Ray Hart dies

Friday, April 24, 2009
Grant Segall
Plain Dealer Reporter
Ray Hart seemed to have spies everywhere.
"He had a scoop every day," said Bill Hickey, Hart's longtime partner in covering TV and radio for The Plain Dealer. "He drove the Press nuts."
Hart died April 14 at Fisher Titus Medical Cen ter, near his home in Nor walk. He was 80.
Hart spent about 32 years at The Plain Dealer, starting as a school sports reporter and winding up as a features copy editor. But the big, quiet, cheerful man was best known for a long stint in between with TV and radio.
He was born in North Canton and graduated from Hoover High School there. He spent a few years living in Canal Fulton and working for his father's meat and meat locker business.
"Ray hated every minute of it," his wife, the former Joan Dimpsey, recalled Tuesday.
Hart briefly studied undertaking in Indiana, then came home and found his life's work. He covered the region's acclaimed school sports for six years with the Canton Repository and several with The Plain Dealer.
Then he covered TV and radio with equal enthusiasm. He hit it off with touchy stars such as Dorothy Fuldheim and went fishing with a few of them.
In a sometimes slovenly profession, he favored a tie and jacket. He also smoked a pipe for many years. The doctor finally told him to cut down. Hart quit cold turkey.
He broke another longtime habit last year. He missed his first Ohio basketball championship in 56 years.
"He thought 55 was a good place to stop," said his widow.
Hart retired from The Plain Dealer in 1993 and edited stories for the Sun Newspapers.
In 1997, the couple moved to Norwalk to be near their daughter, Karen. There he wrote and announced for WLKR FM/95.3 and edited the bulletin of First Presbyterian Church.

This would have been a great contest

A Plain Dealer wry wit revisited by Richard G. Ellers

The late Robert T. Stock was variously a Plain Dealer reporter, editorial writer, Letters to the Editor editor and a not-often-enough humor columnist.

A spouse-induced chore of cleaning my desk was pleasantly interrupted today when I found a clipping I'd saved, a prime example of Bob's wry wit.

No matter that the date is missing from the clip, most of his words still work, albeit some lines outdated: Sorry, these were pre-computer days, you hadda be there to enjoy them.

Thoughts

by Robert T. Stock

By the time you read this, the Press Club of Cleveland will have picked its news media award winners and they deserve a lot of credit, but I would like to suggest some additional award categories, all in the newspaper section.

As follows:

1 Best news story written while intoxicated.

2. Snottiest remark by assistant city editor to a male reporter under 40.

3. Snottiest remark to an assistant city editor by a reporter (male or female) over 55.

4. Best feature story by a reporter sticking his nose into somebody else's beat.

5. Neatest copy boy. (Repeated efforts to revive this category have failed for lack of competition., but it is worth one more try.)

6. Most imaginative expense account by a reporter working under deadline pressure ("How was I to know they had another hotel in Chicago?")

7. Tallest copy editor who graduated from a Big Ten college.

8. Best sports story written in long hand.

9. Most attractive wig worn by a society editor who does not have a private office.

10. Most incisive quotes composed by reporter writing without help of notes.

11. Best editorial written without nagging fear of facts.

12. Longest hook shot into city room wastebasket. (Separate competition for Plain Dealer and Press due to higher ceilings at Press.)

13. Best sports story written in high German under deadline pressure.

14. Most vicious memo by a reporter who is sure of employment elsewhere.

15. Most vicious memo by a reporter who is not sure of employment elsewhere.

16. Any sports story which gives the score in the first paragraph.

16A. Headline least related to a story.

17. Neatest locker

---

New Deals on Dell Netbooks - Now starting at $299

Adios to David Briggs

Help send former religion writer David Briggs off to Nashville! Join him at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, at the Agora, 5000 Euclid Ave. Cash bar and menu.
Pls help spread the word accordingly.
Agora management asked for a crowd estimate. Pls RSVP with a yes, no, maybe, depends if I've finished my 1040, whatever.
Hope to see you there!
Please RSVP to Grant Segall: grantsegall@msn.com

It's lunch time!

PD Editorial Retirees & Expatriates
Casual unstructured lunch troupe
Gather for lunch on the last Fridays of January, April, July and October
Spouses and guests always welcome

NEXT LUNCHEON: 12:30 p.m., Friday, April 24

PLACE: Li Wah Restaurant, 2999 Payne Avenue (Asian Plaza, E. 30th Street and Payne)

MENU: (Family style) appetizer, cashew shrimp, chicken with mixed vegetables, pepper steak, rice, tea and cookie.

Cost: $12 plus tip

RSVP by Monday, April 20
Janet Beighle French (216) 221-2318, or email jabfr519@sbcglobal.net
JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923, or email japallant@sbcglobal.net