It’s common for people to ask each other where they grew up; where they’re from; where’s home? In this time of greater mobility and seemingly fewer community connections, these can be challenging questions for some while for others, it’s straight forward – they have a strong connection to a place.

Paul Primak with Lakeview H.S. principal, Lane Stratton

Consider the example of Paul Primak. Paul was an “Air Force brat.” He and his family never lived one place for more than a few years. Paul’s family moved to Lakeview in 1970 and a year later he graduated from Lakeview High School and left for college. He lived in Lakeview for a total of one year, yet it’s the place he calls home. I saw Paul in June when I was in Lakeview for the annual Daly Fund trustee meeting. Paul was in town to present a painting of four Canadian “Honker” geese to Lakeview High School. The painting was done by Paul’s 1971 fellow graduate, Jimmy Johnston. When I asked Paul about his connections to Lakeview, he said, “It’s the place I consider home; it’s where I made lifelong friends; it’s the place I go back to.”

Continue reading
Jim Lynch

Very sorry to learn that Jim Lynch passed away last month. I first met Jim ten years ago during my very first my visit to Lakeview. Jim’s law office was my first stop. He patiently told me about the workings of the Daly Scholarship, provided me with a list of the recipients, and encouraged me in my research on the Daly Fund. He told me that it was his hope that someone would write a book about the scholarship, its impact and about Bernard Daly. I’ve tried to do just that, and hope that the result lives up to his expectations.

As his long-time friend David Maxey wrote, “By birth Jim was a cattleman; by vocation, a lawyer.  He was a superb performer in both categories.  He and I entered the legal profession at about the same time, at opposite ends of this country.  It was inevitable, I believe, that Jim would decide to stay at home and serve the community he grew up in.  Yet he achieved national recognition as an expert in trust and estate law.”

Continue reading

Adel Store with cattle drive

Lake County is a big place. It’s roughly the same size as New Jersey with a lot fewer people, about 8,000 in Lake County and 9 million in New Jersey. As big as Lake County is, it only has two “cities” – Lakeview, the county seat, and Paisley, 50 miles north of Lakeview with about 250 residents. In addition to Lakeview and Paisley, there are a handful of unincorporated towns that are the home communities for Lake County ranching families. One of those communities is Adel, about 30 miles to the east of Lakeview. Continue reading