She thought the job would last a week. It didn't. It turned out to be a long week, June Wiley said

When June Wiley began working at the Harrodsburg Herald in March 1943, she earned $6 a week. Not an hour ó a week. After a few months, she got a $2 a week raise. Now, more than 59 years later, many aspects of newspapering have changed dramatically but June Wiley is still at The Herald.

Wiley was 21 when she was hired at the paper. She nearly quit her first week. The Linotype machine she operated squirted hot lead droplets on her arm. The tiny burns were painful and she was discouraged but her mother convinced her to stay and finish the week. But before the week was out, Wiley asked the paper's owner for another job. She was reassigned to the advertising department. She's been there ever since.

"It's been a long week," she said, a smile gracing her friendly face.

Over the years, other job opportunities came along but she enjoyed working at The Herald. "I didn't see any point (in leaving)," she said. "They were good to work for.

"It means a lot to work with people who are nice and you like," she said.

Wiley has had a variety of duties in the advertising department over the years. They have included putting ads together, sizing ads, sizing photos for shooting PMTs (photo-mechanical transfers for the younger generation) and proofing ads. She still proofs and waxes ads and keeps them organized.

After her first 30 years on the job, Wiley was presented with two julep cups. At that point, many people would be thinking about retirement and calling it an end to their career. But not June Wiley. At the half-century mark, she was still going strong. She was given a party and VCR by The Herald. It was only then she went into semi-retirement but she didn't slow down much. She still worked three days a week, then two-and-a-half. Now, the 81-year-old works all day Monday and a half day on Tuesday.

Why continue to work at all at her age? She could stay home, Wiley said, but she would be bored. She likes getting out and working with young people.

"I enjoy it," Wiley said. "They keep you feeling young."

Wiley's goal now is to work at least one more year to make it 60 at The Herald.

The Herald's ad manager is Cathy Caton. June Wiley is like family ó like a grandmother, Caton said.

"She's sweet as can be," Caton said. Having been on the job for nearly six decades, Wiley is a tremendous asset and resource for her ad staff, Caton said.

Herald publisher Bill Randolph has worked with Wiley for 21 years. He's highly complimentary of her even-tempered disposition. Deadline stress can do bad things to newspaper people sometimes but he's never seen Wiley cross or blow up at anyone, he said.

Although Wiley is the dean of long-time staffers at The Harrodsburg Herald, several of her co-workers have been at the paper 25 to 30 years, some even longer.

"I think it says a lot about the business ó about how we treat our employees," Randolph said.