Under His Wing

by Preston Crompton

Growing up I always read my father’s columns in the paper. Coming from a newspaper family I was probably a little rebellious by not reading through the whole thing but just going straight to his columns. I remember thinking no matter what I grow up to do, I want to be able to write columns for The Press one day. Going through college I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. The last couple years I realized ending up working for my dad was an ideal situation. After graduating last semester I decided I wanted to get one last semester of working at the university recreation center. After this semester I was looking to start my career as a journalist and learn everything my dad knows. I was excited and extremely nervous at the same time. I was hoping he would ease me into it and take me under his wing, but under the circumstances it probably won’t be that easy. I hope to be able to fill the void for the time being but I know I still have a ways to go before I can write columns as eloquent as my dad’s.

People that know my father know that he does a lot for this community and a lot for his family. I know that’s true because over the past week Robert, my brother, my mother, Debbie Crompton and I have been fielding phone calls and texts for Brett, owner of The Power County Press, Aberdeen Times and co-owner at the Burley Reminder and Litho Printing. I didn’t think someone could know that many people. We have had friends and family stop in to see how he is doing and heard that plenty more are calling The Press to see what his status is.

I’ll give an update right now from what we know that will maybe help put some people at ease. Brett had an aneurysm in his brain last Sunday, April 27th while golfing. He started to get an intense pain in his neck at the beginning of hole 3 and finished the hole before driving himself home and eventually driving himself to the hospital (which is something that runs in the Crompton blood line). He was then life-flighted from American Falls to Salt Lake City. He is doing great. He went through surgery last Monday and has been in the Neural Critical Care Unit at the University of Utah Medical Center since. They have people checking in on him almost every half an hour. He should be in that area for another week or so and then will be transferred just down the hall to the Intensive Care Medical Unit. We appreciate all the friends and family that have been helping us through this rough time, I would thank everyone individually but it would take up most of the paper.

I always thought it would be great to write columns for my dad, I just didn’t want it to happen this way. It’s amazing how fast things can happen; last Saturday and Sunday morning we were bracing through a cold game of golf and then later that night we were in Salt Lake City. Right now it’s hard to focus on this column when my thoughts are elsewhere, but I want to let everyone know we are doing fine and hope to have Brett back writing these columns sooner rather than later.