It is not every day that, as a writer of this article, I learn I have crossed paths with someone who would become an Eight Over 80 award recipient. When I first moved to Iowa, I was a reporter for a small news station in Ottumwa. One of the first stories I covered was in Bloomfield about a dog ordinance change at a city council meeting. Karen and I were in the same room covering this story, but we never spoke a word to each other. Now, just a few short years later, I am interviewing Karen about her life.
Karen Spurgeon is a dedicated Iowa alumna. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 1964 with a degree in music. From her career in teaching music to now owning her own newspaper, the Bloomfield Democrat, she has dedicated her life to others through her work. This past spring, Spurgeon was honored as a University of Iowa Center for Advancement Eight Over 80 award recipient. She has showcased throughout her life why she was honored with this award.
Karen’s Early Years in Music
Born and raised in Davis County, Karen Spurgeon grew up on a farm southeast of Bloomfield, Iowa. Since she was little, Karen always enjoyed music. She took piano lessons starting at 8-years-old, and when she was in eighth grade, she started saxophone lessons. She enjoyed playing the piano so much that she played during church services as a child. While in high school, Karen was the pianist who accompanied the choir when they performed and was selected for the Iowa All-State Band. “My opportunities in music here in Davis County guided my career choice,” says Karen.
Karen’s Education
Karen received her education through the Davis County School District. While in high school, she met her first husband, Gary Spurgeon. The two were classmates in high school and dated halfway through college before they got married. Karen always wanted to attend a larger state school. With the University of Iowa’s music and journalism programs, both Karen and Gary found themselves in Iowa City for college. “I knew there were opportunities there [Iowa City],” says Karen.
While at the University of Iowa, Karen was a member of the symphonic band while attending classes in the instrumental music department. Gary attended classes in the School of Journalism. After graduation, Karen and Gary moved back to Bloomfield to begin their careers. “We have always lived here in [Bloomfield],” says Karen.
Karen’s Two Career Paths
When asked why she chose teaching as her career, Karen stated that, at that time, if you wanted a music career, teaching was the only option. After a year back in Bloomfield, Karen began teaching general music to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. She was also an instructor for the junior high choir at Davis County Schools. Because she had been an instrumental music major at the University of Iowa, Karen also taught instrumental music lessons to students outside the classroom. “I stayed in this area of teaching [general music] throughout my career here in Davis County Schools,” says Karen.
While also teaching music, Karen followed in the footsteps of a teacher who directed mini-musicals with her elementary students. Karen was not confident in her abilities to direct a stage production but knew her students looked forward to the experience and did it anyway. After a few short years, the musicals were shifted to the junior high level and began to expand in scope. Eventually, her students were performing Broadway musicals such as Oklahoma, Oliver, and Music Man on the stage of the Iowa Theatre, which belonged to the Davis County Fine Arts Council.
“The students were enthusiastic about performing in musicals, and we often had a cast of 60-75. The kids loved doing musicals, and I was amazed at what they could accomplish,” Karen said.
In addition to teaching the music in the productions and coaching the actors, Karen worked with students and parents on costuming and designing the set. “It was a multi-arts experience,” says Karen.
Even today, students approach her and reminisce about the musicals they remember doing. “Those moments are among the most memorable to me and my students,” says Karen.
While Karen taught music at the local school, her first husband, Gary, worked as an editor at the Bloomfield Democrat. Over Gary’s time at the newspaper, he was given the opportunity to buy the newspaper in 1976, “which we did,” says Karen. She was a co-owner but never stepped into the role of journalist until she retired from her teaching position at the local school in 2004. She then had one foot in the door with her work at the newspaper office as an office manager, while keeping another foot in the school by being a substitute teacher. “I was not ready to retire,” says Karen.
Stepping into the Role of Newspaper Owner
In 2013, Karen found herself no longer a co-owner of the Bloomfield Democrat but owning the entire newspaper after her husband, Gary, passed away from lymphoma. She approached this transition by solving things daily. This newspaper was also the only local paper the community had. “I did not want to see this community try to exist without a newspaper; it needed a newspaper, and every community does,” says Karen. She received help from her son with running the newspaper.
Something that helped Karen during this time of her life was attending the Iowa Newspaper Association conferences. While her first husband was alive, she and Gary would attend these conferences, allowing Karen to build connections in the news community. From all the assistance she has received, Karen shares, “I have gotten help from the people I’ve met over the years through my husband’s career; that has helped tremendously.”
The best part of her job, according to Karen, is when the newspaper is published for everyone to read, but meeting different people is also exciting. “Interviewing and writing articles is very rewarding,” states Karen. She shares that interviews can range from Amish men to local law enforcement. “I feel like I’m in the middle of everything in Davis County,” says Karen.
Karen Shares the Importance of Her Work at the Newspaper
“Newspapers are the watchdogs of democracy.” – Karen Spurgeon
News can be accessed from many different platforms today: TV, newspapers, or social media. Not only can it be accessed from different platforms, but also from different news sources. Everyone has their choice of where they get their news from, but it can be chaotic. When it comes to her newspaper, Karen and her team always make sure to print reliable news for their readers. After she has interviewed someone for a story and begins writing, Karen finds she might need to ask another question for clarification. “Newspapers are important; we try to have the most accurate information,” says Karen.
As the publisher of the Bloomfield Democrat, Karen focuses the news on local government, the local business scene, education, and events in the community, along with many other topics. “As a newspaper publisher, it is my duty to make sure my readers know what is happening,” Karen states.
“The public has a right to know,” is a statement Karen uses frequently.
What You Should Know About Karen’s Career
According to Karen, there are two similarities when it comes to teaching and being a journalist. The first is that no one goes into journalism or music for the income. The second similarity is that Karen found both roles she played to be rewarding. The income did not matter, just the work and passion behind what she was doing. What Karen found to be essential in her role as a music teacher is, “Everyone needs music in some way or another.” She still works in music activities today by directing her church choir or accompanying her community choir.
Karen stated that music makes people work together. She plays in the Ottumwa Municipal Band, and during performances and rehearsals, everyone has to listen to each other to get the right sound. Each person must adjust and balance their own instruments and how they are playing to have a great performance. “Everyone is constantly working together,” says Karen.
Karen’s Work as a Volunteer
Karen enjoys doing many things in her life, especially being a volunteer. Helping others is something Karen is passionate about and has even won an award at the Iowa State Fair for her work in volunteering. One of the joys of living in a small community, according to Karen, is the coming together of others to make the town unique. Volunteers work on different projects that will help the community around them. “They greatly improve the quality of life,” says Karen.
Being a full-time journalist, Karen finds herself working more than 40-hour weeks at the local newspaper. Because of these working hours, Karen cannot find the time to volunteer as much as she would like. One of the volunteer opportunities Karen had taken part in before taking over the newspaper was directing community musicals with her late husband, Gary Spurgeon, for the Davis County Community Players. “We found there was so much talent in Bloomfield,” says Karen. The community plays were separate from the musicals Karen would direct with students at her school.
Teamwork was a big part of volunteering. When Karen and Gary would volunteer to help put on a play, Gary was the director and Karen was the musical director, from singing to the orchestra. “We spent rewarding hours doing that activity,” states Karen.
Between her hours at the newspaper, Karen still finds time to travel to Ottumwa, Iowa, during the hot summer months to perform in the Ottumwa Municipal Band. This is volunteer work Karen has been doing since 1975 and also does it with her current husband, Ron Hewus. “It’s nice being part of a musical ensemble and not being the one organizing everything,” states Karen.
Karen directed the Bloomfield United Methodist Church Choir for years and is currently directing the Church Choir for Christ Community Church. “It is truly an enjoyable experience to direct such fine musicians as they come together and utilize their talent for the worship experience,” Karen said.
Fun Fact: Karen plays the saxophone and her current husband, Ron Hewus, plays the clarinet in the Ottumwa band.
What Karen Finds to Be Important
Throughout her life, Karen has learned to keep going in whatever she is doing. From her time as a teacher, working at the Bloomfield Democrat, and running the paper after her late husband passed away, all her volunteer work—from community plays to serving on school advisory boards—kept her busy in her life, and she couldn’t imagine it any other way. “Living life and feeling fulfilled, I need to contribute; there is always something to be done,” says Karen. She finds real satisfaction in contributing to her community and encourages others to do the same.
Family has played an important role in Karen’s life from supporting Gary during his years with the Bloomfield Democrat to helping three grandsons from age 9 to 18 move on with their lives after their mother (Karen and Gary’s daughter) passed away from lymphoma at an early age.
The grandmother of nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, she treasures the time spent with her children and grandchildren.
Two things Karen finds to be important in her life are her faith and being the best person you can be. “Everyone needs strength from believing,” says Karen. “Be an honest and contributing person, one that sets a good example for people,” states Karen. She has had her fair share of regrets in her life but always strives to put her best foot forward in what she does for her work and other people.
Something Karen Advocates For
There are some things Karen shared during her interview that you may not know about her unless you are a close friend or relative. Karen and her first husband, Gary, had a daughter who, like Gary, passed away from lymphoma. She was treated at the University of Iowa Health Care Center for a stem cell or tissue transplant. According to Karen, her daughter had a rare tissue type that made it difficult for them to find a donor match. However, through all the testing being done on their daughter, the doctor shared they were also helping find matches for other people in need. “I think there were over 100 people in the small community who came and got tested,” says Karen. “Though none were a match for our daughter, three or four ended up being matches for other patients. Karen’s family encourages people to be donors, “whether it’s blood, tissue, or organs, people can help,” says Karen.
Karen’s Inspiration
Gary Spurgeon was a real leader in the journalism field in Karen’s eyes; she saw him as an inspiration. To this day, after his passing, Karen will ask herself, “What would Gary do?” when she is running the newspaper. Karen’s second husband, Ron Hewus, is also an inspiration to her. Ron was a band director at the Weeks Middle School in Des Moines and would always work to get the best out of his students. Karen shares that he is retired now, and with his work in the home, taking care of the house, and doing the yard work, she can accomplish everything she wants. “He is a person who inspires me and supports me,” says Karen.
Outside of her personal life, Karen also finds inspiration in musicians and people in the newspaper industry. For music, she looks to people who have worked hard and overcome adversities in their lives. Such as Simon Estes, a world-renowned opera star from Centerville, Iowa. Randy Evans, as mentioned previously, is someone she also looks to for inspiration. She has contacted him on countless occasions with questions about her newspaper. He might be younger than her, but he is someone who Karen looks up to. “He has a sense of what’s wrong and what’s right and what should be done in the industry and what shouldn’t,” says Karen.
How Karen Is Aging Optimally
When asked how she optimally ages, for the mental side, Karen says work is something that makes her feel complete. “Some people call me a workaholic,” says Karen but she is most satisfied with her life when she is working. For the physical side of optimal aging, Karen also tries to exercise when she can. When it comes to fueling her body, she tries to eat healthy; and on days when she is working, she goes home for lunch and then takes a 20-minute power nap. Karen shares how these naps are helpful to her. “I’ve got my edge and I’m ready to go for the afternoon,” shares Karen.
Karen Spurgeon’s life is a testament to dedication, passion, and service to her community. From teaching music to guiding the local newspaper, she has shaped the cultural and informational landscape of Davis County. Whether inspiring students with musicals or ensuring the town’s only newspaper thrives, Karen’s work is marked by a deep commitment to others. Her spirit and determination reflect the very essence of the Hawkeye spirit.
