Meet the Tribune: Photographer Don Shrubshell on his lifelong connection to journalism

In 1965 I started carrying the Maryville Daily Forum newspaper when I was 10 years old after my brother Gary gave me a dollar to ride my bicycle eight blocks up a steep hill to pick up newspapers for his route. I later took over his route.

After high school, I worked at the same newspaper in various departments beginning with custodian and mailroom. Later I worked in the print shop running offset presses printing job work. I transferred to the pressroom assisting in the printing of the newspaper on a six-unit Goss Community web press. I also worked in composing and the process camera room processing newspaper page negatives, halftones and making photo mechanical transfers for page composition.

I took photos of house fires, car accidents and everything that small-town newspapers publish. I found spot news photography more exciting than the other departments.

I took a 50-cent-an-hour pay cut to be a photographer in 1980.

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For nearly 10 years, I worked as a photojournalist at a newspaper in Arkansas City, Kansas, on the Kansas/Oklahoma border. While there I managed to obtain an associate of arts degree in journalism while working 40 to 70 hours per week at the Arkansas City Traveler.

Later I worked at the Hutchinson News for a few months before I and six other employees were laid off. I worked at the Southeast Missourian for six years covering the Great Flood of 1993 and 1995.

I moved to Columbia to work at the Columbia Daily Tribune in December 1998 and miraculously have survived layoffs, buyouts and new ownership of the Tribune.

Favorite moment on the job?

I talked Willie Nelson's road manager into letting me put a step ladder on stage behind Willie Nelson to shoot a photo that uses the crowd of more than 2,000 people as the backdrop as Willie tuned his guitar before beginning his first song.

Also, photographing Hal Holbrook at MU when he was accepting an honorary degree when he stopped, stared at me and said, "You have an interesting face."

I'm not sure it was a compliment.

Craziest journalism moment?

Photographing the crime scene in Skidmore, Missouri, in 1981. Three people allegedly shot and killed Ken Rex McElroy in front of an estimated crowd of up to 50 people in broad daylight, and to this day his killer or killers have not been officially identified.

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Favorite thing about Columbia?

Booches' cheeseburgers and Bud's BBQ. 

Favorite place in town?

Texas Roadhouse.

Favorite hobby outside of the office?

Hanging out in the back forty, gardening, repairing what needs to be repaired, beer drinking, BBQing, deer hunting.