather segments.  

The two kept that friendship intact as Bill retired to focus on his declining health.  Don delivered the eulogy at Bill’s funeral in 2006. 

I was no longer living in the area when Bill lost his final battle with cancer, but Don made sure that a DVD of the services and of the WHAM-TV coverage of Bill’s life was sent to my home in California shortly after.

The years working with Don can be summed up with an image of either of us laughing at what the other had to say.  I had a habit of getting a cup of coffee from the newsroom drip coffee maker while it was brewing; I’d remove the pot and let the first drops of liquid flow into my mug. 

In later weeks, he’d come by my work area and say, “The coffee is ‘Newvine’ ready,” meaning it had not finishing brewing, but it was coming out just the way I liked it.  

And then, there’s the globe.  There was an old desktop globe on a corner counter of our newsroom. 

I would occasionally place the globe on my shoulder and lament to Don with a smile, “Somedays, I feel as though I have the weight of the world on my shoulders.”  My tired bit always brought a smile, sometimes a chuckle.   

Two years after leaving the station for a better job at a competing station, someone dropped off a box at my desk saying, “Don has this gift for you.”  I opened the box and there was that globe.  

My time at Channel 13 was good for my family and me.  I sorted out what I really wanted to do with my life. 

And as nice as it was working alongside Don for those eight years, considering myself one of his friends in the years since I stopped working with him has brought me a real sense of satisfaction and pride.

I remember the day both Don and Bill showed up to see me sworn in as a member of the Avon (NY) Rotary Club.  I remember a sympathy card and note at the time of my mother’s passing.  

I can count on annual Christmas photographs, too infrequent telephone calls, and funny emails that arrive whenever either of us find something we think the other might enjoy.

The viewers of Rochester, New York television station WHAM-TV have had a wonderful blessing over the past five decades as Don anchored the news.  But I’m sure Don sees it as a blessing to him that viewers have remained so loyal all these years. 

He often said you build an audience one viewer at a time, and he should know.  It took several years after he joined the station for the news to reach the top of the ratings.  Holding on to the top spot is always a challenge. 

The competition is tough, and I am certain neither Don nor the news teams at all of Rochester’s television stations, would not have it any other way.  

I salute my friend Don on his fiftieth anniversary with WHAM-TV.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced

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Steve Newvine Steve Newvine

Innovation at UC Merced

It may not have been the television show Shark Tank, but for UC Merced students wrapping up the spring semester, the pressure was likely just as intense.

UC Merced students make their presentations during Innovate to Grow at UC Merced.  Photo by Steve Newvine

The students were engineering majors who spent most of this past semester working on ideas that might improve things in such areas as manufacturing or public safety.  

The students’ final presentations were made during the fifth annual Innovate to Grow conference held on the campus on the Friday before graduation.

Organizers say the purpose of Innovate to Grow is to celebrate student innovation.  Throughout the daylong event, demonstrations of some of the engineering solutions created by student teams were presented to the public. 

A panel of judges which included faculty and business representatives questioned the teams at the end of each presentation.

Audience members view a student presentation at Innovate to Grow. Photo by Steve Newvine

Prototypes of the projects were on view in a gymnasium set up as an “Engineering Design Expo” earlier in the day.  The presentations began after a lunch break.

Ideas included a new way to load chickens into the correct processing holding areas.  In the chicken processing industry, a lot of labor is used to make sure this is done properly. 

The students working on the chicken loading prototype believe their device could drastically reduce the amount of labor needed to do this task. 

Their job on this particular Friday afternoon at the end of the semester was to convince the panel looking at their presentation to see some potential in the project.

Another idea centered on helping restaurants lower their energy use to save money on their utility bills.  Restaurants generally consume a lot of electricity and natural gas.  The students working on this engineering project proposed a solar energy generation solution that would help reduce what a local restaurant pays for energy. 

Their solution also included energy efficiency.  They talked about how the recent installation of LED (light emitting diode) lamps in fixtures throughout the restaurant helped lower energy usage immediately. 

The installation of aerators on all faucets in the facility helped reduce water waste.  Aerators disperse the flow, creating more pressure while using less water. Water saved not only helps in the dry Central Valley, it also reduces energy use to heat it for hot water needs in a restaurant.

 Innovate to Grow was held the day before commencement at UC Merced.  Photo by Steve Newvine

Other ideas explained before the judging panels at the conference included a system that handles tomatoes with kid gloves by touching the tomatoes in a gentler way, a new way to remove byproducts of the logging industry to eliminate fire hazards, and a process to remove the hardness of water in food processing. 

In each case, the student team worked with either a private company or a public agency to determine needs for their proposed solutions.

For the panel, the students presented power point slides that, in some instances, included animation and video.  Each presentation began with a mission statement for the student “company” that was offering a solution to an industry issue.

The audience included proud parents (this was graduation weekend), interested students, and others who registered for the Innovate to Grow event. 

The panel asked good questions.  And while their personal fortunes were not on the line as the sharks on Shark Tank lead us to believe week after week, the opportunity for students to respond to questions about their projects was in itself a valuable learning experience.  

Steve Newvine lives in Merced

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Hmong Story 40 Exhibit brings History and Heroics to Merced

In recognition of the forty year connection between the Hmong and California, a new exhibit celebrates the living history of an important American ally.

 A wall full of individual Hmong community members seen near the beginning of the Hmongstory 40 exhibit at the Merced County Fairgrounds.  Photo by Steve Newvine

In recent years, many have sought out their family history in an effort to learn more about past generations.  Whether it’s a genealogy search, connecting through social media, or coming across an old letter a family member kept stored away for decades, the search for meaning behind who we are seems universal.

That may explain the hundreds upon hundreds of people with a connection to the Hmong communities in California are seeing the exhibit Hmong Story 40. 

The interactive exhibit has been touring select cities in the Central Valley including Merced where it will continue to inform and inspire the community through May 15.  The exhibit is being held at the Merced County Fairgrounds daily. 

There is no cost to attend. 

The title reflects the forty-year history of the Hmong, who were allies of American troops in the Vietnam era.  Forced away from their homeland in Laos, many families became refugees and settled in the U.S.; many in California.

 Paintings by Hmong artists depicting life in California.  Photo by Steve Newvine

When Hmong families began settling in California, Merced welcomed some of these early citizens.  The first three Hmong families to settle in California resided in Merced.  

Event Director Wa Chong Yang says the exhibition is intended to preserve the relatively short history of the Hmong in the Central Valley.  “It’s human nature to question one’s identity,” he said.  “We hope this exhibit encourages more people to look to their past.”

A display of clothing worn by the Hmong.  Photo by Steve Newvine

The exhibit breaks down the history of the Hmong/U.S. connection into four stages: life in Laos, the Secret War, refugee camps, and life in California.

On the day I attended, a school class from Sacramento participated in a presentation on Hmong life, followed by a guided tour of the exhibit areas.  

“We knew this exhibit would be well received in the Hmong community,” Project Director Lar Yang told me.  “But it also connects with other communities as the search for identity is universal.”

The Life in Laos portion of the exhibit explains the genesis of the bond between the U.S. military and the Hmong.  In the Vietnam War era, Laos was considered by the Geneva Accord to be a neutral country.  This meant that by international agreement, the sending of troops was not allowed. 

Although the U.S. was supposed to have no official involvement in the affairs of Laos, the CIA served as consultants or advisers for the Hmong soldiers.   The U.S. promised it would help the Hmong get to America or to refugee camps if they lost the war. The Hmong lost, but the U.S. was able to get about 5,000 people out.

 The Life in California portion of the Hmong Story 40 exhibit.  Judge Paul Lo of Merced is pictured in the lower right hand corner.   Photo by Steve Newvine

The Life in California portion of the exhibit includes artwork depicting experiences for the first Hmong refugees.  There’s also a section on Hmong citizens who have been elected to political office or appointed to judicial posts.  In this section, there is a photograph of Judge Paul Lo of Merced, California’s first Judge of Hmong descent.

Perhaps the most touching tribute in the exhibit is an area near the end of the displays honoring Peter Chou Vang of Merced County. Mr. Vang passed away in early May.  He was a highly regarded military and community leader.  A card introducing the tribute calls Mr. Vang one of several fallen heroes who put their lives on the line for freedom.  

Portion of the Hmong Story 40 exhibit honoring the life of Peter Chou Vang of Merced.  Photo by Steve Newvine

The Hmong Story 40 exhibit started in Fresno and will head to Sacramento after the Merced stop.  Approximately 45,000 people attended in Fresno, and organizers expect attendance in Merced to reach 5,000 to 10,000.

Organizers hope that the exhibit will extend interest in the Hmong story.  A website Hmongstory40.org  allows a visitor to read about the specific elements of the exhibit, view videos on different aspects of Hmong life, and even upload photographs and videos.  

As universal as the desire to learn more about past generations may be, it still requires work to turn that desire into action.  Hmong Story 40 hopes to make it a lot easier for anyone interested in making that connection.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced

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