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From the Newsroom: Notebook offers glimpse of eruptionSubscriber Exclusive

The Columbian

Published: June 8, 2024, 6:10am

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Amanda Cowan/The Columbian Editor Tom Koenninger’s notebook from May 1980 was recently discovered. Photo Gallery

Recently, a Columbian reader found an old Portage Professional Reporter’s Notebook and gave it to Publisher Ben Campbell.

The notebook’s cover bears the name, address and phone number of Tom Koenninger, the longtime editor of The Columbian and a legend in Southwest Washington journalism. The reader must have recognized Tom’s name and brought the notebook to Ben, who gave it to me.

Of course, I immediately leafed through the pages and realized that, even though the notebook bears no date, it contains eight pages of notes that Koenninger likely took immediately after the May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Like many journalists, Tom’s handwriting is terrible. And, unfortunately, Tom isn’t here to transcribe his scribbles. Tom spent 37 years at The Columbian, including serving as editor from 1973-2000. He died in November 2010.

So I put on my Acme 90 percent accurate translator goggles and found some interesting information. The mountain erupted shortly after 8 a.m. on a Sunday, so Tom probably took these notes at home while talking to someone by phone.

“Whole west band — lava bed/Rock and debris white rock alluvial mud flow,” reads the first page. “Every tree laying due west/Like atomic bomb.”

On the next few pages, the handwriting gets bigger, as if Tom was becoming more agitated and emotional.

“Instantaneous concussion/ Reid’s (Reid Blackburn, the Columbian photographer who was killed in the blast) car whole area solid gray ash to top of hood smoldering. … Spirit Lake west edge — part of lava flow/no way Harry (I presume Tom’s referring to the death of Harry Truman, the colorful proprietor of Spirit Lake Lodge who refused to leave and likely was buried alive).

“Coming down west side/burning everything it touches/it’s pure white/everything moving is hot and gray/everything downriver — water boiling (illegible) North Fork Toutle (River)…

“Concussion/every tree laid/70 percent of mountain wall coming down/whole north side (of mountain) opened up/trees laying out in rows… (illegible) bulldozer and yarder (a piece of logging equipment) thrown like toys.”

As I read Tom’s notes, I could imagine how he must have felt as he wrote them. Tom was a Clark County native, and knew and loved Southwest Washington and his news staff. It must have been horrifying.

“Volvo (Blackburn drove a Volvo) gray paint still on it/burned, flat, (illegible) ash on top/glass of car out.

“12-15 miles to west now flattened …”

Then: “Reid — solid, serious/No signs of life within miles.”

These notes end with one last entry: “Dwight/Reber/34/so hot.” According to our May 19, 1980, story on the eruption, Reber was a pilot for Columbia Helicopters who risked his life searching for Blackburn that day. I am guessing the 34 may refer to Reber’s age, which was a standard reporter question in those days. Reber seems to be the source of Tom’s notes.

Blackburn’s body was recovered several days later.

After those entries, the ink changes from blue ballpoint pen to a red felt tip. The notes still seem to be about Mount St. Helens, but taken later in the spring of 1980, and might refer to licensing rights to our photos.

Later, there’s a page dated July 17, 1980, that looks like notes Tom might have taken when interviewing someone for a job. I was struck by how much smaller, and, in Tom’s way, how much neater the handwriting was.

One last observation: the notebook seems to have fewer pages than I remember that particular brand of reporter’s notebook having. I wonder if Tom ripped out some pages. Would they have been about the eruption? Could they have been too painful to keep?

Now, 44 years after the eruption, we can only speculate.

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