Richard J. “Dick” Brockman, the man behind The Platteville Journal front-page column, “The Gospel According to Eddie Tor,” died April 22, 2013, at age 65.
By his own description, Brockman worked at The Journal for 51 of his first 56 years. His parents purchased the newspaper in 1933 and he began stuffing papers by age five. A graduate of Platteville High School and UW-Platteville, Brockman purchased the paper from his parents in 1971. He operated it until 2003, when he sold it to Morris Newspapers Corporation of Wisconsin.
A year after selling the paper, he purchased the Linn Newsletter in Central City, Iowa. He owned and operated Mastercraft Press in Platteville, for many years. He built and operated Grizzly Flats Roller Skating Rink in Platteville and was an active member many civic organizations and supported many events such as, Dairy Days, the Historic Encampment, Thursday’s Child, the Avalon Theatre restoration, City Park gazebo and Building Platteville.
“He went to great lengths to stay in the background,” Kathy Kopp, executive director of the Platteville Area Chamber of Commerce told the The Journal, following Brockman’s death. “That was the way he was. Dick was a huge part of this community for a very long time.”
