Ellen Young, former editor of the Traer Star-Clipper and longtime booster of the town of Traer, died April 11. Her obituary was printed last week in the North Tama Telegraph, which replaced the TSC in 2020. Here is an excerpt:
She was a driver in many community functions including the creation of the Salt and Pepper Shaker Gallery, coordinating the alumni class reunion dinners and often helped with the Winding Stairs Festival. Ellen was a founding member of the Tama County Development Board and Traer Development Corporation. Ellen also attended Iowa Tourism meetings promoting Traer and Tama County. Ellen had served on the Community Foundation of NE Iowa for several years. Ellen was a prolific grant writer bringing lots of funds to a lot of organizations in Traer over the years.
Ellen was editor of the Star-Clipper for nearly 20 years, retiring in 2002. The Waterloo Courier did a profile of her in 1994.
She didn’t mind a high school student combing through the bound volume archives looking for the town’s top stories of the 20th century — or dropping in just because. Her gift to graduating seniors was a year’s subscription to the paper at their new college address.
Now who’s going to relentlessly promote the town of Traer?