Ben J. Plastino Papers Collection

Contents: About Ben J. Plastino | About the Collection | Tech

About Ben J. Plastino

Ben J. Plastino, the son of Italian immigrants who were early pioneers of Market Lake, Idaho, made his mark on Idaho as a newspaperman and community leader for over fifty years.

A native of southeastern Idaho, Ben returned to Idaho Falls after graduating from the University of Idaho in 1932 in journalism, when it was very challenging to achieve a college degree during the height of the Great Depression, and then having spent nine years as a reporter at the Lewiston Morning Tribune.

He joined the Idaho Falls Post Register in 1942 where he remained for forty-one years, first as a reporter and city editor, and then rising to managing editor, political editor, and executive editor.

Ben fully embraced his life as a journalist, and his devotion to that profession was evident in his five decades of coverage of the Idaho Legislature; his interviews with every United States President since Franklin Roosevelt, except for Eisenhower; and nearly all presidential, vice presidential, Idaho congressional, State and local officials and candidates. He provided ringside coverage of such regional events as the establishment and maturation of the Idaho National Laboratory, the Yellowstone earthquake, the Teton Dam failure, and of every major political and environmental issue affecting Idaho.

Ben was a prolific writer, producing tens of thousands of straight news and opinion pieces, and typing them all on his trusty manual Underwood typewriter, until computers were introduced into the newsroom; and he usually took his own photographs.

To commemorate his retirement, the Idaho Legislature passed a resolution in 1982 honoring his fifty years of reporting. In part, it states,

“…we recognize the contributions of Ben Plastino to the vigorous free press in the state of Idaho. We recognize the unique perspective he brings to reports, giving the reader benefit of his experience and insight, providing the background which makes today’s events comprehensible in the historical perspective. Ben Plastino has consistently respected the role of journalists and maintained a healthy adversary relationship with personalities making news. His commitment to the concepts of a free press has contributed to the maintenance of freedom in our society. On the occasion of his fortieth [sic] anniversary with the Post Register, and over fifty years reporting politics in Idaho, we acknowledge the contributions of Ben Plastino and commend him for a job well done.”

Ben took his obligation to newspaper readers very seriously, believing readers were smart and that his job was to present the news fairly and completely so his readers could make up their own minds about the important issues of the day. Yet, he also relished stating his own views and the reasons for them in thousands of twice-weekly opinion pieces.

Ben had an excellent record predicting the outcome of Idaho political races through the decades, because he, each election year, did what he called the “Valley Swing”, driving up and down the Upper Snake River Valley interviewing farmers in the field, barbers and clients in the shop, buyers in the grocery stores, and others of every station in life to understand the issues that were important to them, and how that translated to their vote.

Ben felt very lucky to have the opportunity to devote his work life to something he professionally believed in and enthusiastically loved.

He maintained an abundant zest for life and a great enjoyment of people. He felt it paramount to treat people fairly and with respect.

Ben loved Idaho, and especially his home in southeastern Idaho. He felt it was an obligation for every citizen to contribute to their community. He was a member of many organizations in Idaho, receiving significant awards and honors for his incisive yet fair work. Among them were the Seventh Judicial District Liberty Bell Award, which now permanently bears his name; and the Idaho Statesman’s Distinguished Citizen Award.

Ben met his future wife, Margaret St. Clair, at the Bonneville County Courthouse in 1948, when, as a Registered Nurse, Margaret was the only full-time employee of the County public health system. She also had a very long and storied career, attending to those without other options for medical care in the County, and vaccinating thousands of citizens. Upon her death at almost 104, she was the oldest Registered Nurse in Idaho, having received her nurses’ cap in 1939. She was a wise and engaged observer of the political scene, as well. They had three daughters: Donna, Diane and Paula. Ben died in 1995 in Idaho Falls, at the age of 86.

(Biographical sketch provided by Plastino’s daughter, Diane Plastino Graves)

About the Collection

The Ben J. Plastino Papers, 1947-1998 were donated to the University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives by Diane Plastino Graves in 2024. Special Collections arranged the materials into 36 folders by general, overarching topic.

Folders 1-11 contain articles on Idaho election politics; Folders 12-25 contain articles on Idaho legislative news; Folders 26-27 contain articles on national politics; Folders 28-29 contain articles on local politics; Folders 30-32 contain articles on additional miscellaneous topics and oversized articles; Folders 33-36 contain non-newspaper materials including books, letters, and photographs.

Terra Miller, a student worker for the Center for Digital Inquiry and Learning, scanned the materials. Textual items were converted into PDF files and photographs were converted into JPG files. The metadata for the digitized materials was created by Logan Romans as part of a fellowship with the University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives. Terra Miller, Emilia Searcy-Jorgensen, Maryelizabeth Koepele, and Kevin Dobbins assisted with the metadata formatting and descriptions.