Ordorff leaves the Messenger

Linda Ordorff was hired in 1988 by Harold Brutlag. Above, she is pictured in 1989 in front of the 1911 vintage linotype machine once used by the Messenger. Standing, from left, is Julie Gutknecht and Ordorff. Then editor and publisher Brutlag is sitting. (Photo from the Messenger archives)

By Brenda Erdahl-

In Linda Ordorff’s 30 years at the Maple Lake Messenger she has taken countless subscriptions, caught thousands of misspellings and fixed hundreds of incomplete sentences. As a data enterer, proofreader, and book keeper, her impact on community journalism can only be described as immeasurable. On Thursday, Dec. 28, Ordorff will leave behind her corner in the Messenger office and look to a future of travel and time spent with family and grandchildren. “I’m partly sad, but mostly excited,” Ordorff said of her imminent retirement. “I’ll miss the people, my co-workers.” Ordorff was hired in 1988 by then owner Harold Brutlag for data entry. In those days, computers were still a thing of the future for the Messenger. Ordorff’s job was to re-type everything that was to be published that week into a compugraphic machine that got it ready for the paper. It was a time-consuming job, and deadline day often meant a late night. “It was a job requirement that you must be able to stay until the paper was done on Tuesdays,” she said. Often that didn’t happen until 7 or 8 in the evening after a full day’s work. For Linda, the late nights were worth it. The job had everything she was looking for. According to Publisher, Michele Pawlenty, Ordorff was the poster child for the employer’s ideal employee.

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Linda Ordorff was hired in 1988 by Harold Brutlag. Above, she is pictured in 1989 in front of the 1911 vintage linotype machine once used by the Messenger. Standing, from left, is Julie Gutknecht and Ordorff. Then editor and publisher Brutlag is sitting. (Photo from the Messenger archives)

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