It was 40 years ago this week, Sept. 15, 1971, in fact, that Stan Ber's first sports column, "Columbia Sportsline," appeared. Although Stan's name is now synonymous with the Columbia Flier and Howard County Times newspapers, he first wrote for the Columbia Life and was that paper's sports editor.

"I did it and did not get paid. I did it for the hell of it," Stan said in a 2009 interview. His day job was with the federal government.

After the Columbia Life folded in mid-1973, Jean Moon, then-editor of the Columbia Flier, asked Stan to join the staff of her newspaper. He agreed to do it until they found a replacement.

His first Flier column, "Speaking of Sports" appeared in August 1973. By September, he was the paper's sports editor, a position he held until 1999 when he became sports columnist. His column eventually morphed into "Bits & Pieces."

"Stan seemed like the kind of person to start our sports section," Moon said. "He is such a great person. He is truly, truly interested in not just sports, but what sports means for the development of young people. That overriding concern came through right from the beginning. He had the big picture in mind."

For 40 years, Stan has been doing what he does best — keeping the community apprised of local sports happenings. He's covered many opening days, tweaked the establishment when it needed it and patted people on the back for their accomplishments. He has been the voice of Howard County's sports.

Because others have recognized the importance of Stan's role, he was inducted into the Howard County Community Sports Hall of Fame in October 2009.

Forty years sounds like a long time, but the years have gone by quickly. If you would like to send your congratulations or share a rememberance with him, send it to howardcountysports@patuxent.com.