Once Upon A Time On College Street

Prologue Justin Walterovich sat in his office at the West Champlain News-Times, staring down at his Champlain College 30th reunion invitation. Above his desk hung a photo from the early days—the moving-in day at Sanders Hall, with his brothers Jamie Samuelovich and JB Swantonovich by his side. The memory felt as fresh as yesterday, but when he gazed at the photo, the reflection looking back at him painted a different story. Decades spent in community journalism had taken its toll, as had his work to protect the healing waters of Redbridge and the very existence of Champ, still swimming strong in the ecosystem of Lake Champlain. Jamie Iceman Samuelovich had reinvented himself as a successful film and stage actor, while JB Swantonovich, at just 18 years old, had already earned the nickname “Ben Franklin of Franklin County” for his entrepreneurial acumen. JB's businesses flourished, and his economic model, which cleverly combined cigarettes and Star Wars figures, became economic paradigm of Sanders Hall. The family had grown; a multitude of nephews and nieces made every Fourth of July family reunion feel like the Tunbridge World's Fair. On the surface, there was nothing left to desire. Beneath the surface, however, something inside Justin Walterovich felt unsettled.