Doxsee takes in old stomping grounds

     Late last week, Monticello Express royalty, by name, stopped in for a visit.

     John Doxsee, son of Wilbur (Bill) Doxsee, from Texas, was in his former home of Monticello, Iowa for a few days. Bill Doxsee passed away in early 2016. He was the 10^th editor of the Monticello Express.

     A long line of Doxsee men ran the Express during the early years of the newspaper. J.W. Doxsee was editor for 32 years. His son, Charles A. Doxsee, was the ninth editor. Charles’ son, Bill, joined the operations in 1946. He wore many hats in the business: writer, reporter, photographer and advertising salesman.

     Bill was born and raised in Monticello. He was the oldest of several children. It wasn’t until he was discharged from his service in the Navy during WWII that he joined the Express.

     In 1954, Bill sold the business and his family moved to Minnesota.

     John, who will be 70 next year, said it was just the right time to come back and see his old hometown.

     “I wanted to take the time to look at certain memorable places and meet the people here,” he said.

     Aside from a tour of the Monticello Express with current co-owners Mark Spensley and Dan Goodyear and former owner Bob Goodyear, John also reminisced about a time when the newspaper business was housed downtown. At one time, the Express was produced on the second floor of where F&M Bank is housed today on E. First Street. John said the building looks the same today as he remembered it years ago.

     “McNeill Hardware still looks exactly the same,” he said of one of the longest running and family-operated business in Monticello. “It hasn’t changed.”

     He also visited Oakwood Cemetery where many of the Doxsee family are buried.

     John also saw the house on N. Gill Street where his Grandma (Alma) Doxsee lived when he was growing up.

     “I still remember the exact address clear as a bell,” he said.

     John, himself, grew up and lived in a house on Jackson Street.

     “That was our first house here,” he said. “My folks built it.”

     John also had plans to visit with Don Adams, a Monticello resident who knew his family for years.

     John never entered the newspaper business, but recalls fond memories of coming into the shop from time to time.

     “This paper has a strong legacy,” he said.

     He said up until his father’s last days, he had a sharp mind and remembered his own days working in the newspaper business in Monticello.