Mick Kuzjak, Press editor, is dead at 62

By Brett Sigurdson

Mick Kuzjak, editor of The Clark County Press for 13 years, passed away at his home on Monday, Jan. 21.  He was 62. 

According to Clark County Coroner Richard Schleifer, Kuzjak was found dead in his home by his sister.  Both the Sheriff’s Department and Schleifer have concluded an investigation into his death and found there was no foul play involved.

Kuzjak was born on Dec. 4, 1945, in Landshut, Bavaria, Germany, the son of Paul and Ella Kuzjak. 

Paul, a Ukrainian who worked in a textile mill, and Ella, a German, were at the time of Mick’s birth living in a camp for those displaced by World War II.  But the family immigrated to the United States in 1949, first moving to Troy, PA., where they worked for a farmer who sponsored their immigration.

A year later, the family moved to Chicago, where Paul and Ella worked in a factory in order to save up enough money to buy a farm.

In 1953, the Kuzjak family moved to Neillsville after finding a farm next to the Black River.  Mick attended and graduated from Neillsville High School in 1964. 

According to brother-in-law David Counsell, Kuzjak enjoyed school, though sometimes at the expense of his studies.

"He had a good time," Counsell said.  "He was kind of mischievous, but he was a good student."

Kuzjak then went on to the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire for two years, but was drafted into the United States Army.  He spent most of his time stationed in Washington D.C. with the Army’s honor guard.

After being honorably discharged, Kuzjak resumed his studies at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire with renewed relish in his education.  He graduated in 1971 with degrees in English and psychology.

From there he moved to Milwaukee, where he worked as an insurance agent, and to Chicago, where he owned his own business as an insurance adjustor.

"He enjoyed the big city," Counsell said.  "We were surprised he wanted to come back."

In 1988, Kuzjak returned to his family farm in Neillsville, bought and began raising beef cattle and worked as a substitute teacher.  But Kuzjak soon found another job that interested him.

"When Mick started here, he wanted to be a part-time reporter," said Kathy Potter, General Manager of the Press.   "After talking to him it was clear to see he was going to be a good addition to the paper."

Kuzjak joined the staff of The Clark County Press in June 1992, with his first byline appearing in the issue released Jan. 30^th.  However, his first contribution to the paper was printed two weeks earlier: a photo of the Black River in frozen, silent repose among a snow-draped landscape.

Such images became a hallmark of Kuzjak’s during his time as a reporter and many subsequent issues were filled with his photographic odes to the Clark County Landscape.  This was only natural, Counsell said.

"He enjoyed going down to the river and walking with is dog, Tootie," said Counsell.  "He enjoyed being outside."

Kuzjak showed a keen interest in exploring the landscape of Clark County in other ways.  He pursued stories in little known areas of the county’s culture, notably a three-part series in which he explored the life of area Amish.

"He had good ideas and things he wanted to do for the community," Potter said.  "It was inspiring.  It was inspiring to everyone here."

Potter described Kuzjak as a "perfectionist."  "I never had to ever question his work or criticize him," she said.

Though he showed an affinity for hard news, Kuzjak also displayed a knack for light-hearted, creative headlines, including "Judge to Amish: Congratulations, you lost," and "Neillsville does U-turn on Backus Streets."

Such headlines were a stark contrast to the images on many of the front pages of the Press in the early 1990s.  The archives from that era are replete with front-page photos of car accidents, cartoon graphics, or no photo at all - an approach to news that, Kuzjak would say, showcased shock over substance.

Kuzjak largely changed this when he became editor by turning the front page, like a mirror, to reflect the good in the community.  Among his first stories as editor was a write-up on Neillsville’s first Heritage Days event, an event he covered as equal parts newsman and city cheerleader, telling readers, "The parade entries were as diverse as the elements that made up Neillsville’s long history… It was a feast for the eyes."

Throughout his tenure, Kuzjak maintained a pro-community stance, covering human interest stories and community events in order to promote the good in the county and commenting on the stories or trends that he felt threatened it.

"He was doing a hell of a job down there," said Al Hoesly, a Neillsville resident who grew up with Kuzjak.  "He was always telling it like it is.  Sometimes the truth hurt."

Indeed, Kuzjak did on occasion receive stern rebukes in response to his editorials.  But, in perhaps a testament to his yearning to remain unbiased, the Opinion Page always remained an open forum for community debate, even if it contained ideas contrary to his own.

True to form, in his last editorial, Kuzjak advocated a dialogue between the common council and chamber board of directors, which proposed a hotel/motel room tax in the city of Neillsville through its newsletter, a move that caught the council off guard.  Kuzjak saw the discussion as a bigger issue for the city.  He saw it as a chance for growth.  "There’s still plenty of hope for a prosperous new year for the city of Neillsville," Kuzjak wrote.  "People and organizations talking with one another while working together can only help."

Perhaps this sentiment is indicative of his tenure at the Press.  Being a community advocate through journalism was part and parcel to his success at the paper.

"It was important to him to cover stories well," Counsell said.  "He felt he was doing the community a service by getting the local stories covered in an unbiased way."

"He was good at his job and loved Clark County," said Potter.  "And he loved what he did.  I miss him."

In the end, perhaps it was Kuzjak himself who, in his first editorial upon becoming editor, encapsulated the community minded spirit that will no doubt stand as his legacy:

"I would first of all like to say that I will continue to be the same open and receptive person that I would like to think I have been since starting with the Press more than three years ago," he wrote.  "And as far as I’m concerned it’s the best of all the world right here in Clark County.  And that, quite simply, is the reason I would rather be the editor of The Clark County Press than any other newspaper around."