Related story: They call it home

By Bob Jagolinzer
Journal Staff Writer

The story of Mildred and Alfred Porter and their life close by the state's Central Landfill in Johnston was a story where getting the interview proved to be the hardest part.

Like a lot of good stories, it came up by accident.

I was with Northwest regional editor Gayle Gertler and one of the officials from Resource Recovery, who was giving us the grand tour of the landfill and the surrounding area. He mentioned that there was an elderly couple who had lived there for years, but he didn't seem to know much about them.

Gayle thought that anyone living for decades within hollering distance of that mound of trash had to have an interesting story to tell. She also thought their pictures should go with the story.

When I talked with photographer Bill Murphy we decided that just showing up at the couple's front door, announcing ourselves and telling them we wanted to do a story probably would not work. We decided to go to their house, tell them who we were and what we wanted and try to set up an appointment to return.

The first trip we made there was unproductive. No one was home. During the course of a month I made a couple of other trips there, and each time no one was home.

Then Bill and I gave it another try. The Porters weren't home, but their granddaughter was there. She said they might be amenable to a story and gave us their telephone number. I called, and Alfred Porter agreed to see us.

When we got there, for some reason they didn't invite us into the house. Instead, we interviewed them in their yard.

There had been a little snow, and we were under some pine trees. The snow kept falling onto my notes, which was a pain. But the outdoor interview proved beneficial. I heard a pheasant call, a couple of times.

During the interview in their yard, and in a couple of subsequent telephone conversations, what came across continually was how unassuming these people are.

They live near the landfill, don't mind it and just want to be left alone. Quite a contrast from other neighbors, who angrily demand that the landfill be closed now.

Knowing the landfill and what goes on there helped tell this story. It helped to be able to talk about the kinds of annoyances (trucks, seagulls and noise) that the Porters put up with.

When I talked to their son, he told me of the days in the neighborhood before the landfill. He mentioned how rural it was and how people would swim in the Simmonsville Reservoir.

As I wrote the story, I could not get one idea out of my head: These were just a couple of quiet people living in what is probably one of the most controversial (and inhospitable) neighborhoods in the state. They call it home and don't mind the annoyances.

Hopefully, the story showed that.