As Peggy Wallace retires from The Mountain Times, we celebrate her remarkable 25-year journey with the newspaper. Known for her warmth, dedication, and advocacy, Peggy has been the heart and soul of The Mountain Times and the spirit of the mountain community. Her unwavering commitment to the community and the paper has left an indelible mark, inspiring us all for years to come.
Peggy’s story begins in New York, where she was born and raised. Fresh out of high school, she entered the workforce, excelling in office work – primarily because she had two skills taught in school: typing and shorthand. But the call of adventure beckoned, and Peggy left her native city to embrace the hippie lifestyle, traveling through the United States, Mexico and the Bay Area. “I was a hippie by night and a secretary by day,” she recalls with a laugh. Her journey took a significant turn when she arrived in Portland, intending only to visit a friend. She ending up staying. After working at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Peggy met her husband and moved to the Mt. Hood area.
Peggy was drawn into the newspaper world by Tom Teven and Marie Kennedy, the paper’s then-owners, who were going through a transitional period. Peggy’s role at The Mountain Times began as a leap of faith. She quit her waitressing job to assist Tom and dive headfirst into the newspaper’s operations. Over the years, the paper changed hands a few more times, with each owner leaving their mark.
Tom sold the paper to Steve and Lara Wilent in 2001, and Steve asked her to stay on and help. “Every owner brought changes, but the commitment to community never wavered,” Peggy notes. The Wilent’s brought the paper from cut and paste into the digital age.
In 2008, ownership of the paper transferred to Fran and Larry Berteau. Under their leadership, the paper transitioned to color and increased from twenty-four to thirty-two pages, marking a significant evolution. Larry, a career journalist, brought his passion for politics and editorials, often stirring lively debates. When Larry and Fran moved to France in 2015, they ran the paper remotely, demonstrating their trust in Peggy and her colleague, Garth Guibord. Eventually, Garth purchased the paper from Fran and ran things, until he sold to Matt Nelson in the Spring of 2023.
Matt, now the newspaper’s current owner, brought a fresh perspective and a deep commitment to the community when he took over. His approach is characterized by honesty, sincerity, and a genuine passion for the stories that shape the lives of those living on the mountain. Peggy appreciated Matt’s dedication to preserving the newspaper’s legacy while also introducing innovative ideas to adapt to the changing times. His warm and approachable nature made him well-liked among the staff and the community.
Throughout her tenure, Peggy stepped into the role of community ambassador. As an ambassador, Peggy was more than just the face of the paper. She was a friend, a neighbor, and a confidante, checking in on businesses and residents. Her deep ties to the community were evident in every interaction, and she has always advocated for those around her. Looking back, Peggy hopes her legacy will be one of dedication and love for the Mt. Hood community. “My work at the paper was an honor and a labor of love,” she says.
Peggy’s retirement marks the end of an era for The Mountain Times, but her presence will still be felt throughout our community. Although she is stepping back from her official role, we can take comfort in knowing that she will continue to contribute in small ways and remain a steadfast supporter. As we bid farewell to Peggy’s formal duties, we are reassured that she will always be a cherished member of our community, advocating for the friends, neighbors, and acquaintances she has come to love. Thank you, Peggy, for your years of dedication and for shaping the heart of our community newspaper.
NOTES FROM FORMER PUBLISHERS
“Peggy Wallace joined the Mountain Times when it was still in its infancy, in the mid-1990s, and it was obvious, right away, that she was a perfect fit with our team. Her journalistic skills proved to be solid, and she had a nose for a good story.
Then, with just a bit of software training, she started building ads, proofing them and working directly with the advertisers. And those advertisers absolutely loved working with her. And so did we. Peggy was instrumental in building the newspaper, its look and feel, from its earliest days.
Here we are, close to 30 years later, with Peggy still at the center of the Mountain Times newsroom. Following several publishers, and many, many newspapers later, she is retiring. I am sure that the current Mountain Times staff will miss her level head and creative input, and that huge knowledge base of the Mount Hood community that she’s built up over the years. Those years with Peggy at my side will live on forever in the mind of this former editor and publisher of the Mountain Times. Enjoy, Peggy! You will be so missed.”
–Marie Kennedy
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“Lara and I first met Peggy Wallace when we bought The Mountain Times in 2001. Tom Tevin, the previous owner, had high praise for Peggy’s work, and we asked her to stay with the MT. We were incredibly relieved that she agreed. I don’t know how we would have managed to produce our first few editions without Peggy. She knew the routine well and calmly guided us as we scrambled to assemble the many parts of each edition — articles, ads, the calendar of events, classified ads, and so on — and deliver them to the printer. Her ability to stay cool, calm, and collected during the monthly deadline rush made Peggy an invaluable part of the team. And she knows the Mountain and its people and history as well as anyone. Peggy stayed on with the MT after we sold the paper to Fran and Larry Berteau in 2008. Peggy has been a friend since way back in 2001 — we’re very glad to know her. Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers, once said, “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” Big hugs and best wishes as you begin something else, Peggy!”
–Steve and Lara Wilent
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“When Larry and I bought The Mountain Times from Steve and Lara Wilent in 2008, I had the distinct privilege of meeting Peggy. At the time, Peggy was designing ads for the MT and we were delighted and felt extremely fortunate to have her come onboard with us. From our first MT rolling off the press until our last, Peggy has been by our side. She is a delight to be around and Larry and I had huge confidence in Peggy during our time at the helm.
Over the many years that the MT has been in publication, Peggy has been at the forefront in one way or another and is truly the proverbial glue for this newspaper. Compassionate and competent, Peggy has progressed from bygone days of pasting up the paper to the current digital age without breaking her stride.
We absolutely loved working with Peggy. She has an enormous sense of humor and we enjoyed many chuckles together over the years. I still miss the back-and-forth banter and laughs with Peggy as we approached our monthly deadlines together. Nothing was too much trouble for Peggy, and she would jump in at a moment’s notice when needed. Peggy deserves her retirement big time. I am very happy Peggy has reached this milestone in her life and wish her the very best – she’s genuinely one of a kind.”
–Frances Berteau
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“Peggy Wallace has been as important and indispensable a part of The Mountain Times as ink and paper. She has done it all, seen it all and given her all for more than 20 years. Beyond her countless accomplishments and contributions as a colleague at The Mountain Times, I am even more privileged to call Peggy my friend, and the wit, intelligence, honesty, kindness and decency she offers has been just as important to me as her work at the paper. Peggy will continue to be a positive and calming influence on the Mountain and beyond, and I look forward to celebrating with her all that she has accomplished and all that she plans to achieve.”
–Garth Guibord
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“When I first met Peggy, she let me know that she was open to staying on for about three months to help me with the transition but then planned on retiring. I realized quickly that having Peggy stick around would be invaluable, so I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. And lucky for me, she accepted. Getting to know her this past year has been the absolute highlight for me in owning this paper. I am very thankful that she gave me that extra time so that we could keep the paper moving along in a somewhat seamless manner. I will miss her monthly contributions greatly, but I am excited for her to experience the next chapter in her life.” – Matt Nelson