Dare, Charles F. (1922-2008)

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/35/ [16067]

Biographical Information: Charles Fournier Dare was born on September 9, 1922, in Elk River, Minnesota. Throughout his life, Dare was closely involved in the newspaper business, attending the School of Journalism in Dunwoody in 1950 before taking over as the publisher and editor of the Sherburne County Star (a newspaper originally created by Dare’s grandfather in 1875 that was later passed on to his father in 1916). Dare also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Dare married Sally Brainard and they raised a daughter Jenny Sue. Dare ultimately passed away on December 15, 2008, at the age of 86.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on May 13, 1981, Charles Dare discussed his family and details of his career as a journalist. Dare noted that although he originally aspired to be a mechanic, he ultimately pursued journalism to assist his father with the family’s newspaper Sherburne County Star. At the time of the interview, Dare said the nature of this work shifted over time. Dare credited developments like the growth of suburbs and people’s increased reliance on cars to make long commutes to workplaces elsewhere (such as in Minneapolis and St. Paul) with eroding the local sense of community in towns like Elk River. As such, Dare maintained that these changes contributed to a decline in people’s interest in local affairs. Most were more interested in news relating to “corny” matters like sports and national politics.

Interview conducted by Cal Gower and John Urke