Seth DuChene
As a reporter, Dominik Wisniewski made my job easy.
He was completely dependable. He never questioned an assignment or failed to meet a deadline. His writing needed very little editing, and he required very little guidance – not bad considering that this was his first reporting job, and English was his second language.
What was truly exceptional about Dominik, however, was his willingness to give of himself and his time. If he was your friend, he went out of his way to help you out. He never failed to ask about how you were doing, or how your family was doing. It was never ‘about him’. I think that it will be Dominik’s selflessness that I’ll remember the most.
I remember sending Dominik to one of his first assignments: a blood donor clinic in Yarker. I gave him the time and the location for the event, and that was that. No questions asked. What Dominik failed to do was tell me that he had an overwhelming fear of the sight of blood. So, when he set foot in the door, took at look at the things that normally happen at a blood donor clinic, he turned white as a ghost and needed to sit down. However, and perhaps with the help of clinic staff, Dominik somehow mustered the strength to get a picture and short story for the paper. Had I known, I’d never have sent him there in the first place, but that would have required Dominik to do something Dominik never did: say ‘no’ to someone. That wasn’t him. He was committed to the job. Acrimonious landfill meetings, armed standoffs, marathon council meetings, you name it — Dominik never batted an eye.
He just did his job.
Seth Duchene was editor of the Napanee Beaver for Dominik’s entire tenure