Charlie Apt was never bashful. — Bob Johnson
Apt had a private law practice in Iola and was city attorney for many years before his death in 2000.
Some of the more delightful of my news-gathering experiences were attending city commission meetings when Apt held the city’s legal reins.
He, Mike Russell, from the radio station, and I huddled in three chairs at the end of the commissioners’ table. Our whispered exchanges often had nothing to do with the business being transacted.
Apt would have made a good stand-up comedian. He was quick of wit and could translate the most serious of commentary into humor.
The three of us carried on for several years, with the two commissioners and mayor accepting our good-natured conversations. We knew not to be too loud, and never let our banter interfere with business.
Finally, though, the hammer fell. A commissioner, whose identity isn’t important, made a sanctimonious move that ended our fun.
When we showed up for a Tuesday afternoon meeting, a small table was positioned several feet from the commissioners, with nameplates for Mike and I. Apt remained at the table where business was conducted.
The “press” table remained vacant, though. Mike and I deferred and took seats at the back of the spectator section — where we stayed for several months in our rendition of a civil disobedience protest. Eventually we were “elevated” to the Municipal Court judge’s bench, to give us a place easier to jot down notes.
At some point we noticed a buzzer hidden under edge of the judge’s desk top, which we quickly figured out was there to summon police officers if defendants became unruly during court sessions.
We resisted the temptation to press it. Wish we would have been bolder; that would have been a hoot.
Apt’s antics weren’t restricted to commission meetings.
He occasionally strode into the Register office, usually to bring a legal notice for publication, and invariably would bellow: “How’s everything with the Daily Disappointment?”
It wasn’t a mean admonition, just Charlie’s way of getting attention.
There’s a time to be serious — but not all the time.
A little humor doesn’t hurt
