Bucher reflects on some of his 2022 columns
COVID-19 was winding down. Wait, it was? That’s funny I got it twice, and the second time was not fun at all. We still have people dying. Make it stop along with the war in Eastern Europe and these flippin’ gas prices.
OK, rant over. It’s time to look back at my favorite 2022 stories. Like the high-flying mayor of Middletown.
Late Dayton Journal Herald columnist Mickey Davis would always tell me. “Buch, everyone has a story.” And Middletown’s up, up and away flying mayor Nicole Condrey’s has no end in sight.
She is a performer with Team Fastrax, competitor with the United States Parachute Team and the customer experience office with Start Skydiving, Oh, and she has time for mayoral duties.
“I finished my last overseas tour in Khartoum, Sudan, and had been dying for years to pick up an adventurous hobby. During my home leave, I gave both rock climbing (in the Pisgah National Forest) and skydiving (in Suffolk, Virginia) a shot. A few too many poorly anchored rock holds later, skydiving seemed to be more successful for my personal hand-eye coordination,” she spoke.
This is where she met the love of her life, Ron. Soon, they married and her husband retired from the Navy. He had suffered multiple traumatic brain injuries as well as post-traumatic stress. Their journey landed them with their heads in the clouds in Middletown, Ohio.
They officially uprooted from the sandy shores of Virginia Beach in July 2017 in favor of the swiftly flowing beauty of the Great Miami River in Middletown for Team Fastrax, “America’s Skydiving Team.” Ron’s TBIs began to significantly impact his executive functioning skills, making it nearly impossible to compose emails, focus on tasks and maintain emotional composure. Ron fought for three years before ultimately taking his own life.
But unimaginable as it seemed, Condrey kept going.
“I had zero interest in politics. I still have zero interest in politics. A fellow Notre Dame graduate recently coined me a ‘Reluctant Politician,’ which sums up my experience quite nicely,” Condrey says.
“Overnight, I recognized that this was a purposeful challenge that had just crossed my path. I felt Middletown needed new energy, a focus on transparency and communications, and a voice for its people. I previously thought of service to our country on a national and international level. Mayor? You could directly impact the livelihood of your neighbors, actually see the progress,” says says.
Know what? She ran and won. Next chapter? Well, she won’t say if she’ll run again, but for now “the personal mission” continues.
A tough story to write this year was my column on A.J. Wagner. Why do the good die young?
You may be wondering why this tribute to a life well lived is told with humor.
Trust me, it’s what longtime Montgomery County Auditor, elementary school teacher, candidate for Dayton mayor, State School Board member, community activist, mentor, neighbor, dad, husband, grandfather, friend to all, my personal adviser and therapist, and poet A.J. Wagner would have wanted.
We lost A.J. Aug. 25 due to complications from leukemia at just 70 with the love of his life Joan (married 49 years) and daughters Aileen and Maureen by his side.
But what he accomplished in that short period of time is incredible.
Can’t begin to tell you how much this wonderful human being touched so many lives, thousands I would guess. He and his Joan opened their big yellow house to University of Dayton students near the UD campus for coffee and fellowship, growing a snow-white beard and dressing as Santa to thrill the kids during UD’s Christmas on campus, and hundreds of other charitable events. He would rarely say no. After the auditor gig and judgeship, AJ retired.
After his judicial career wrapped up, the Wagners moved back to State College, Pennsylvania to be closer to their beloved grandchildren. But the word “retire” was not in his vocabulary.
With the move he found a new community and new projects. A.J.’s passion for making the world a better place led him to spearhead the Butterfly PAC, a political action committee dedicated to supporting candidates who work to address child poverty and hunger.
A.J. was many things to all of us—my guess is “Papa” was No. 1—but his love of poetry was a close second. I was honored and humbled as I moved from behind the scenes at WDTN to in front of the camera. A.J. true to form was the first to congratulate my “Bucher’s Beat” segment with a poem. His humor and wit continue to be missed.
Buch
