Last week we held a retirement party for a great reporter whose byline has graced the pages of The Capital Times since 1969 - a proud Stoughton Norwegian with a German last name, Mike Miller.

In fact, Mike has been associated with the paper since 1965, when as a student at the University of Wisconsin he landed a part-time job in "dispatch," the department that delivered advertising proofs to advertisers so they could proofread and OK them before they were printed.

But his dispatch job grew into something pretty special for the Stoughton High School grad and he always claimed it resulted from one simple fact: He could speak Norwegian. That led the paper's longtime boss, William T. Evjue, as fierce and proud a Norwegian as they come, to pick young Mike to drive him around Dane County to meet people and attend events. Mr. Evjue was in his 80s then and had decided to give up driving.

No doubt this exposure to the man who founded and nurtured The Capital Times made Mike the loyal staffer he became starting in 1969, when city editor Elliott Maraniss tabbed him for a full-time general assignment reporting job. His first byline came that year when he covered a terrible spill at the UW's Babcock Hall that sent thousands of gallons of milk into Lake Mendota.

Over the years - he's one of the few who can claim serving under all five editors in The Capital Times' 92-year history - Mike covered everything from the cops to the Legislature, but the beat he enjoyed most and covered the longest was Dane County's courts. His stories from the courthouse ranged from funny anecdotes to murder trials. And he so impressed the judges that last month, upon hearing of his pending retirement, they presented him with an unprecedented letter of appreciation.

"Whatever the citizens of Dane County understand and appreciate about their court system is because of your remarkable ability to translate the technical aspects of what we do and the human emotions that occur in the courtroom into a coherent and meaningful recitation, often done under the press of short deadlines and limited print space," reads the letter, signed simply by Dane County Judges.

"We have also learned from you that our system of government depends on a competent and dedicated press. You always did your homework, never broke a confidence and always strived to get it right. You, more than any other person, are responsible for the atmosphere of trust that exists between the judges and the media," it adds.

His court reporting was always on the mark, but to me, he has been just as valuable in single-handedly keeping some of Mr. Evjue's traditions alive. Every year at lutefisk time, he produced a fun story about the Norwegian lutefisk tradition and where and when every Lutheran church dinner would be held.

Several times over the years he wrote a Cap Times traditional April Fools' Day spoof that was as clever as the ones that made the national press way back when.

My favorite was the April 1 piece he did when Monona Terrace construction was under way. For months, the downtown had been hearing the loud thump-thump of support piles being driven into the lake bed for the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building. Mike came up with a story reporting that all the water had drained out of Lake Monona because one of the piles had punched a hole through the lake's bottom. It was accompanied by a photo of an empty lake bed, dotted with debris.

Trouble was, many readers believed it, not reading the punch line at the end and forgetting the date was April 1. Traffic spiked along John Nolen as folks came to see the sight for themselves. Bait shops got calls from fishermen wondering if they should cancel their fishing plans.

That kind of creative versatility was one of Mike's strengths through his 40-year career. He could turn a folksy yarn or write a serious report on an important and complicated court case. During the past few weeks he has put together a comprehensive history of The Capital Times that will be a permanent fixture on our website.

We're going to miss Mike around here, but now that he's turning 65 he deserves to spend a lot of time at his favorite golf course, Door Creek. His goal was to play golf right here in southern Wisconsin at least once each month, a goal he accomplished during our mild winters of a few years ago.

As the judges wrote: "Very few people are irreplaceable and that phrase is often overused. But you're the exception. There is only one Mike Miller. Words cannot express our appreciation, respect and admiration for you. Thanks for all you have done and good luck, friend."

Dave Zweifel is editor emeritus of The Capital Times. dzweifel@madison.com

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