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Page A5 / The Joan
De Arc Crusader / Sunday, April 1, 2018
Crusader Interview: A
chat with founder John Bueker
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the award winning, timeless
neighborhood newspaper the Joan De Arc Crusader. The inaugural issue,
published in the spring of 1968, was the brainchild of 10-year-old John
Bueker. Originally a thinly disguised plea for something John wanted, and
crudely typewritten, it was published in the form of a daily paper. The
Crusader endures and thrives under his creative hand. Charming, funny, and
often poignant, The Crusader has served to commemorate many of the exciting,
as well as the mundane, happenings on our beloved old street and beyond. I
recently chatted with John about how it all went down.
Sue:
John, you were just a kid when you first published the Crusader. Do you
recall the reason you created it in the first place?
John:
Well as a matter of fact, I would cite you as a crucial influence in the
birth of the Crusader. I was fascinated by the whimsical, typewritten news
flashes that you and our father exchanged over the issue of his refusal to
take his kids to the Neptune’s Gardens aquarium shop in Phoenix. That’s what
really switched on the light bulb in my head. I started experimenting with
creating my own little news flashes, and it was probably Carl who encouraged
me to turn my ideas into an actual little newspaper.
Sue:
What was the theme of the first newspaper you published? Do you still have a
copy of it? I hope you will post a copy of it.
John:
My first paper was called “The Sloppy Gazette.” Sadly it was not preserved
for posterity and I can’t remember now what the precise contents were. I
would dearly love to have a copy of that thing. I did hold on to it for
years, but eventually it disappeared. I think the theme was probably the
same as all the early Crusaders: the goings-on at 3219 in particular and the
street generally. The good news is that most of the early Crusaders were
preserved and are now posted online in the Crusader Archives.
Sue:
The Crusader was an instant hit with us Buekers. To what do you attribute
its growth in popularity and continued success?
John:
I think the Crusader captures a time and place we all remember fondly and
would like to return to. After the paper went online, I started receiving
emails from complete strangers who also grew up in Phoenix during the ‘60s
and ‘70s and could therefore relate to all the Crusader references to
Chris-Town, Legend City, Wallace and Ladmo, Westown, and so on. It was
simply a great time and place to be alive. People love their nostalgia, and
at the end of the day, that is the primary function of the Joan De Arc
Crusader.
Sue:
Do you have a favorite issue or article you'd like to talk about?
John:
The Christmas issue from 2008 has always been one of my favorites. That
edition covered topics like the Amber Inn, Chuck Bueker’s and Tom Mason’s
high school film “Untitled,” the old Jade Palace restaurant, and the
Christmas when I received my electric football game. I’m rather proud of
that issue. I’m also fond of the May Day issue in 2010 that covered the Joan
De Arc reunion we had that year. It’s kind of a goofy Crusader, but pretty
funny and of course very sentimental.
Sue:
There's a little something for everyone in each issue, isn't there? Could
you elaborate?
John: I think that’s really a function of the paper’s theme and scope, although sometimes I will write a story about some obscure Joan De Arc memory of mine that has absolutely no meaning for anyone except myself. I rather delight in those. For example, I once wrote about a Christmas memory of Father and myself going off to an odd location in Surrey Heights to gather some soil for our Christmas tree that year. There’s no particular reason I should even recall this event, but it’s a fond memory and where else could I write about it but in the Crusader?
Sue:
How would you say the Crusader has changed over the years?
John:
Well in 1993, I got the idea to bring back the Crusader for a one-off “25th
anniversary commemorative issue,” which was really just a brief parody of
the old paper done for old-time’s sake. But everyone enjoyed it so much that
I did some more, and then I slowly developed this idea of making the
Crusader a more substantial publication and a vehicle for my writing about
the old days. Then when our brother Charles signed on with his splendid
“Chuck’s Corner” column, I think the Crusader really started to resemble an
actual newspaper of some sort. I added little touches like a crossword
puzzle, almanac, quote and so forth.
Sue:
How do you envision the future of The Crusader, say 5 years from now? Any
changes forthcoming?
John:
My favorite Crusaders are the ones in which everybody participates, namely
our entire family along with our Joan De Arc neighbors. I loved the “50th
Anniversary of the Avenue” issue in 2011, when everybody recalled their
fondest memories of the street. I also thought the Opel Kadett feature from
a couple years back was quite wonderful. So I would say going forward, I
would hope for more of these issues where everybody contributes their own
memories, because it just makes for a much richer Crusader. Everybody
remembers different stuff and saw everything from a unique perspective.
Sue:
Thank you for sharing, John. This interview was way overdue!
John: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ JDA Front Page A1 / Editorials A2 / 50th Birthday A3 / Best of Crusader A4 / Easter Nostalgia A6 / Crossword A7
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