PD alumni news

Jan. 27 luncheon

2012-01-16T10:21:00.000-05:00

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: Noon, Friday, January 27, 2012

PLACE: Carrie Cerino’s Ristorante, 8922 Ridge Road, North Royalton

Order from menu, including Pork Tenderloin Piccata, Parmesan Crusted Tlapia,
Chicken Breast Parmigiana or Eggplant Parigiana (with pasta or potato, salad and rolls),
plus salads or sandwiches. Prices from $8.50 to $10.50

Take I-480 west to Ridge Road exit, south on Ridge past Sprague Road.
The restaurant is on the west side of Ridge and has ample parking.

RSVP by Tuesday, January 24
Janet Beighle French (216) 221-2318 or email jabfr519@sbcglobal.net or
JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923 or email japallant@sbcglobal.net

Sportswriter McDermott dies

2012-01-06T11:40:00.002-05:00

From the PD

Jack McDermott covered sports for The Plain Dealer and other papers

Published: Thursday, January 05, 2012, 3:01 PM Updated: Thursday, January 05, 2012, 3:18 PM
By Grant Segall
View full sizeLarry Hamel-Lambert, The Plain Dealer
Lorain -- Jack McDermott hung out with world champions but liked interviewing teenage hopefuls, too.

McDermott, a long-time sportswriter for The Plain Dealer and other area newspapers, died Monday, Jan. 2, at home in Lorain from an apparent heart attack. The 68-year-old had suffered heart problems for years.

"Jack loved Lorain, knew it like the back of his hand and loved those kids out there," said Bob Fortuna, Plain Dealer sportswriter. "And the people in Lorain County loved Jack."

Those people included Joe Gentile, a boxer turned promoter. "Jack was a real, real nice guy," said Gentile. "He was fair with people. He was very supportive."

Gentile said he and McDermott had dinner with Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner in 1975, before the boxers' championship clash at the new Richfield Coliseum. And McDermott posed for a photo while taking a mock punch from champion Larry Holmes.

McDermott also covered countless young unknowns, including future stars like football's Matt Wilhelm, who won championships with Ohio State and Green Bay.

McDermott was born in Amherst and lived in Lorain County the rest of his life. He graduated from St. Mary Catholic School and Ohio State University.

In the mid-1960s, he began to cover high school teams for the Elyria Chronicle. He joined the Lorain Journal in 1969 and covered the Cavaliers's first years, including the Miracle of Richfield.

On the side, he was sports information director at Baldwin-Wallace College under football patriarch Lee Tressel and later at Oberlin College.

In 1978, he was sports editor of the short-lived Ohio Observer in Mansfield. He joined The Plain Dealer a year later and transferred to the paper's new Lorain County bureau in 1992. He retired in 2006.

McDermott coached his children in recreational baseball and softball. He was a passionate Democrat and Irish-American. He especially liked the Irish Tenor who shared his name.

His son, John M., coaches boys' basketball and girls' softball at Brookside High School in Sheffield and freelances sports stories for the Elyria Chronicle.
John Edmund McDermott

1943-2011

Survivors: Wife, the former Mary Kay Walker; mother, the former Margaret Mackin of North Ridge ville; children, John M. of Lorain, Kris Higgins of Hilliard, O., Molly McDermott of Amherst and Katy Smith of Clyde, O.; and 10 grand children.

Funeral: Private.

Contributions: St. Jude Chil dren's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, stjude.org, or Autism Speaks, 5455 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2250, Los Angeles, CA 90036, autismspeaks.org.

Arrangements: Dovin and Reber Jones of Amherst.

Globe trotting Armao wins award

2011-12-17T22:43:00.004-05:00

Former Plain Dealer reporter and University at Albany journalism professor Rosemary Armao
was recently part of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, which won the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding International Investigative Reporting for a piece entitled "Off Shore Ink."
The piece provides a look at how organized crime and shady businesses have used corruption procedures in places like the Caribbean and Cyprus to elude accountability.

The project's website explained:

A series of stories documenting offshore tax havens, the criminals who use them and the millions of dollars in lost tax money has been awarded the top prize by the The International Consortium for Investigative Journalists.

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project assembled a team of reporters throughout Eastern Europe and the United States to track the burgeoning network of offshore companies used to hide ownership and assets, launder money and create secret businesses that elude law enforcement agents worldwide.

The award was announced in Kyiv, Ukraine at the 2011 Global Investigative Journalism Conference. The prize is named in honor of Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered in Pakistan in 2002 while attempting to interview members of the Al Qaeda terrorist network.

Over the course of six months, OCCRP reporters investigated offshore tax havens including the U.S. state of Delaware, the Cayman Islands, Seychelles, New Zealand, Romania and Ukraine. The project, Offshore Crime Inc. included OCCRP reporters going undercover posing as businessmen looking to cheat on taxes with impunity.

OCCRP was selected the top project out of 70 entries from 30 countries.

To see the University of Albany's student press story go to: http://www.albanystudentpress.org/news/ualbany-professor-recognized-for-international-reporting-1.2678414#.Tu1jGJhE670

Pass the nuts

2011-11-23T12:56:00.002-05:00

Dan Coughlin serves up a second rollicking collection of stories about colorful characters and memorable events from his four decades covering sports for Cleveland TV and newspapers. Meet the gun-toting fanatics of Morgana Park–once home of “the most intense slow pitch softball league in the world.” Sit in on a star-studded night in the legendary Theatrical Restaurant alongside Don King while Dan flips a coin for a $500 bar tab with Ted Turner. Ride along on a series of death-defying, top-priority helicopter trips to report on . . . high school football. Reading Dan’s stories is like dipping into a bowl of bar nuts–easy to start and hard to stop!

Here's a link to his blog and book ordering info:
http://dcoughlin.wordpress.com/books-by-dan/

Holiday Book Sale

2011-11-15T13:07:00.000-05:00

Craving the new Steve Jobs biography? The definitive $75 coffee-table tome "Harry Potter: Page to Screen"? Or Annie Leibowitz's new photography collection: "Pilgrimage"?

All will be among the thousands of books for adults and children on sale in the Community Room on the Plain Dealer's second floor. The inventory includes hundreds of audiobooks, videos, CDs and a mix of miscellany.
Dec 8, Thursday, 3-6 p.m.
Dec. 9, Friday, 9 a.m. to noon

Checks and cash to the United Way. Prices remain steady: $3 hardcovers, $2 paperbacks & CDs, $8 audiobooks and $10 coffee-table books. Children's books will be limited to 10 per person on Thursday.

Karen Long

Terry Oblander dies

2011-11-14T17:26:00.002-05:00

PD's obit by Grant Segall

Medina -- An official once called a press conference at the Akron-Canton Airport to announce that he'd fly to Texas to promote the airport.

A small story, to be sure, but reporter Terry Oblander made it a little bigger. He learned that the official would fly out of Cleveland Hopkins International.

Oblander, a long-time area journalist and Public Squares puzzle maker, died Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Cleveland Clinic about two weeks after a heart attack. He was 64.

His life was fairly short and challenging. He nursed a dying wife in 1992, then raised their three boys, including an infant. He brought the boys to some meetings he covered and somehow attended all their ballgames.

There were triumphs, too, at Ravenna's Record-Courier, the Akron Beacon Journal and The Plain Dealer. Among several prizes, he shared a first place from the Associated Press of Ohio for coverage of a murder and a 1987 Pulitzer for coverage of a threatened takeover of Goodyear.

Through the ups and downs, the big, shaggy-haired Oblander told memorable stories with memorable laughter. It would start as a little wheeze. Then look out.

For the past 10 years, he tickled Plain Dealer readers six days a week with Public Squares, a puzzle of scrambled words and homegrown puns:

"Q. What did tipsy sailors say when they returned to the USS Cod from a bar?"

"A. Down the hatch."

The generous author made a few free puzzles to help readers commemorate birthdays or anniversaries.

Over the decades, he covered politics, labor, suburban news, the Kent State shootings and much more. He was also president of the Beacon's Local 7 for journalists and janitors.

Plain Dealer Editor Debra Adams Simmons said, "Terry Oblander was a thoughtful, dedicated journalist who spent his career chronicling the stories of Northeast Ohio. He was creative and quirky and always looking for new ways to push Public Squares to the next level."

Steve Luttner, a former Plain Dealer reporter, said, "Terry Oblander was a pure, battle-tested newsman.... He was totally honest and unflinchingly direct."

Oblander was born in Cleveland and raised in Olmsted Falls. He graduated from Cuyahoga Community College and attended Kent State University.

He spent 13 months with the Record-Courier, partly as religion editor and farms editor. He lived with some colleagues in a Ravenna home they called the "Lock Street Rock Festival."

Then came 19 years at the Beacon, mostly as a reporter, but also a copy editor, assistant metro editor and assistant state editor. He also wrote a puzzle called Groaners and a column of short news items called Ideas and a citizens band radio column called CB Break.

He tried to be objective but never dull. A Republican leader once complained that Oblander had registered as a Democrat. Oblander retorted that Ohio wouldn't register voters as Socialists.

Bob Downing, now the Beacon's environmental reporter, teamed with Oblander for a couple of years to cover Portage County. Said Downing, "He'd come back so excited about what he'd seen at government meetings. He'd chase little stories down. His passion rubbed off on everybody."

In 1990, Oblander wrote a folksy application to The Plain Dealer: "I like being a reporter. A lot." He mentioned his "lousy grades" at Kent State but said, "I'm sure we could stick it to any competition."

He warned that he'd need comprehensive health insurance for his wife, the former Mary O'Neill, who went blind from juvenile diabetes. Her father, Dan, moved in with the family in Stow to help out. In 1992, she bore her last child and died five months later.

Oblander took a leave of absence for a time. He raised the children with help from Dan. In 1996, he married the former Linda Monroe and moved the family to Medina.

He spent most of his PD career at bureaus in Summit and Medina counties. He also planned and oversaw reports of election results at the main office in Cleveland.

As a young boy, he could instantly unscramble words. He won many Scrabble tournaments over the years and organized a few. He started freelancing Public Squares in 2001.

Oblander moved to the PD's downtown office in 2007 and left the paper in 2008. In his final years, he kept freelancing Public Squares. He also wrote features for the Beacon, babysat his grandsons, competed in a fantasy baseball league and helped start and run bookstores for Project: LEARN of Medina County, a literacy program.

He always wrote Public Squares a few weeks ahead. The last one is scheduled to run on Dec. 3.

Terence Leroy Oblander

1947-2011

Survivors: Wife, the former Linda Monroe; father, Jacob Leroy of Parma Heights; sons, Terence Jacob of Montville Township, Medina, Christopher Daniel of Middleburg Heights, Nicholas Patrick of Medina and two grandsons.

Memorial Service: 10:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 18, at Waite & Son Funeral Home., 765 N. Court St., Medina, Ohio.

Contributions: Project: LEARN of Medina County, 105 W. Liberty St., Medina, OH 44256, projectlearnmedina.org.

Heart attack takes Terry Oblander

2011-11-14T09:59:00.002-05:00

Former Plain Dealer and Beacon Journal reporter Terry Oblander died Tuesday, Nov. 2 of a heart attack at the Cleveland Clinic, according to the BJ Alums blog. Terry was a reporter for the Medina bureau and also did the pun-based Public Squares Puzzle that appears on the PD's comics page.

Follow this link to read the entire post:
http://bjretirees.blogspot.com/2011/11/terry-oblander-dies.html"

Lunch time

2011-10-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

PD Editorial Retirees & Expatriates
The Casual unstructured lunch troupe (cult) gather for lunch on the last Fridays of January, April, July and October.
Spouses and guests always welcome

NEXT LUNCHEON: Noon, Friday October 28

PLACE: Stancato's ,
7380 State Road at Pleasant Valley Road

COST: Buffet
$7.99

RSVP by Friday, October, 21
Janet Beighle French (216) 221-2318, or jabfr519@sbcglobal.net or
JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923, or japallant@sbcglobal.net

George Condon, RIP, 1916-2011

2011-10-07T23:32:00.004-04:00

George Condon chats with Doris O'Donnell at a PD retirees lunch in 2006.

Michael Heaton's obit on George Condon:

George E. Condon celebrated Cleveland.

No writer did more to advance this area's reputation as a colorful and desirable corner of the world than journalist, author and historian George E. Condon.

Condon died today, Oct. 7, in his sleep at Huntington Woods, Westlake. He was 94.

The writer, originally from Fall River, Mass., began his career at The Plain Dealer in 1943 as a general assignment reporter. He became the paper's first television and radio critic in 1948. After 14 years on that beat he moved to the editorial page, where he wrote a daily column until his retirement in 1985.

Besides covering the city for The Plain Dealer, Condon wrote nine books, among them "Cleveland: the Best Kept Secret," a portrait in essays in 1967; "Laughter from the Rafters," a collection of columns in 1968; "Stars in the Water: the History of the Erie Canal," in 1974; and "Yesterday's Cleveland," a photographic history, in 1976.

Condon was a dogged reporter, an astute critic and a self-styled, proudly Irish philosopher. Above all, he was a graceful wordsmith.

"A Cleveland winter ordinarily is an angry, temperamental creature, lashing its tailwinds and looking out darkly underneath low-lying clouds. A Cleveland winter stalks the streets with an icy breath that buffets you when you turn a street corner and makes you dig your chin harder against your chest," he wrote.

He knew the city and its people, from the mayors and civic philanthropists down to the bartenders and cops who walked a beat. His columns were both witty and wise. Taken as a whole, they provide a picture of Cleveland in both its high and low periods. He had a love for the old ways of doing things, for a time when the shoe repair guy was known as a "cobbler" and for the fading art of penmanship.

When Condon was a boy, his family lived in a powder blue up-and-down double house on West 32nd Street. It wasn't far from St. Patrick Catholic Church. Of course, Condon quickly became the foremost authority on the church's origins.

"The parishioners themselves built the church," he once told a reporter. "Some generous benefactor told the founding pastor they could have all the stone they wanted, but they would have to go to his quarry in Sandusky and cart it back here. Parishioners took turns on horse and wagon. That's a lot of work they put into this church," Condon said.

Condon put a lot of hard work into his career. He wrote seven days a week as a television critic and then five days a week as a general columnist.

"He took TV lightly. He was very wry, a very funny writer," the late Bill Hickey, who took over The Plain Dealer's TV column from Condon, said in 2006. "There was no pretension. He wrote for Everyman. All the Condons grew up poor West Side kids who scrambled their way to success."

Condon's parents immigrated from Ireland. His father was a foreman at a textile mill in Fall River. After they moved to Cleveland, his mother was a maid at the Clevelander hotel downtown. Condon attended St. Patrick Catholic School and West Technical High School. After graduating, he majored in journalism at Ohio State University. It was there he met his future bride, Marjorie Philona Smith. They married in 1942 and moved to Cleveland the following year, when Condon joined The Plain Dealer.

The couple had seven children in 15 years. Condon outlived two of them. His wife, Marjorie Condon, a teacher in the Cleveland public school system for 20 years, died in March of 2001.

Mary Brereton said, "My father always complained to us that every day he had to stare at a blank piece of paper and create something seven days a week, but I think he enjoyed going to the office and the company of the people he worked with. He always talked about the 'characters' in his business. I think he loved it."

George Condon Jr., who covers the White House for the National Journal, remembered early on his father having a different sort of job than the fathers of other kids on the block.

"Other kids' dads went to work every morning," Condon Jr. said. "My dad watched television for a living. I remember him during the new TV season trying to watch three shows at once changing stations by hand and taking notes. And he was always surrounded by interesting people."

Neither George Jr. nor Susan Condon Love, the Plain Dealer's Inside & Out editor until this year, ever felt pushed into journalism. Their father led by example.

"When he wrote the first Cleveland book in 1967, he'd come home after work, have dinner, then disappear upstairs until 1:00 in the morning," said Condon Jr. "If you ever drove around with him he could point out history on every corner."

Plain Dealer Reporter Michael K. McIntyre did just that for a piece during Cleveland's Bicentennial. He got an earful as well.

Condon pointed out the spot on West 25th Street where gangster Shondor Birns was blown up. He talked about the steel mills in the industrial valley and how John D. Rockefeller fled to Cuyahoga County with a father leaving a sex scandal back in New York. The circus used to set up shop on a vacant lot on East 9th Street and Lakeside where the North Point office building now stands.

When asked why he knew so much, Condon replied, "It's the stories."

Condon never stopped writing stories about the city he loved. And during the Runyonesque era of journalism, he was a tireless reporter. He liked to tell the story of the day he covered the opening of a television station and wound up helping program the first hour's entertainment, which he became part of. Then he filed his story.

He left the station, noticed that the Central Market, where Jacobs Field now stands, was on fire and called the city desk. They told him to cover it. He wrote the first edition story but not before getting soaked by fire hoses. Afterward, he retired to an after-hours club on Short Vincent for a drink. Just after he got there, the police raided the place and arrested everyone. After leaving the police station, he wrote that story, too. It was a long night.

Condon won numerous awards during his career. He was given the Ohioana Award for history, the Women's City Club of Cleveland Award for Literature, the Burke Award for Literature as well as the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Distinguished Service He is also in the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame.

In his acceptance speech for the Ohioana Award, Condon wrote, "What I oppose is the hushed, carpeted fearful approach to history and those who made history. There is the air of the funeral parlor in most of our history books, and perhaps the sound of some rinky-tink piano is what we need to break the sad spell and bring history to its feet again. Only in life is there any hope for history."

Susan Love said, "Even after retirement, my Dad couldn't stop writing. He always had a book in progress --- and it would be about some aspect of Cleveland history, his passion."

But Condon was never blinded by nostalgia. He wasn't afraid to write about the town's weaknesses as well as its strengths. When a politician once declared that no building should be erected taller than the Terminal Tower, Condon called him on his lack of vision.

Like the man himself, he wanted the city to keep evolving.

Survivors: Theresa Ann Condon of Silver Spring, Md., George Jr. of Silver Spring, Katherine Elizabeth Condon of Catonsville, Md., Mary Philona Brereton of Alexandria, Va., and Susan Condon Love of Lakewood; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Funeral: Funeral: 10 a.m. Monday, St. Angela Merici Catholic Church, 20970 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park.

Arrangements: Chambers Funeral Home, Cleveland.

Ted Mellow dies

2011-09-29T22:20:00.002-04:00

Theodore J. Mellow, long-time editor/slotman at the PD, died Aug. 21 in San Diego.
Ted moved West with his wife, Alida, in the mid-90s. Previously, they lived in Hinckley and Medina.
Ted was born in Missouri on Oct. 7, 1921. He was raised in China, the child of missionaries. At 16, he returned to the U.S., attended school, served in the military and married his first wife, Jan. She died in 1984.
Ted was a smart and gentle man who always kept a calm demeanor, even on election night.

Alida's address:
3007 Orleans East San Diego Ca 92110

Former Press Columnist Bob August dies

2011-09-10T22:21:00.001-04:00

Bob August, popular Northeast Ohio sports columnist, dies at 89
Published: Saturday, September 10, 2011, 3:49 PM Updated: Saturday, September 10, 2011, 3:58 PM
By Mark Gillispie, The Plain Dealer

WOOSTER, Ohio -- Bob August entertained Northeast Ohio newspaper readers for decades with his gentle wit and eloquent prose as a columnist for the Cleveland Press and the News-Herald in Lake County.
August died Friday in Wooster, where he had lived since the 1980s. He was 89.
"He was an incredibly talented writer," said Bob Sudyk, an award-winning sportswriter and columnist for the Press and Hartford Courant. "He was the Red Smith of the Midwest. He had such a skill with words. It was a great pleasure to read him."
August later wrote a nationally syndicated column titled, "The Wiser Side of 60," that was distributed by the United Press Syndicate from 1982 until 1986.
He was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame in 1988.
August was born Oct. 6, 1921, in Ashtabula. He grew up in Cleveland and graduated from Collinwood High School, where he was a star baseball player. He continued playing baseball at the College of Wooster, where he graduated in 1943.
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and commanded a ship that participated in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day. He ended the war in the Pacific Theater, preparing for the invasion of Japan.
August began his journalism career in 1946 as a makeup and copy editor for the Cleveland Press. He became a sportswriter and was promoted to sports editor in 1958. He wrote a sports column for the Press from 1964 until 1979, when he became a general columnist and associate editor.
After the Press folded in June 1982, August joined the News-Herald as sports editor and a columnist. He retired in 2003.
A collection of his columns, "Fun and Games -- Four Decades of the Best of Bob August," was published in 2001.
Sudyk said August had the ability to criticize sports figures without them knowing they had been eviscerated.
Said Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer's longtime Indians beat writer who worked for August at the Press and News-Herald: "Art Modell had a great line. He said, '[August] could you cut you up and you wouldn't even know you were bleeding.' "
Hoynes, like most of Cleveland's sportswriting community, admired August greatly.
"He was a writer's writer, a columnist's columnist," Hoynes said. "You just loved reading him. You weren't just getting hit over the head with the facts. You were getting a writing lesson."
Longtime friend Dick Feagler, who worked with him at the Press, said August liked but was never infatuated with sports. The act of writing was a different matter.
"He could be sitting there writing a funny line and be grimacing," Feagler said with a laugh. "He was the best I've ever read, and I've read many sports columnists from around the country."
It was only a few years ago, Feagler said, that August revealed that he had long had multiple sclerosis. Feagler said he remembered when August began to have trouble getting to and from the press box and locker room at the old Cleveland Stadium. Effects of the disease troubled August the rest of his life, although Feagler said his friend never complained.
August's daughter, Alison McCulloch, said her father was first diagnosed with the disease when he was in his early 40s. He refused to take the medicine prescribed to him, but was dutiful about continuing his regimen of swimming until just a few years ago.
McCulloch said her father's interests went far beyond the world of sports.
"He was an intellectual person," McCulloch said. "He had very strong feelings about the world and what was going wrong with it."
In addition to his daughter, August is survived by his wife of 66 years, Marilynn, and two granddaughters. A memorial service is being planned in Wooster sometime in the next few weeks.

Lake bureau nostalgia

2011-09-06T13:44:00.003-04:00

Roy Gutterman, former Lake County bureau reporter, was in town recently and dropped in to a PD alumni lunch.

Roy, now Associate Professor of Communications Law and Journalism Director, Tully Center for Free Speech at the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse, posed with his former colleagues Pete Copeland and Doris O'Donnell.

PD Sweeps

2011-09-04T17:30:00.002-04:00

The Plain Dealer was named the Ohio's Best Daily Newspaper in the large-circulation category in the annual 2011 Ohio Society of Professional Journalist Awards. The newspaper won a total of 25 awards including Best Page One Design.
Also honored among the newspaper's 19 first-place awards were:
• Margaret Bernstein and Stan Donaldson, Best Minority Issues Reporting. Their stories focused on four men whose mothers were found dead in and around convicted serial killer Anthony Sowell's home on Imperial Avenue in Cleveland. The series detailed how the sons decided to break the cycle of drug abuse, neglect and tragedy in their lives and in the lives of their children.
• Tom Breckenridge, Best Business Profile, for "Leading the Way: Frank Douglas." The story centered on Douglas, from his humble beginnings in Guyana to his prominent position as head of the Austen BioInnovation Institute of Akron and being chosen to help make Akron a leader in research for joint, bone and would healing.
• Sharon Broussard, Best Editorial Page Campaign, for "Children's Campaign." The series brought to light the weaknesses and failures of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children & Family Services, under the leadership of former Director Deborah Forkas, in protecting the lives of children who eventually died at the hands of their mothers and caregivers. Forkas was eventually fired from her position in February.
• Gabriel Baird, Henry J. Gomez and Mark Puente, Best Government Reporting, for "A Question of Values." The months-long investigation revealed, among other problems, that about 2,200 county tax records had been altered inappropriately with pens, fluid and erasures, whacking $145 million in property value from tax rolls.
• Diane Suchetka, Best Human Interest Writing, for "A Spirit That Won't Break." The story focused on Connie Culp, the first person in the country to undergo a near-total face transplant. Culp had no right eye, lower eyelids, top teeth, upper lip and nose after her common-law husband shot her in 2004.
• The Plain Dealer Staff, Best Political Reporting, for "County Reform." The series focused on how voters, who were fed-up with county corruption under a government with three county commissioners, choose a new county government that included one county executive and 11 council members.

• The Plain Dealer Staff, Best Deadline Reporting, for the newspaper's coverage of the corruption-related charges filed last September against former Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo.
The newspaper swept some categories, winning both first and second place. Reporters Amanda Garrett and John Caniglia won the Best Criminal Justice Reporting award for "Presumed Guilty." The series looked into a number of cases that were prosecuted in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court with little or no evidence.

Reporters Rachel Dissell and Leila Atassi won second place in the category for their look at sexual assault crimes. Those stories, following the discovery of the bodies of 11 women at Sowell's home, examined how the city of Cleveland handled missing-person and rape cases.
Connie Schultz and Phillip Morris finished first and second, respectively, in the columnist category. Features writer Debbi Snook finished first in the Best Critic category, followed by colleague Steven Litt in second place.
Other first place winners were Tony Brown, Best Arts Reporting; Thomas Ott and Edith Starzyk, Best Education Issues Reporting: K-12; Ted Diadiun, Best Media Criticism; Brent Larkin, Best Political Commentary; John Soeder, Best Rock and Roll Feature Writing; Andrea Levy, Best Graphic Designer; and Business Staff, for Aviation Coverage.
Second place winners were Mary Ann Whitley, Best Headline Writing; Michael O'Malley, Best Religion Reporting; and The Plain Dealer Staff, Best Sports Reporting, for "Cavs: Team in Transition."

Mark reports to God

2011-08-24T13:21:00.003-04:00

Former Columbus bureau reporter Mark Rollenhagen, of Cleveland Heights , will be ordained and installed as mission pastor on Sept. 10. at Faith Lutheran Church, 16511 Hilliard Road, which has an aging congregation and dwindling membership, according Alana Baranick on LakewoodPatch.com

HERE"S THE REST OF THE STORY:

Nearly 90 years ago, a mission pastor arrived in Lakewood to start a new Lutheran church in the southwest corner of the city.

The mission was accomplished. Faith Lutheran became a thriving congregation that built a large worship facility at Hilliard Road and Woodward Avenue.

Each of the subsequent ministers, who led the congregants through the 1990s until a few years ago, were called senior pastor, as a mission pastor was no longer needed.

Until now.

At 10:30 a.m. Sept. 10, seminarian Mark Rollenhagen will be ordained and installed as mission pastor at Faith Lutheran Church, 16511 Hilliard Road, which has an aging congregation and dwindling membership.

“(The term) mission pastor reflects the congregation’s interest on engaging the community here in new ways,” said Rollenhagen, who began ministering at Faith in an unordained capacity on July 1. “It was a big, bustling place 50 years ago. They’re hoping for it to be a bustling place again.”

What remains of the congregation hopes the new minister will revive the church by reaching out to inactive, disinterested or distracted members, young people and working people, who think they don’t have time for church.

Rollenhagen can empathize with such folks.

He was raised in the church – a Presbyterian church in the Grand Rapids area of Michigan – and became Lutheran-by-marriage through his wife, Alison, whom he met while attending Alma College in central Michigan.

The couple joined but didn’t become active in Lutheran churches as Rollenhagen’s career as a journalist took them to Harrisburg, PA, Toledo and finally Cleveland, where he was a reporter for The Plain Dealer for 18 years.

They moved to Cleveland Heights and became members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, but didn’t attend regularly until their children approached confirmation age.

“They quickly tried to get us involved in all kinds of things (at Bethlehem),” the father of two said. “I became president of church council within two or three years.”

He coordinated the Interfaith Hospitality Network, an interdeominational project providing temporary shelter to homeless families.

As he became more caught up in the business of the church, the curious journalist began thinking more deeply about his own faith and taking theology classes.

“I recognized I had something to offer the church beyond the lay role - to articulate faith and how it relates to life,” he said.

In the fall of 2003, Rollenhagen began taking one class at a time at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, while continuing his newspaper work. He worked on Sunday afternoons, so he could spend a day off during the week to drive to Columbus for class.

“Things just seemed to work out,” he said.

When he ran out of classes he could take that met only once a week, an opening occurred at the paper’s Columbus bureau. Rollenhagen seized the opportunity to relocate, enabling him to take at least two classes a week.

“You can go part-time and take several years, but a point comes in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) process where you have to do 10 weeks chaplaincy in a hospital as part of preparation (for ordination),” he said.

Providentially, that point aligned with the Plain Dealer’s announced downsizing of its newsroom staff in the fall of 2008. After much prayer and discussion with his wife, Rollenhagen accepted a buyout offer from the paper that allowed him to take the unpaid chaplaincy and a yearlong pastoral internship at Hope Lutheran Church in Cleveland Heights.

As Rollenhagen approached the completion of classes for his master of divinity degree and wanted to stay in Northeast Ohio, he was given the names of three congregations in the region that were looking for pastors.

“The other two were traditional congregations – normal operating congregations,” Rollenhagen said. “Then they gave me the information on Faith, a small inner-ring (suburb) church, in a lot of ways very similar to Bethlehem and Hope – congregations that are struggling to continue to exist.

“Part of the emphasis at Faith: It’s been in decline. They haven’t had a fulltime pastor in three years.”

The Faith congregation decided to put its money for two years into the mission project to more or less plant a new church in an existing pot (building).

“We have a building; We have lots of space,” Rollenhagen said. “On the other hand, it’s not like you can do everything new. We still have traditional services on Sunday morning. We’re trying not to throw that away, while we engage people (in new ways). It’s a fascinating challenge.”

Gaumer news flash

2011-08-24T09:57:00.005-04:00

We received this news release on the PD alumni's own Tom Gaumer. Pretty impressive!

Thomas H. Gaumer of Olmsted Falls was one of 10 volunteers from around the country recognized by the U.S. Administration on Aging for his efforts to educate seniors about Medicare fraud and abuse.

The recognition came during the 2011 Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) National Conference held earlier this month in Washington, D.C.
Gaumer is a volunteer for ProSeniors which runs the SMP program in Ohio. Gaumer, a retired former editor and reporter for The Plain Dealer, has volunteered for the Ohio SMP project for more than three years. He was presented with a trophy by Cindy Padilla, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging during a luncheon at the conference whose theme was “Leading the Grassroots Fight Against Fraud.”
Gaumer, formerly of Berea, speaks to senior groups and others around Ohio about how to detect fraud in Medicare, which is estimated to cost this country $60 billion a year. He also helps train other volunteers how to detect and combat fraud.
ProSeniors, founded in 1975, is a non-profit organization that provides free legal and long-term care advice to older adults. Pro Seniors offers Ohio residents age 60 and older the advice and information they need to solve their legal and nursing home, adult care facility, and home health care problems. Pro Seniors is dedicated to helping older adults maintain their independence by empowering them, by protecting their interests, and by helping them access resources.
Among the services offered by ProSeniors is the Ohio SMP project which educates older Ohioans how to stay safe from Medicare fraud and identity theft.. Those interested in working with the Ohio SMP project should contact Jane Winkler, volunteer coordinator, at ProSeniors. The toll free number anywhere in Ohio is (800) 488-6070 and the Cincinnati number is (513) 345-4160.
The SMP program was established in 1997 under the Older Americans Act and is administered by the Administratoin on Aging AoA.
AoA’s volunteers work in their local communities educating Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries how to recognize and report suspected cases of deceptive health care practices, such as overbilling, overcharging or providing unnecessary or inappropriate services. This training also empowers beneficiaries to be better health care consumers. More than 4 million beneficiaries have been educated directly by SMP volunteers or staff since the program’s inception, while more than 25.3 million people have been reached during community education events.
Gaumer was one of 10 SMP volunteers nationally recognized for their work.

Reservations needed for Scott memorial

2011-08-10T18:04:00.003-04:00

Only 500 people will be allowed in for the Jane Scott memorial at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum because of the way the stage is going to be laid out, the Rock Hall emailed.

if you want to go ,reservations are required:
e-mail education@rockhall.org
or call
1-216-515-8426
(this is a special line that is being installed for this event;
if busy or not connected when you call, call back, says the Rock Hall.)

Jane died at age 92 on July 4, 2011.

Bob Finn died

2011-07-25T21:30:00.002-04:00

http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2011/07/robert_finn_longtime_classical.html

Robert Finn, longtime classical music critic of The Plain Dealer, dead at 81
Published: Monday, July 25, 2011, 12:20 PM Updated: Monday, July 25, 2011, 8:27 PM
By Grant Segal
Robert Finn 1930-2011
Survivors: wife, Mary; children, Laurence of Mayfield Heights and Elaine of Audubon, N.J.; and three grandchildren.
Funeral: 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Catholic Church of St. Clare, 5659 Mayfield Rd., Lyndhurst.
Contributions: Rainey Institute, 1705 E. 55th St., Cleveland, Ohio 44103, raineyinstitute.org, or Cleveland Chamber Music Society, 2532 Lafayette Dr., University Heights, Ohio 44118, clevelandchambermusic.org.
Arrangements: Fioritto Funeral Home.

Lyndhurst-- The bow-tied Robert Finn, who died Saturday, was an award-winning music critic, a widespread cultural leader and a calming influence in a profession not know for calm.
He once saw a young colleague, Karen R. Long, visibly stewing. In his modulated but resonant voice, Finn said, "There's always another story."
Finn, 81, was diagnosed with cancer about three months ago. He died at Hillcrest Hospital from complications.
"He was always a gentleman," Gary Hanson, executive director of the Cleveland Orchestra, said Monday. "He had an extraordinary balance. In a negative review, he would remain respectful. In a positive review, he would be enthusiastic without being a cheerleader."
Tom Feran, Plain Dealer reporter and former features editor, said, "He was a gracious man and a graceful writer. When you were with Bob Finn, you were in civilized territory."
Finn was a past president and a 45-year trustee of the Rainey Institute, which teaches arts to children on E. 55th St. Lee Lazar, Rainey's executive director, said, "As the voice of reason, he always brought us back to reality."
Finn critiqued classical music for The Plain Dealer from 1964 to 1992. He was president of the national Music Critics Association for two terms.
He co-founded the International Charles Dickens Fellowship's local chapter and chaired it for 22 years. In 2009, he spoke to a global gathering of that literary fan club here.
Finn won four awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He won the first Friends of Music Education Award from the Ohio Music Education Association. He accepted an invitation from President Carter to hear classical guitar genius Andres Segovia at the White House.
Finn wrote as he spoke: fluidly, with a gentle wit.
"The eerie moon and mist-laden trees lent a romantic charm to the magic of the program," he wrote about a Cleveland Orchestra concert at the Blossom Music Center in 1968. "But, alas, the whippoorwill did not sing."
In a rare mistake, he was once locked inside Detroit's Cobo Hall.
Finn was raised in Winthrop, Mass., and became a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox. He studied piano privately for 10 years and flute for four.
In high school, he was a copy boy and scholastic sports freelancer for the Boston Record-American. At Boston University, he edited the newspaper and helped create a discussion series featuring Eleanor Roosevelt and Norman Thomas.
During the 1950s, Finn served with the U.S. Army Security Agency in Hawaii, helping to crack Russian codes. He reported for the New England Newspaper Service and the New Bedford Standard Times. He continued with the Akron Beacon Journal from 1959 to 1964.
For The Plain Dealer, he covered many musical groups, including the Cleveland Orchestra from Severance Hall to Australia. At Severance, he chose seats toward the rear of the orchestra level for the best acoustics. He put the scores in his lap and followed the concerts with his ears and his eyes.
At first, Finn phoned in reviews of nighttime concerts for the next day's paper. One morning, the surname of composer Gabriel Faure became Foray. Finn began to deliver his typically impeccable copy in person the next day.
He strained to be fair but could not like all music equally. He hated some of the program at the popular July 4 concerts.
Finn wrote two books: "Exploring Classical Music" and "Symphonic Journey, Con Amore," a history of the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra. He also taught fellow critics in seminars around the country.
He loved crosswords and was often a finalist in the North American Championship Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Connecticut.
Finn retired in 1992 but hardly faded. He led the daily "Thanks for Listening Show" on WCLV-FM from 1992 to 1995. He taught for years at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Music School Settlement and elsewhere. He wrote program notes for the Cleveland Chamber Music Society and gave talks before performances by the Chamber Society, the Philharmonic and the Cleveland Opera.
He reviewed books on history and other subjects for The Plain Dealer. He reviewed a couple of concerts each summer at the Chautauqua Institution for its daily newspaper.
He freelanced for Opera News, American Record Guide and many other publications. He took up the Internet and wrote columns for publications on line. He served on several nonprofit boards.
Finn liked liberal politics, chocolate ice cream and short-wave radio. He scoured stores for used books, rare opera scores and more. He seldom drank liquor but had milk with most meals.
He steadily alerted The Plain Dealer to newsworthy figures for obituaries. Last July, in good health, he volunteered a resume for use in his own obituary when the time came.

Retirees to lunch at 1 pm July 29

2011-07-11T18:18:00.002-04:00

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

NEXT LUNCHEON: 1 p.m., Friday July 29
Note the change in the luncheon time.

PLACE: Sterle’s Slovenian Country House,,
1401 E. 55th St., Cleveland
(south of the Shoreway and St. Clair and north of Superior)

COST: Order from the menu
Change in luncheon time makes this possible.

RSVP by Friday, July 22
JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923, or japallant@sbcglobal.net
Let’s make this luncheon our own tribute to Jane Scott.

Aug. 28 memorial Jane Scott

2011-07-07T22:12:00.001-04:00

A memorial service for Jane Scott, The Plain Dealer's pioneering rock 'n' roll writer, will be at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. An earlier graveside service will be private.

She died July 4 at age 92. Her family suggests donations in her name to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44114.

Legendary Jane Scott dies at 92

2011-07-04T13:06:00.009-04:00

Jane Scott, the legendary journalist who covered four decades of rock 'n' roll for The Plain Dealer, died early Monday after a long illness, said Linda Scott, Jane Scott's niece. She was 92. Details of the funeral services, to be held in Ann Arbor, Mich., are pending. A memorial service will be held at a later date in Cleveland.

Her byline appeared in the newspaper thousands of times, above music features, concert reviews and her long-running "What's Happening" column in Friday! magazine.
Scott was on a first-name basis not only with music fans throughout Northeast Ohio, but with most of the luminaries in the rock 'n' roll universe.

For the rest of the PD obit, go www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2011/07/jane_scott_legendary_plain_dea.html"

Obits were in newspaper far and wide, from the New York, L.A. times to a paper in Newfoundland. Jane would be happy.

The photo, by Rosemary Kovacs, was taken at Jack Hagan's going away party in December 2005. She was still dancing.

Former copy editor Steve Esrati points out that the obit neglects to mention that Jane was a lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II and that she was a tee-totaling Christian Scientist who held great (alcohol included) parties near Christmas every year in her tiny Gold Coast apartment.

Jane, a member of the Rock Hall of Fame, attended Steve's 70th birthday party at Sergio's in 1997. All other PD attendees preceded her in death, he says.

Former PD photographer Bill Wynne recalls:
Jane family name was Sapp. The Family decided to change the name to Scott, in her young years because of ridicule the family faced through the years. Jane's brother was a high executive at Ford Motors and Pres of Philco in his later years.
I spent my first 11 years covering almost exclusively the Sunday Features Dept. 1953--'64. I chauffeured Scotty, (kids and Golden agers.) Esther Brightman, (Women's Clubs) Jane Artale (Woman's Golf) Cecil Relihan (Home Decorating, ) Bess Howell, and Irma Winkle Bartell Dugan ) (Gardens) ( Paul Metzler and Helen Borsick Cullinan (Art) Helen Robinson ,and later a little of Janet Beigle French, (Home Ec) some of Bob Finn ( Music) ,Mary Strassmeyer, (Society and Features.)
Those were busy years, some Sundays had 24 photos published and there were many mid week. It was easy to exchange stories of our family lives with each other with the frequency of assignments and long drives . l Ioved all of those gals but I was glad finally to get off the bicycle with less rushed usually, news stories. Another Scotty revelation. Scotty's dad worked on the far Eeast Side. They lived in Lakewood. Her dad grew tired of driving into the sun in the mornings and coming home into the sun in the evening. so the family moved to Chagrin. One of the funniest assignments Jane dug up was going to cover her piano teacher in Lakewood who was now aged. The teacher sort of didn't recognize Scotty , but began to tell us about this little girl peppy little girl named Jane Sapp that hustled into her parlor for lessons and hustled out, flying down the street.
Scotty didn't mention anything about it on the way back. Neither did I.

From Roldo Bartimole

My step son was in charge of the radio program "Wait, wait don't tell me"
when it came to this area (Akron actually) for a live show.

The area guest of the show in the early 2000s: Jane Scott.

Saw her nodding off in the audience as she awaited
her call. However, she was awake and funny when she got her
chance on stage. An excellent guest.

Greg Stricharchuk did a front page piece on her when he was
at the Wall St. Journal.

PD Summer Book Sale June 30, July 1

2011-06-26T21:36:00.001-04:00

Not too many perks in journalism remain, but I like to share this one with newsroom retirees:

The sale runs 3-6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30, in the second-floor community room of The Plain Dealer, and half-price 9 a.m. to noon Friday, July 1. Checks or cash to United way.

We feature thousands of novels, mysteries, kids' books, nonfiction, biography, memoir, poetry, books on CDs, coffee table volumes, classics and one copy of Tim Burton's collector's edition art book, normally $125, priced at $50. Almost everything else is $3 hard copy and $2 paperback, $10 oversized books. Music CDs and other swag also appears.

Lots of folk manage to check off a chunk of their holiday purchases, and smart family shoppers often match the book on CD with the hardcover for the reluctant young readers on their lists.

Karen Long

Jane Scott turns 92

2011-05-04T13:09:00.003-04:00

Jane Scott, the legendary journalist who covered four decades of rock 'n' roll for The Plain Dealer, turned 92 on Tuesday, May 3. Her byline appeared in the newspaper thousands of times, above music features, concert reviews and her long-running "What's Happening" column in Friday! magazine.

Her first day at The Plain Dealer was March 24, 1952, three days after the world's first rock concert -- Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball at the old Cleveland Arena. She retired 50 years later on March 28, 2002. She lives in Lakewood.

For the complete story click on the following:

http://www.cleveland.com/music/index.ssf/2011/05/happy_birthday_jane_scott_reti.html#cmpid=v2mode_be_smoref_face

See anyone familiar?

2011-05-03T21:09:00.014-04:00

Quite a crowd appeared at the Wild Mango at Great Northern Shopping Center for the April 29, 2011 Pd retirees luncheon. We got some of them to give us some notes on what they've been doing since leaving The PD.

Jim Strang reports: "When I was in high school, I thought I would be a history teacher - even in retirement, I'm trying the "road not taken" and subbing in Avon schools - Grades 3-11, all subjects. I love it. The kids seem to like it, too, since they've built me two facebook tribute pages and give glowing reports on ratemyteacher.com. Life is good, so far -- hortator45@yahoo.com."

Jim and Marianne Hatch were in town for Hatch's sister's funeral. " We love 'California'. The sun shines everyday. The women are all beautiful and the wine is cheap," he said.

Pat Gessler is ready for baseball after attending spring training.
We still go to see the Cleveland Indians play in March. But this year was especially good -- we found the best spring training facility we've seen to date, the newly opened Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, which is on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. It puts the Goodyear park to shame. Goodyear is sterile with the exception of the entrance and a few palm trees behind center field; Salt River has panoramic views of the Camelback and McDowell mountains and beautiful desert landscaping. And where else can you buy Indian fry bread at a ballpark! There were only lawn seats available the day we went, but the tickets we bought allowed us to roam the stadium, where we found an umbrella-covered table big enough for our party of five to sit (and watch the Indians beat the Diamondbacks). Salt River is also the spring training home of the Colorado Rockies. If you go to Phoenix this stadium and very fan friendly site, is a must see. p.s. There is no more baseball in Tucson, where Hi Corbett (Cleveland's old spring training home) was the first Cactus League ballpark.

Tom Gaumer joined Alana Baranack and Tom Quinn. Gaumer is a docent at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and a volunteer on the Cuyahoga National Park Railroad. Alana continues her obituary work while Quinn is an editor at an ecology newspaper.

Stu Abbey, with his wife Bobby, has been doing artistic things and has a website: ArtofStuartAbbey.blog.com, called Paintings and Ponderings.

Wilma Salisbury, Janet Beigle French who organized the soiree and Bob McAuley were there.
Janet says: "I keep busy in The West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church -- singing in the choir, knitting shawls, etc in the knitting group, helping with the gardening. And I make necklaces and earrings to sell at the church auction, and at a small shop. And send many for gifts. As I have time, I'm also mending and indexing my old PD food dept. scrapbooks and giving them to the CSU special collections library. (A Stark County librarian
found me this week and asked for dates of a special series that ran in 1983. ")

Brian and Terry (Considine) Williams and their daughter Katy now live in Hudson, Oh, "having returned to the 'North Coast' after living on both the Pacific (San Diego) and Atlantic (Long Island) for 30 years. Brian was an editor and sometimes columnist for Newsday and Terry reported and did features for the Long Island desk of the N.Y.Times. We've been back about five years. Our email address is go minnie@bigplanet.com." Brian worked on the PD's city desk and left about 1969.

Finally,Doris O'Donnell and John Coyne say "Hi".

Wynne's WWII mascot Smoky honored

2011-05-03T21:06:00.002-04:00

This item was from Steve Esrati et al

On April 25, 2011, (former PD photographer) Bill Wynne, along with two grandsons (Will and Andy 
Tabar) flew to Liverpool, England to receive a special British honor for 
Smoky.  The "guys" 
were indeed in England for the Royal Wedding but weren't in London. They 
watched the pomp along with about 2,000 other people on a big screen TV 
in a park in Liverpool. They are flying back May 2nd and will probably 
be a bit jet lagged. Congratulations to Bill Wynne and Smoky! 
(billsmoky@aol.com)
Regards,
Marcia Wynne Deering



News Release: UK

Date of issue: 27 April 2011

www.pdsa.org.uk

British honour for American soldier dog, Smoky

Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier who became an American World War II mascot, 
today (27 April 2011) received the PDSA Certificate for animal bravery.

The presentation of the posthumous award to Smoky took place at the PDSA 
PetAid hospital in Liverpool. Smoky’s owner, Bill Wynne (age 89), a 
United States veteran of the war in the Pacific, who had travelled from 
his home in Cleveland Ohio for the ceremony, said he was delighted and 
honoured: “Smoky was not just my dog she was a friend to everyone who 
served alongside us in the Pacific conflict. She was an inspiration to 
everyone she met during her wartime career and later in civilian life 
too. For her bravery to be recognised in Britain is very special.”


The act of bravery that earned the courageous little dog the PDSA 
Certificate took place in January 1945. Bill and Smoky were part of the 
150,000 strong US fighting force taking part in the Southwest Pacific 
Theatre of Operations in the Philippine Islands. As the Battle of Luzon 
raged, Corporal Bill Wynne of the 26th photographic Reconnaissance 
Squadron, 5th United States Air Forces, was approached by Sergeant Gapp 
of the Communications section with a request: could Smoky, the 
Squadron’s mascot, take vital communication cables through an eight inch 
wide, 70 foot long drainage culvert under the airstrip? If she could, 
the airstrip would not have to be dug up or the men and ‘planes exposed 
to the constant enemy fire.



Smoky, who was only seven inches tall and weighed just four pounds, 
delivered the cable with huge encouragement and praise from her devoted 
owner Bill. In doing so she protected the lives of 250 men and saved 40 
US war planes from being destroyed by Japanese bombers.



“When Smoky was faced with her moment of truth, her ultimate test of 
character, this brave terrier did not shy away from her duty or 
disappoint her master,” said Jan McLoughlin, PDSA Director General, who 
presented Smoky’s posthumous Certificate for animal bravery. “Even if 
Smoky felt fear, did not stop her, nor prevent her from succeeding at 
the very moment it mattered most to her friends and colleagues.”



Smoky’s reward that day in 1945 was the biggest steak the canteen could 
find. She also won the recognition that she was no longer just a mascot: 
from then on she was regarded by her fellow soldiers as a serving war 
dog. With Bill at her side, Smoky served in the Pacific until the end of 
the war.



After the formal instrument of surrender was signed on 2 September 1945 
on the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Bill and Smoky began to 
prepare for demob and the journey home to Cleveland. By this time 
Smoky’s coat, which Bill made from a green felt card table cover, 
bristled with military honours including Wings for 12 combat missions, 
the Asiatic Pacific campaign ribbon with eight battle stars, the 
Philippine Liberation Ribbon with two battle stars, and two Presidential 
Unit Citations (equivalent of the UK’s Distinguished Service Cross). 
Smoky died peacefully in her bed in Bill’s home, on 21 February 1957. 
There are six official memorials to Smoky in the US.



The PDSA Certificate for animal bravery was instituted in 2001 and each 
winner’s story is a unique account of inspiring bravery. Smoky is the 
eleventh recipient, and the first animal that served in WWII to be 
awarded the Certificate. Smoky has six Memorials nationally in the U.S. 
Smoky is the heroine of a memoir by Wynne titled " YORKIE DOODLE DANDY, 
or The Other Woman Was A Real dog."


PDSA - founded as the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals of the Poor 
in 1917 by Maria Dickin - is now the UK's leading veterinary charity. 
PDSA provides over 2 million free veterinary treatments for sick pets of 
needy and eligible owners each year. The charity does not receive 
government funding but relies entirely on donations to carry out its 
work. Maria Dickin CBE introduced the PDSA Dickin Medal in 1943 to 
recognise animal gallantry during WWII and its aftermath. .The PDSA Gold 
Medal for animal bravery, the Certificate and Commendation were 
introduced in 2001.

For more details go to www.pdsa.org.uk/about-us/animal-bravery-awards

ENDS

Notes to Editors

PDSA is the UK’s leading veterinary charity, providing free veterinary 
care for the sick and injured pets of people in need and promoting 
responsible pet ownership. For further information, photos and 
interviews, please contact Emily Malcolm or Isabel George in the Press 
Office on 01952 204 767, or e-mail malcolm.emily@pdsa.org.uk or 
george.isabel@pdsa.org.uk. For more information about PDSA visit 
www.pdsa.org.uk/mediacentre

And popcorn plant too

2011-04-27T15:01:00.002-04:00

Message from Richard Ellers (geerichard@aol.com):

If you miss Friday's PD editorial retirees lunch (April 29 Wild Mango, 362 Great Northern Mall, North Olmsted )then you will miss getting a free grow-your-own popcorn planting/growing kit from Richard Ellers who said:
“Here's a chance for you or some other popcorn lover to grow and learn. I developed these kits for school teachers when I was an OSU Extension Master Gardener and a volunteer environmental educators.”
Each kit comes with full instructions, a gardening glossary, and enough seeds for a three by four feet plot.

Cartoonist Dick Dugan dies

2011-04-18T10:12:00.004-04:00

DUGAN JAMES RICHARD "DICK" DUGAN, 85, passed away Saturday, April 16, 2011 at Hospice of the Western Reserve surrounded by his family.

For 39 years his cartoons, especially Chief Wahoo and Cleveland Brownie, were a fixture on the editorial and sports pages. If a colleague left the paper, he would draw a caricature that friends would sign as a going away present.

For the death notice go to http://obits.cleveland.com/obituaries/cleveland/obituary.aspx?n=james-richard-dugan-dick&pid=150393656

For the obituary by Grant Segall:

http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2011/04/dick_dugan_drew_caricatures_fo.html

Luncheon on April 29 in North Olmsted

2011-04-11T15:21:00.001-04:00

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: Noon, April 29

PLACE: Wild Mango, 362 Great Northern Mall, North Olmsted

Enter restaurant from parking lot behind Red Lobster, next to Sears.

Visit Wild Mango website for directions.

MENU: Order from menu on separate checks. Menu items include:

Asian Chicken Salad, $8

Bar-B-Q Ribs (Hawaiian style) $8

Roasted Duck Breast $12

Ginger Soy Glazed Salmon, $9

Chicken Cheese Cake, $7

RSVP By Tuesday April 26

Janet Beighle French (216) 221-2318, or jabfr519@sbcglobal.net or

JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923, or japallant@sbcglobal.net

Please notify if you want to be removed from list.

A review of Naughton's book

2011-04-11T15:17:00.001-04:00

Tales of a serial prankster: Turning the boss’s office into a fun & inviting place

by Roy Peter ClarkPublished Apr. 11, 2011 12:01 amUpdated Apr. 11, 2011 10:40 am

In the sweet leisure of his retirement — if you don’t count the chemotherapy — former Poynter president Jim Naughton has penned a 257-page opus titled “46 Frogs: Tales of a Serial Prankster.”

Without the help of WikiLeaks or Romenesko, sources at Poynter have gotten their hands on one of the few available copies produced by Naughton himself. In spite of its playful title, Naughton’s professional memoir describes his experiences in such influential jobs as White House correspondent for The New York Times; managing editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer; and president of The Poynter Institute.

From his earliest days in journalism to his retirement four decades later, Naughton has littered American highways and byways with the detritus of his practical jokes. Some cost hundreds of dollars. Others tiptoed up to a line labeled “Against the Law.” And almost all involved animal husbandry, a circus cavalcade of dinosaurs, gorillas, elephants, camels, goats, sheep, chicken, crabs, and, of course, frogs.

The stories are entertaining enough. As beast fables they carry real lessons, about journalism and leadership, about life itself. Members of the Poynter faculty have mined this material and come up with a handful of gems. Over the next four days, Poynter.org will share some of Naughton’s stories in his own words. We will also explore what contemporary leaders can learn from such eccentric parables.

For the rest of the story go to http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/leadership-management/118951/tales-of-a-serial-prankster-turning-the-boss-office-into-a-fun-inviting-place/

No joking

2011-04-01T23:08:00.006-04:00

Jim Naughton's " 46 Frogs: Tales of a Serial Prankster" has just been self published and

contains a fair amount of story telling about the PD.He worked at The PD from 1962-`1969 before moving on to New York, Philadelphia,and the Poytner Institute.

You can order it by going to:

http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/46-frogs/15261161?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1

Got a minute?

2011-03-28T20:23:00.003-04:00

Former PD book editor Jan Harayda gets accolades from New Jersey Monthly for her highly regarded blog, One Minute Book Reviews.
Check out the article, with a link to her blog, at
http://njmonthly.com/articles/best-of-Jersey/best-blogs.html

Thom Greer dead of cancer

2011-03-27T13:51:00.002-04:00

BRATENAHL, Ohio -- Thom Greer, a pioneering journalist who rose from covering the suburbs to being one of the first black editors of a major daily newspaper, died Sunday, March 27, 2011, of cancer. He was 69.
Greer became editor of The Plain Dealer in 1990 – 26 years after beginning his journalism career in Trenton, New Jersey. He was one of only three black journalists to lead newsrooms at major daily newspapers at that time.
"Thom was a role model for me and many other young African American journalists," said close friend Gregory Moore, Plain Dealer state editor when Greer came in 1983, now editor of the Denver Post. "He was just an incredible story-teller.

For more of Grant Segall's obit go to:

http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2011/03/thomas_h_greer_was_a_pioneerin.html

Press' Betty Klaric died

2011-02-26T16:34:00.011-05:00

Former Press reporter Betty Klaric died Thursday, Feb. 24. She was the first female president of Local 1, the Newspaper Guild.

Grant Segal's obit says she also galvanized the environmental movement.
"All that was just in her first career. When the Cleveland Press folded, she became a government lawyer.
Klaric, 79, died at the Hospice of the Western Reserve from complications of brain cancer.
In 1964, she persuaded editors to give her one of the first full-time environmental beats on a daily newspaper. Her stories on the Cuyahoga River helped inspire sweeping environmental laws, a presidential commendation, a gubernatorial award and more."

For the complete obit got to:
http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2011/02/betty_klaric_was_a_pioneering.html

January lunch scheduled for East Side

2011-01-11T12:17:00.001-05:00

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: Noon, Friday, Jan. 28

PLACE: Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar
Eton Place, 28601 Chagrin Blvd. (West end, behind Charter One)

East of the Chagrin exit from I-271. Stay RIGHT in Chagrin eastbound lanes east of I-271 bridge, then turn north into Eton Place. Underground parking available (blue canopy). Ask about strange street configuration.

MENU: Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich and one side $9.95
Fresh Portobello Sandwich and one side $9.95
Key West Crispy Chicken Wrap, $8.95. (Add salad for $3.95)
Beverage, tax, and tip extra.
Select sides at restaurant. Salad, soup, and dessert available.

RSVP By Tuesday Jan. 25
Janet Beighle French (216) 221-2318, or jabfr519@sbcglobal.net or
JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923, or japallant@sbcglobal.net
Please notify if you want to be removed from list.

Van's obit

2010-12-28T17:14:00.001-05:00

Here's Michael Sangiacomo's obit on Van.

Van Richmond was never comfortable in the limelight. Even though Plain Dealer readers saw his work for more than 30 years, they rarely saw his name.

Richmond, 85, of Rocky River, who died Wednesday after complications from kidney problems, was the Page One editor at the newspaper for many years until his retirement on March 1, 1994.

The day Richmond retired, he slipped out the back door of the newsroom, eschewing the usual punch and platitudes. Chuck Caton, who worked with Richmond for years and assumed some of his duties, informed the rest of the newsroom with a simple email: "Elvis has left the building."

Born in Chicago, Richmond lived in Wisconsin and Bergen N.Y., before joining the Army in 1943.

After leaving the service, he went to Villanova University, near Philadelphia, and majored in engineering until a Jesuit priest gave him some advice.

"He said the priest told him he was a pretty good writer but not so hot in engineering and suggested a career change," said his widow, Elizabeth. "He transferred to the University of Iowa, switched to journalism and graduated in 1950."

Richmond worked at the Rockford Register Republic in Rockford, Ill., for 10 years before taking a job at The Plain Dealer in 1960.

He worked in several editing positions at the Plain Dealer before becoming Page One editor.

Caton, now the newspaper's assistant news editor, said Richmond helped make the newsroom an interesting place.

"He was a rock, a feisty guy with strong opinions," Caton said. "He was quick to let his opinions be known but put them aside when it came down to the front page. There, he was always straight down the line. He was a blue-collar guy from Chicago who just wanted to do his job."

Another associate, Rosemary Kovacs, said she learned her craft from Richmond.

"He was a great editor and teacher," she said. "He tried to act like an old curmudgeon, but underneath he was a softy."

In addition to his widow, he is survived by his son, Jerome, of Lakewood, and daughter, Anne, of Harrisonburg, Va.; his stepchildren, Michelle Miller of Rocky River; James Anderson of Westlake and Kathryn Harttrup of Seattle; and eight grandchildren. His first wife, Jean, died in 1989.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Lakewood Baptist Church, 14321 Detroit Avenue.

Curt Chandler, former photographer, recalls:I'll never forget the look on Van's face the night I ran across the top of his desk to get from my spot inside the rim to edit a breaking news picture inside the photo lab. He was a newsroom icon.

Here's a remembrance by Bill Lucey: http://www.billlucey.com/2010/12/recollections-of-plain-dealer-page-one-editor-van-richmond.html

Van Richmond dies

2010-12-27T13:58:00.005-05:00

From the PD death notice:
VAN R. RICHMOND entered eternal rest on Dec. 22, 2010. Beloved husband of Elizabeth (nee Dillow) and the late Jean (nee Muth); loving father of Jerome Richmond and Ann Pettit (Patrick); dear stepfather of Michele Miller (Matthew), James Anderson (Carrie) and Kathryn Harttrup (Jonathon); cherished grandfather of Cody, Connall, Lilli, Mairead, Brigid, Abbi, Meredith and Max. A memorial service will be held Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011 at 2 p.m. at Lakewood Baptist Church, 14321 Detroit Ave., Lakewood. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Salvation Army.

From his PD friends:
He was.... a gigantic salad maker, some concoctions rivaling the terminal tower; an editor who knew the value of an exacto knife; a proud family man; a no-nonsense guy with a quick sense of humor.

Death of Obits

2010-11-29T16:45:00.005-05:00

Former PD reporter Jim Naughton has a thought-provoking piece about the dearth and "death of obits" on the Obit site. He says that a study shows newspapers are running fewer, shorter obits or shifting them to classified ad revenue category.
But its study of obituary readership, mostly at smaller newspapers, “shows that obituaries -- along with community announcements and stories about ordinary people -- have the highest potential of all news items to grow readership," he writes.

You can read the complete article at:

http://obit-mag.com/articles/a-death-notice-for-obituaries

Our newest alum

2010-11-22T16:42:00.002-05:00

Elizabeth McIntyre is leaving the PD after 20 years in the newsroom. Her last day is 11/24.
Elizabeth started on the copy desk in 1990 and ended up in 2007 as Deputy Managing Editor/Content, with many stops in between.

What's next? She'll decide on her next move after a real holiday season with her family.

Holiday book sale!

2010-11-22T12:06:00.001-05:00

PD alumni,

Mark your calendars for one of the finest perks in our building: the semi-annual sale of books, music, DVDs, audiobooks and sundries that have accumulated all year.

You will find a boxed set of Malcolm Gladwell titles, the Doonesbury retrospective ($100 retail), impeccable classical recordings, a stylish umbrella, Barbara Streisand's new coffee table book, hundreds of children's volumes and thousands of other great gifts.

The heartwarming parts are 2-fold -- we're keeping the prices steady -- $3 hardcover, $2 paperbacks, $10 coffee-table books -- and all proceeds go to United Way.

The housekeeping parts: Pay your book cart IOUs to gain admission. No early bird bids; no cruising the items beforehand. Limit of 10 children's books the first day. No hoarding and sorting -- be considerate of colleagues.

The sale will run in the second floor community room Thursday, Dec. 2, from 3 to 6 p.m., and half-price Friday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Happy shopping,

Karen Long

Photo editor Ray Majestic dies

2010-11-19T12:56:00.005-05:00

Ray Matjasic led Plain Dealer photographers and won national awards
Published: Thursday, November 18, 2010, 3:20 PM Updated: Thursday, November 18, 2010, 3:26 PM
Grant Segall

Whether shooting photos for the Marines or The Plain Dealer, Ray Matjasic never hesitated to charge into danger.

"Ray was the best street photographer I ever knew," retired PD Picture Editor Bob Dorksen said Thursday. "He was aggressive. He knew the cops. He could get into places others couldn't."

Matjasic died Tuesday, Nov. 16, one day after turning 90, at the Slovenian Home for the Aged.

The nationally honored Matjasic started delivering Plain Dealers at age 9, rising at 3:30 a.m. to haul them in a wagon. The PD became his only full-time civilian employer. He worked at the newspaper from 1938 to 1983, retiring as chief photographer.

Matjasic (pronounced muh-JAY-sic) limped from bullet and shrapnel wounds incurred while crawling through the sands of Taipan, photographing the U.S. invasion during World War II. That didn't stop him, after returning to Cleveland, from rushing into riots and more, snapping on the run. He once ran alongside police chasing a gunman suspected of robberies. The suspect finally turned the gun on himself.

Matjasic could shoot joy, too. He photographed the inaugurations of presidents Nixon and Carter. He shot his daughter, Judy, and her collie playing in the family's Euclid home for a Better Living section cover on recreation rooms.

Jack Nicklaus once said his favorite picture of himself on the links was Matjasic's shot of the native Ohioan carrying his 4-year-old son, Gary, on his shoulder after winning the Professional Golf Association Championship at the Canterbury Golf Club in 1973. The photographer signed a copy, and Nicklaus hung it at home in Florida.

Matjasic covered both joy and woe with the Indians, photographing the World Series in 1948 and 1954.

Colleagues said he led the photo department like a Marine, chomping a cigar, barking orders, making sure tables were cleaned and sinks scrubbed. "He was a strong leader who made sure we got our work done as well as we could," said photographer David I. Andersen.

Matjasic was born in Cleveland and raised on Addison Road in a family of six. During the Depression, the family sometimes earned less than $10 per week. So Ray started delivering papers for $7.50 per week. Not owning galoshes, he would dry his shoes in the oven between deliveries and school.

He graduated John Hay High School and joined the PD's circulation department. He rose to district manager, befriended photographers after work and learned their trade.

Then he joined the Marines and photographed them in action across the South Pacific. At Taipan in 1944, he took shrapnel in the knee and, while lying in the sand for six hours, took a bullet in the hip.

In 1945, he joined the PD's photo department, shooting on crutches at first. He rose to chief photographer in 1964.

His many scoops included an exclusive invitation to the home of the slain Marlene Steele and her husband, Robert, a Euclid municipal judge, later convicted of conspiring in her death. He won more than 50 local, state or national awards, including best in show from the Columbia School of Journalism and a berth in the Cleveland Press Club Hall of Fame.

Matjascic lectured on photography at Ohio State, Bowling Green State, Kent State and elsewhere. In 1969, he helped found the Cleveland Chapter of the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association and became its vice president. He liked to fish in Lake Erie, New York's Lake Chautauqua, Florida, Mexico and elsewhere.

He left Euclid for the Slovenian Home about 10 years ago. He lost his wife, the former Emma Pelcar, in July and their son, Raymond Jr., in October. The son had retired from his father's old circulation department at the PD.

Raymond Aloysius Matjasic

1920-2010

Survivors: daughter, Judith Smith of Willougby, and three grandchildren.

Funeral: pending

Contributions: Slovene Home for the Aged, 18621 Neff Road, Cleveland OH 44119, slovenehome.org.

Arrangements: Monreal Funeral Home

Former PD photographer Bill Wynne recalls:

I am sorry to hear my colleague Ray Matjasic has died. It has been most difficult for Ray and his family the past few years, Another of our great newspaper journalists has passed and we mourn each of them for the loss of their own personal contributions in communicating whether by keyboard or camera. Our whole life experiences influence how each of us see, judge, and interpret what we are witnessing. A photographer keyed to grasp instantly a situation, Ray's greatest attributes were first tenaciousness, beat the competition. This followed, whether in chess, checkers or cards , but particularly with cameras. And then interpretation, his communicating to readers, was implemented by pure instinct, He had a tough early life giving him a definite advantage. He recognized situations giving him insights in foreseeing what would unfold before him, resulting what is best expressed, by the old adage " a picture is worth a 1000 words. " May you rest in peace old friend.

Whitey Watzman wrote:

I'm really saddened to be reading about the death of Ray Matjasic, a guy I was paired with on many assignments over a long period of years.

Ray, in my opinion, was the greatest, a newsman down to the very depths of his soul, "the best street photographer" in Cleveland, as Bob Dorksen said. I like that phrase. It really sums up who Ray was. He could have been cast in the Ben Hecht play, "The Front Page."

But besides having smarts, he was a high-quality photographer, and his suggestions to me were always right on the nose, from the time he sort of took me under his wing when I became a reporter at the old P.D.

Whitey

Dan Coughlin's new book

2010-11-14T21:02:00.003-05:00

Lorain Journal Columnist and former Cleveland Magazine Editor Rich Osborne has a nice column about former PD sport writer Dan Coughlin's new book, “Crazy, With the Papers to Prove It,” published recently by Gray & Company. He talks about the story Dan didn't put in his book -- the time Dan was president of the Press Club of Cleveland and talked the board into buying a racehorse. You can check it out at http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/11/14/opinion/mj3668858.txt

Fashionable Kim's boutique

2010-11-14T20:55:00.005-05:00

Former PD style editor Kim Crow has gone from telling us about fashion to selling fashion. She has opened a fabulous boutique in Tremont called Evie Lou, offering contemporary clothing for all shapes and sizes. (She named it after a mini-fashionista niece.)

Stop in for a look at 2153 Professor Ave. in Cleveland. Hours and details can be found at her website, www.evielou.com.
Her husband, Ted Crow, is an artist at The PD.

Mark Russell, editor of Orlando Sentinel

2010-10-19T12:29:00.003-04:00

Former Plain Dealer assistant ME and reporter Mark Russell was named editor of the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday, accepting the top newsroom job six years after arriving at the news operation.

Russell, who was managing editor and then "print news manager" in a newsroom reorganization, succeeds Charlotte Hall, who retired on Oct. 1.

"I am honored and humbled to become editor of the Sentinel and the leader of such a talented and hard-working staff of journalists," Russell said in an announcement. "I intend to drive hard to produce watchdog journalism and expand our digital game to make sure we're delivering compelling content on mobile and the web as well as in print."

Before joining the Sentinel, Mark was assistant managing editor/metro at The Plain Dealer. Before that, Mark was The Plain Dealer's business editor for four years. He started at the newspaper in 1987 as a business reporter and later moved to the city desk and then served as an assistant city editor. Mark left The Plain Dealer to join The Boston Globe as assistant metropolitan editor in 1993, a position he held for two years before returning to The Plain Dealer.

Earlier in his career, Mark was a staff reporter for nearly three years in The Wall Street Journal’s Cleveland and Pittsburgh bureaus.

Let's have lunch!

2010-10-17T14:45:00.002-04:00

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: Noon, Friday, Oct. 29

PLACE: Li Wah, 2999 Payne Ave (Asian Plaza, E 30th St, and Payne)
Parking adjacent to plaza and in lot off E. 29th St.

COST: $12 Janet and JoAnn will collect money so, if possible,
please have correct change

MENU: Family style meal includes Won ton soup, appetizer, chicken and beef main dishes, rice, tea, cookie

RSVP By Tuesday Oct. 26
Janet Beighle French (216) 221-2318, or jbfr519@sbcglobal.net or
JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923, or japallant@sbcglobal.net

Re-connect with Pauline Thoma

2010-10-17T14:42:00.001-04:00

Pauline Thoma's daughter, Judy Nicoloff, reports that Pauline has moved to assisted living and would love to hear from other retirees.
Pauline is at Sunrise of Rocky River, 21600 Detroit, Rocky River, OH 44116 and her phone is 440-895-2355.

Cavs writers joins ESPN

2010-10-05T15:23:00.002-04:00

Brian Windhorst, who covered the Cavs for the Akron Beacon Journal and The Plain Dealer is going to ESPN's new show: “The Heat Index," a special venture devoted to coverage of the Miami Heat and LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

You can read more about it at Clevescene.com and the BJ alumni blog:http://bjretirees.blogspot.com

Dubail on the move

2010-10-03T14:12:00.006-04:00

After nearly 19 years, Jean Dubail is leaving The PD. HE says" "I'm staying in Cleveland, but leaving the newspaper to work for patch.com, which is a network of local news websites owned by AOL."
Jean was a reporter, an assistant city editor, editorial writer, metro editor and online editor for Cleveland.com. He's a native of St. Louis.

2010-09-27T20:52:00.013-04:00

It was a full house at Don Bean's funeral and friends from far and wide were in attendance. Bean told people that he liked to go to funerals as long as he was the star. That day, he was the star.

Jim Naughton, former PD and Philadelphia reporter came from Florida. George Condon came from Washington. He said Bean was so proud of influencing Naughton in prank making. In the photos, from top, George talks with Doris O'Donnell, Naughton talks with Olga Bean, and Jim and George.

Jeanne Albers

2010-09-24T12:49:00.001-04:00

Jeanne Albers died at age 66 in Santa Monica, California, Thursday morning. Cancer. She wrote in The Plain Dealer fashion department for a few years in the late 1960s. She wrote occasional essays in a form called "Dear Friend" letters. She was a Cleveland native, West Park area. She then went east for a few years and then to California. She and her second husband lived in Santa Monica for the last 20 years or so. No children. Dan Coughlin got the news from his sister, Cathy Breninghouse, who was her good friend since high school and kept in touch

Bean wrote his own obit

2010-09-22T12:31:00.001-04:00

While Grant Segal wrote the official obit of Don Bean for The Plain Dealer, Bean wrote his own draft of his obit. Former obit writer Alana Baranack posted it on her blot at:http://obitsohio.blogspot.com/

Bean's obit

2010-09-20T20:27:00.004-04:00

This is the official obit as written by Grant Segal. Bean wrote his own obit and former obit writer Alana Baranack posted it on her blog:obitsohio.blogspot.com

Parma -- Unfortunately, this obituary isn't just another of Don Bean's pranks.

The long-time Plain Dealer scribe, who phoned in tycoon Cyrus Eaton's death under deadline in 1967, 12 years too soon, died Sunday at MetroHealth Medical Center from pneumonia. He was 82.

As Bean often shouted, "It really happened."

In a free-wheeling field, "Beaner" led the way. He convinced rookie reporters to go interview the mother of the unknown soldier and cover a convention of black governors when there were none. He persuaded editors to run a fictional story about "Johnny Pot," supposedly the Johnny Appleseed of marijuana.

When Bean wasn't funny, he was passionate. Short, stocky and loud, he climbed onto chairs at meetings and exhorted colleagues as president of the Cleveland Newspaper Guild and as a trustee of Church in the V.

During a strike, he stood up to a charge by mounted police. He also pressed charges in vain against a member of a rival union who supposedly struck him in the head from behind.

But Bean didn't just inspire stories. He wrote them. Colleagues say that beneath the commotion was a great reporter and mentor.

"He had sources all over the place and got all the information the rest of us couldn't get," said Tom Gaumer, a retired reporter and editor.

Bean covered the Hough and Glenville riots and Dr. Sam Sheppard's murder trial. He persuaded George Steinbrenner, who ran American Ship Building Co. before the Yankees, to release the names of three workers killed in an explosion. He said he pressed a suburban police chief so hard for information, the chief lunged across the desk and grabbed Bean's throat.

He could be sensitive, too. "This guy felt for the people he wrote about," said long-time colleague Jack Hagan.

Bean was inducted to the Press Club of Cleveland's Journalism Hall of Fame.

He once played Santa Claus on downtown streets. The rest of the year, he felt like Santa's favorite.

"There wasn't a day that I didn't want to go to work," he recently wrote.

A pro to the end, Bean wrote up material for his obit. He said he was one of five boys raised in Northfield. He graduated from what's now Nordonia Hills High School in 1946 and served in the U.S. Air Force off the Bering Strait. He graduated from Kent State University in 1954.

He worked for the Cleveland News, Cleveland Press, wire services and radio stations. He lost a race for Parma city council in 1959.

In 1961, Bean joined the PD. He variously worked as assistant city editor and covered features, courts, cops, City Hall, general assignment, obits and more.

While working at a southwest suburban bureau, the long-time Parma resident swung by the downtown office in a Stroh's T-shirt, Bermuda shorts and white socks.

Working nights for years, Bean was the rare father in the 1960s at his three children's school events and on their field trips, including a three-day tour of Washington, D.C.

Bean wrote a PD magazine piece in 1983 about giving up liquor. He'd been one of many hard-drinking reporters and driven a company car into wet cement.

In 1980, he checked into Edwin Shaw Hospital for four weeks of treatment for alcoholism. He said he never had another drink. But other habits died hard. After checking out, he bought a carton of pop, called the city desk and bragged about downing a six-pack.

Bean retired in 1994. He golfed, hiked, wrote a history of his church and gave several gallons of blood over the years.One of the most popular Bean stories has him pushing the publisher out of a first-story window.

"Wish I had," Bean said last year. "Great story."

Donald Lee Bean

1928-2010

Survivors: Wife, the former Olga Fedorovich; children, Nadine M. Bean of West Chester, Pa., Matthew M. of Wickenburg, Ariz, and Scott A. of Parma; six granddaughters and a great-granddaughter.

Funeral: 11 a.m. Saturday, Church in the Valley, 2241 Everett Road, Boston Township.

Arrangements: Mallchok Funeral Home

Bean's life in the Depression

2010-09-20T19:53:00.011-04:00

Don Bean wrote a 19-page remembrance of life in the Depression. It can be seen at http://hson.info/Bean.pdf

says Stu Abbey.

Don Bean dies

2010-09-19T18:09:00.010-04:00

Donald Leander Bean, bean like in lima bean, died Sunday afternoon, Sept. 19, 2010, at Parma Community Hospital. He had been in the hospital about a week or so with pneumonia and congestive heart failure. They were planning to transfer him to Metro General but he didn't make it. Services are pending.

They don't make 'em like Bean anymore. Bring on the stories. Big Jaw Jackson. Johnny Pot. The plane crash that wasn't. The mother of the unknown soldier assignment. All those Guild meetings, Stand up, Bean.

Here's a shot John Tidyman took of him golfing about 2 weeks ago. Played better than ever, he said.

Send us your memories...

Dan Biddle, author

2010-08-25T13:39:00.000-04:00

Former Plain Dealer reporter and all-around great guy Dan Biddle (and some other guy) wrote a great book called "Tasting Freedom" about the early days of the civil rights movement. I just spent a week with Dan and Cindy Roberts and they are lovely as ever.
You can go here to read some excerpts or skip to the bottom of this message to get to the link to amazon.com if you'd like to order the book. Spread the word about the book.. I'm sure Dan will be in Cleveland for a book signing one of these days. I'll keep you posted. - Jack Hagan

http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/1839_reg.html

This just in!

2010-08-21T10:38:00.002-04:00

Want to be notified when we post something new to the PD alumni blog?
Go to http://www.pdalumni.blogspot.com/rss.xml and follow a couple of easy steps.
You'll be the first to know when we have news.

Look who we ran into

2010-08-03T00:17:00.008-04:00

Lots of former PD people were spotted Sat. night July 31, 2010 at a birthday party for Sue Zimmerman, former free lancer for the PD now teaching at KSU.
Former bureau chief George Condon Jr. right, of Washington, D.C. was back in town visiting his father who was in the hospital. George is now with Congressional Daily since Copley closed its Washington Bureau.
With Sue Zimmerman, right, is Betsy Lammerding, retired Beacon Journal deputy features editor.,
Below them is former reporter Tom Andrzejewski, now a media consultant, and Terry Pederson, former Living editor and now a writer for a Cleveland Clinic publication. Wilma Salisbury, former dance critic, sits with Tom A. Former photographer Diana McNees didn't have a camera but Paula Slimak, former reporter, did. Bob McAuley chats with Doug Kramer, who still works at the PD as a copy editor.
Also there were Jim Cox, former PD reporter and now a media consulant, and Jim Darr, who works for the Bond Accountability Commission which works with Cleveland Schools.

A Tinker sighting in central Pennsylvania!

2010-07-18T14:13:00.002-04:00

Former PD infographics artist Virginia Tinker Brace stopped by Philipsburg, Pa., for a visit with former PD photographer Curt Chandler and his wife Stacie. Tinker was in the area for a reunion at her alma mater, Lock Haven University. Tinker lives in Fredericksburg, Va., with her daughters Ali and Emma and works for Capital One Finance in Richmond, Va. Curt and Stacie both work at Penn State University, where he teaches multimedia reporting and she works in the Intensive English Communication Program.

Latest lunch

2010-07-10T12:16:00.000-04:00

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: Noon, Friday, July 30

PLACE: Nighttown, 12387 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights

(top of Cedar Hill)

COST: $20.50, includes salad, non-alcoholic beverages, tax and tip.

CHOICES: Roasted Duck Breast Salad (baby greens, shallots, walnuts)

Dublin Lawyer (lobster and mushrooms in whiskey sauce)

Grilled Vegetable Plate

Hamburger Plate

RSVP by July 23

Janet Beighle French (216) 221-2318, or jbfr519@sbcglobal.net or

JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923, or japallant@sbcglobal.net

PD book sale July 8-9

2010-06-30T19:30:00.001-04:00

Thousands of books, music CDs, books-on-CD -- as well as a few movies and TV series DVDs --will go on sale July 8th and 9th in the second floor community room.

The sale will run from 3-5:30 p.m Thursday, July 8 and from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, July 9. Prices will hold steady at $3 hardcover and $2 paperbacks. The second day is half-price (meaning a hardcover, retailing for as much as $30-$35, will be available for $1.50). Proceeds go to the United Way.

We have hundreds of children's books, including some classics, best-sellers in fiction and nonfiction, as well as new authors to take a chance on. We have romance, poetry, science fiction, mystery and graphic novels. We have cookbooks, history, biography and memoir. We also have hundreds of books on CD for those long car trips -- which we sell for $8, retailing for as much as $45-$50.

Here is your chance to contribute to charity and scoop up some bargains. See you there.

Karen Long

Richard Kendzierski, 79, dies

2010-06-04T23:42:00.002-04:00

Richard Kendzierski, who directed The Plain Dealer's commercial photographers for 29 years, died Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at the Hospice of the Western Reserve from complications of cancer. He retired in 1994. He took over the ad photo department in 1970 and led it until it merged with news photography. He became a news photographer until his retirement.

Kendzierski shot breaking news and sports but specialized in portraits and feature shots, especially of food.

For the full obituary click on:www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2010/06/richard_kendzierski_led_the_pl.htm

A Toast To Ted

2010-06-01T16:11:00.002-04:00

Reader rep Ted Diadiun joined the ranks of the retired on Friday, May 28, with a gathering of friends and family at the Rock Bottom Brewery.

At right, Ted reveals the secrets of his success to colleagues Bill Mickey and Tom Breckenridge.

See more photos from the party at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mNLAaWsUtc

Zina's back in town

2010-05-31T18:07:00.001-04:00

From Zina Vishnevsky:

I'm back in Ohio this summer, but only one week in Cleveland, for Cleveland Clinic stuff. The rest of the time will be spent in the little town I call home, Malvern, OH.

So, to celebrate wrapping up at the CCF, there will be a happy hour corner for me and my friends at Sergio's on Shaker Square. It's 5:00 -6:30pm. Friday June 11. Be there or you don't care!

Jane Scott celebrates 91st

2010-05-07T00:48:00.003-04:00

From Reader Rep. Ted Diadiun's day note:

" JANE SCOTT: 91 AND STILL GOING STRONG
Our ageless former colleague Jane Scott celebrated another birthday on Monday (, May 1, 2010 ) and (photographer) Peggy Turbett was there with her camera. ...Coincidentally, I was looking up something from 1970 on microfilm recently, and happened across some of Jane's work. Everyone knows that Jane covered the rock scene in Cleveland during that time (and of course for years before and after), but I had forgotten that she simultaneously wrote a column for senior citizens during those years. I can remember reading her work around then when I was in college, and thinking how odd it was that the paper would have such a young person writing the seniors column in addition to the rock coverage. She was, uh, 51 at the time. "

To drop her a note, her address is: Jane Scott

Ennis Court
13323 Detroit Ave,
Lakewood, Ohio 44107.

Regina Brett book tour

2010-04-25T16:26:00.004-04:00

Want to get your personalized copy of Regina Brett's "God Never Blinks"?

Check out this list of her upcoming book signings in the Cleveland area. Warning: Some of these events are already sold out, so make your reservation early.

She is drawing a big crowd wherever she goes. Book stores are seeing brisk sales. Borders in Westlake sold out of their first shipment in two hours!

Here's where to find her:
http://www.reginabrett.com/news_speaking.php

May 4th, 40 years later

2010-04-25T15:44:00.005-04:00

The Press Club of Cleveland presents:

“May 4th, 40 Years Later - Reporters Who Were There”

May 4th, 2010 from 7:45- 9AM
KIVA Student Center, Kent State University’s Main Campus.

Hear from the reporters who were there,
May 4th, 1970 as they discuss the 13 seconds of gunfire that
changed the campus forever.

Mike Roberts
Former City Editor of the Cleveland
Plain Dealer
Author of “13 Seconds: Confrontation
at Kent State”
Currently with Cleveland Magazine

Chuck Ayers
Kent Stater photojournalist,
Former cartoonist with the Akron
Beacon-Journal,
Current nationally syndicated
cartoonist of “Crankshaft”.

Jan Leach
Former Akron Beacon-Journal
Managing Editor
Current Kent State Journalism
Professor.

John Filo
Pulitzer Prize winning
photographer for his iconic May
Fourth photo
Currently with CBS.

Bob Carpenter
Former WKSU and
WKNT radio reporter

It's spring luncheon time, Friday April 30

2010-04-16T13:40:00.000-04:00

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: Noon, Friday, April 30
PLACE: Champps Americana, 5989 Canal Road, Valley View
North of Rockside Road, behind Hoggy’s Barn and Grille, which fronts on road.
From north, Interstate 77, to U.S., 21 south exit to Ohio 17, east to Canal Road south.
Luncheon Choices (generous portions):
Cobb Salad: mixed greens, chicken ,bacon, eggs. avocado, cheeses. olives, roll for $10.29
Parmesan Crusted Chicken: vermicelli with marinara sauce and soup or salad for $10.29
Champps Cheeseburger: Angus beef, turkey or veggie burger with everything for $8.99
California Turkey Wrap: tomato tortilla with turkey, bacon, avocado, tomato, provolone and tomato vinaigrette, side of pasta salad for $9.99
Special diets accommodated

RSVP by April, 22 to Janet Beighle French (216-221-2318) or jabfr519@sbcglobal.net
or Jo Ann Pallant (440-734-1923) or japallant@sbcglobal.net

Anyone remember Ron Kaye?

2010-04-14T23:22:00.007-04:00

PD reader rep Ted Diadiun asked that question in his daily morning note to the editorial department. There's an interview with Kaye, now a blogger in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles.

Ted notes: "Kaye got a job with the Cleveland Plain Dealer as a copy boy, making $60a week. He moved up the ranks quickly, and became a reporter on the police beat, working 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. He loved the lifestyle, theatmosphere. "When I got off of work, the bars were closed and we'd go to some Greek joint, and we'd drink till dawn and play liar's poker. Drinking shots with all these guys that were crippled by the Korean War, who were wonderful, amazing journalists, filled with great, legendary stories andwho played a very different game than anyone would play today. They would steal papers off of cops' desks. They would do anything get an angle. To take the story away from the other guys. So it was a great education."

Here's a link to the whole piece: http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/04/citizen-kaye.html

If you remember him, send a comment.

Dianne Griggs, calm among the chaos

2010-04-14T22:40:00.008-04:00

Cheerful, unflappable Dianne Griggs, secretary to editorial editors Brent Larken and Mary Anne Sharkey, died Tuesday at the Hospice of the Western Reserve after fighting cancer for seven years. She was 62.

Services will be at noon Tuesday, April 20 at Church of the Master, 4050 Monticello Blvd., Cleveland Heights OH 44120.

You can read the whole obit at:

www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2010/04/dianne marie griggs_kept_the_p.html

Paul Baumgartner found dead

2010-04-08T13:22:00.004-04:00

Paul Baumgartner covered bowling, harness racing and more for The Plain Dealer

Visitation will be Monday April 12 from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Gluvna-Shimo-Hromada Funeral Chapel, 3224 Broadway Avenue, Lorain. A memorial service will be conducted by the officers and members of the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame there at 7:00 p.m. Additional visitation will take place on Tuesday in First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sixth St. and Washington Avenue, from 10 a.m. until time of funeral services at 11:00 a.m. Reverend Jimmy Madsen and Reverend Dr. Linwood H. Chamberlain, Jr., Co-Pastors of the church will officiate. Burial will follow in Ridge Hill Memorial Park in Amherst Township.

The family encourages you to consider memorial contributions to the Lorain County Free Clinic, 3323 Pearl Avenue, Lorain, OH 44055.

To leave private on-line condolences for the family please visit www.gluvna.net.

By Grant Segall

April 07, 2010, 3:43PM

Sheffield -- When he wasn't covering sports, Paul Baumgartner liked to play, coach, officiate and honor them.

"Bummy" covered Lorain County scholastic sports, pro bowling, Northfield Park and more during 35 years at The Plain Dealer. He won several awards and led civic groups.

Baumgartner, 75, was found dead Tuesday, April 6, at home in Sheffield. Officials he died sometime between Sunday morning and Monday morning. For the rest of the PD obit click on: http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2010/04/paul_baumgartner_covered_bowli.html

The Morning Journal in Lorain also led the local section with a nice obits: http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/04/08/news/mj2566733.txtt

Bill Hickey remembered

2010-03-21T19:04:00.002-04:00

Bay Village -- Bill Hickey claimed to have taught a famous singer to sing, roomed with a famous actor and covered a Korean football game called the Sake Bowl.

This much is sure: Hickey, who died Friday, March 19,2010, at age 83, wrote several books, churned out countless articles, won many awards and made many friends during 36 years at The Plain Dealer.

The journalist and goodwill ambassador staged shot-putting tournaments, judged a "Most Pleasant Voice" contest for receptionists, underwent charity roasts and filled in for an ailing Bob Neal on an Indians' broadcast. He also reviewed restaurants under the pen name of Forchette Escargot and called the cafeteria of the rival Cleveland Press "efficacious."

Hickey died at his long-time home in Bay Village from complications of cancer.

For the rest of Grant Segall's Hickey obit click below:

http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2010/03/bill_hickey_was_a_plain_dealer.html

Hatch is back

2010-03-05T17:25:00.002-05:00

After several years in his home town of Altoona, Pa., former PD reporter and Guild Executive Secretary Steve Hatch is returning to Greater Cleveland. Rumor has it that after being a night club owner (and chef and bouncer and customer), he developed a proprietary formula for men's grooming products and started an online business to market them. He's moving his growing business empire back to Northeast Ohio. His email is shatchsr@gmail.com.

David Dugan, Irma's husband, dies

2010-03-04T22:39:00.003-05:00

David R. Dugan, 93, husband of former PD garden editor Irma Bartel, died March 1, 2010, after a lengthy illness.

He had served as Lake County deputy nursery inspector, a Cornell University extension specialist and, in 1956, he became president of the family-owned and operated Dugan Nurseries, Inc., in Perry, Ohio. The wholesale nursery, consisting of more than 200 acres in Lake County, was founded by his father and uncle in 1919 and continued in operation until 1992.

Memorials may be forwarded to St. Thomas Lutheran Church, or to Judson Retirement Park, 2181 Ambleside Drive, Cleveland, OH 44106, where he and Irma lived.

A memorial service for Mr. Dugan will be at 1 p.m. March 14 at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, 21211 Detroit Road, Rocky River, Ohio, with visitation prior to the service from noon to 1 p.m.

Who are these guys?

2010-02-25T20:20:00.006-05:00

Found in an old file drawer, this photo taken by Frank Reed, on July 29, 1977 when they held a party for the closing of the old jail at Cleveland Central Police State at 2007 Payne Ave. Lots of PDers served at the police beat through the years. A bunch attended the party. It looks like Don Bean (white shirt) is aghast at something Dennis Kuchinich (suit) said. Was he the mayor at the time? That's the late Bill Miller to the left of Dennis. Johnny Reese, the late PD assistant city editor is to the right of Dennis. We also see Tom Quinn in those lovely plaid pants. Smiling behind Bill Miller is Andy Juniewicz, left, and John Coyne, right.

If you can identify others in the photo, please send us a note.

Bill Fenton sez "guy on the extreme right and front in black shirt is Henry (Hank) T. Jacques.
He graduated BG 1957 or '58 and was a reporter at PD. He left about the time I got there ('66). I vaguely recall he went to Blue Cross/Blue Shield or Medical Mutual and possibly bounced into government after that. I knew him from my BG News days."

.

A really nice person needs a card

2010-02-25T18:10:00.004-05:00

Dianne Griggs, secretary to editorial director Brent Larkin before she took the buyout in 2006, is in the Hospice of the Western Reserve, 300 E 185th St. , Cleveland 44119. She has stomach cancer. In a Dec. 2006 posting on this blog, there's a photo of her leaving the PD.

Jim Nichols on the move

2010-02-09T22:09:00.001-05:00

Jim Nichols reports that he left the PD just before Christmas after 19 years as a reporter, editor and sycophant. He moved over to a new job at an organization that is just about as noble: the Cleveland Foundation, where he is as senior communications editor. That means he writes speeches, edits various publications, plans the annual meeting, relates to the media and does lots of other fun stuff to spread the word about the great things the Cleveland Foundation and its partners do.

He is too young, at age 47, to be a PD “retiree,” but notes that he worked there long enough to be eligible to stop by for a bite at an alumi luncheon. If he does, he will surely rub everyone’s noses in the fact that he still has all of his real teeth.

Send a card

2010-01-31T23:02:00.005-05:00

Bill Hickey, former tv critic and instigator of the infamous Sake Bowl, is battling cancer, reports Dan Coughlin. You can send Bill a card at 29932 Ednil Dr., Bay Village, Oh 44140-1628.

All his sources are in jail

2010-01-31T20:35:00.006-05:00

Reporter Joe Wagner said he had to retire from the PD. All his sources are in jail, he told about 50 people at Massimo de Milano Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010. But some of those sources seemed to send telegrams of farewell, read by Powell Caesar, friend and coroner's office spokemen. For more photos go to www.flickr.com/photos/photos

Look who you missed

2010-01-31T19:28:00.005-05:00

About 30 mostly PD alumni gathered for their quarterly luncheon at Der Braumeister on the West Side Friday, Jan. 29, 2010. In the crowd: Wilma Salisbury and Dan Coughlin; Tom Quinn and Bob Dolgan; Pat and Ralph Gessler.

Eat and greet

2010-01-31T19:22:00.006-05:00

More faces at the lunch: Jud Shelnutt and his wife Marty; Patti Graziano and husband Tim; "It really happened," Don Bean tells Chris Jindra; Janet Beighle French takes photos;

More diners

2010-01-31T19:07:00.007-05:00

Among the diners were
Richard Conway, Bill Wynne, Bob Finn, Tom Gaumer and Helen Cullinan, top; Donna Hayes, right. Millie and Vince Mattecci and Dan Coughlin; John Coyne and Doris O'Donnell, Don Bean and Mary Engle, formerly of the Catholic Universe Bulletin, (we think)

Chris Pettridge retires!

2010-01-19T17:53:00.001-05:00

Here's a note from Chris:

Yes, I bailed out at the end of the year from the Post-Gazette, and it feels very strange now, living a deadline-free life. I've been looking at the clock since 1963 when I started as an apprentice reporter on a weekly paper in England, mostly interviewing the local vicar on what he said in his Sunday sermons and sitting in a hospital emergency room hoping for some disastrous collision that would make a story.
I emigrated in 1966 to be with my beloved (She Who Must Be Obeyed) and happened to get off a Greyhound in Cleveland. I walked into the PD with my clips looking for a job and was pretty much hired on the spot because on my accent (the executive editor was a Scotsman, Tom Guthrie). Try doing that today.
After three years as a suburban reporter I was invited to join the U.S. Army -- a charming interlude in Fort Campbell, Kentucky -- before rejoining the paper, where they decided I was prime material for the copy desk. That gave me the chance to have all my headlines rewritten by Art Milner before I saw an opportunity to escape into laying out pages, working with Van Richmond.
Since then, putting out the paper each night has been my amusement. Even the move to Pittsburgh in 1985 as AME/Graphics at the Post-Gazette changed little. The same rhythms of news still apply, although I have missed all the joys of the composing room and surly printers in recent years.
I guess we retirees should be grateful for having caught a wave in print journalism. We experienced some of the glory days of newspapers, although we may not have realized it at the time.
Now I am trying to justify my existence with a bunch of things: Resuming my rowing career, running a lot (I did a 60K last month in New Zealand's Southern Alps), volunteering for the local nature conservancy, traveling with Jean (mostly to Kiwiland) and, of course, enjoying our kids and the little grandnippers on the West Coast.
Hope I have a chance to see you guys under happier circumstances than Snyderman's funeral last year. You can reach me at pettridge@verizon.net
Bottoms up!

Chris PR
-----

Do you blog?

2010-01-19T17:49:00.003-05:00

Here's note from John Kroll:

I'm sure many former PDers are now writing blogs, or even using Twitter. Could you use your blog to tell them that we're now compiling what we hope will be a fairly comprehensive list of NEO blogs and Twitter feeds? The registration forms are up now. We'll have the searchable directories online in a few weeks, once we've got a substantial number of entries.
>
> http://bit.ly/75KhFS>
> thanks,
> John
>
> John Kroll
> Director of Training and Digital Development
> The Plain Dealer<

Party time for Joe

2010-01-16T17:47:00.001-05:00

Former Plain Dealer colleagues and associates --

Joe Wagner left the PD rather quietly (for such a vocal guy), after a long and legendary career of busting pols, cops and more.

But don't let him slip into obscurity and flakdom without a sendoff. His friends at The Plain Dealer have organized a party and asked me to help find former PD staffers/ friends.

Come eat, drink, roast and salute Joe after 6:00 on Thursday, Jan. 28, at Massimo da Milano, W. 25th and Detroit.

$12 will cover a full buffet, a modest gift, and, if any spare change remains, a donation to Joe's alma mater. (If you need to ask where, you don't know Joe.) Pay at the door. Cash bar.

Pls RSVP, if you can to me (cjindra@gmail.com) by Friday, Jan. 22.

-- Chris Jindra

Next Lunch Bunch scheduled for Jan. 29

2010-01-08T15:47:00.000-05:00

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: Noon, Friday, January 29

PLACE: Der Braumeister, 13046 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland

(Intersection with W. 131st Street)

Interstate 90 West to W. 117th Street, south to Lorain, then west

Park behind restaurant, on the street, or in CVS lot not near the door to drugstore

Luncheon Choices

Jager Schnitzel (veal in creamy mushroom sauce) $9.95

Chicken Paprikash (chicken in sour cream sauce over spaetzle) $8.95

Peanut Crusted Tilapia (fish with choice of potato or dumpling) $9.95

Munich Melt (roast beef w/grilled onion, provolone & horseradish sauce) $8.95

Maul Taschen (Vegetarian, pasta pocket filled w/ spinach, goat cheese w/ sauce & vegetables) $9.95

Most meals include soup or salad. Beverages, tax and tip extra.

RSVP by January 22

Janet Beighle French (216) 221-2318, or email jabfr519@sbcglobal.net

JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923, or email japallant@sbcglobal.net

Bob Stock's Advice for Journalists

2010-01-07T18:22:00.002-05:00

In light of all the deaths, memorials, funerals on this blog in recent months, it was decided to run this piece from the late reporter Bob Stock, a wry wit. The article is dated but still amusing to those of us who remember the good old days. But so many things are gone: copy paper, Perk, makeup men, office parties, the Press, new hotels. The yellowed clipping had no date but an ad on the back had a 1978 date. It ran on the op ed page which Stock edited. He died in 2003.

So here’s Bob Stock’s Advice for Journalists:

In his recent talk to Sigma Delta Chi, the professional journalism society, Mayor Perk was kind enough to quote from a column I wrote for the Sunday Magazine some years ago.

It seems only fair that I share the entire essay with persons, especially young journalists, who could not have read it the first time it was published.

It went as follows:

Young reporters rarely come to me for advice, perhaps because I dislike them intensely. I am sure they all smoke pot and are unkind to their parents.

Nevertheless, I am persuaded to offer them some journalistic pointers which will help them become as respected and well paid as I. These observations apply especially to The Plain Dealer, but they can be adapted to any publication.

1) Demand an adequate supply of paper and type on only one side of the sheet. Try not to think of the forests you are destroying.

2) Leave room between lines and in the margin so editors can express their own views.

3) Don’t park on the sidewalk.

4) Makeup men make a practice of throwing stories into page holes which are not quite big enough. Therefore always add a paragraph at the end which means nothing and can be thrown away with no loss. It is sometimes wise to put such a paragraph in the middle of the story too, so the editor will have something to kill. This improves his opinion of himself and makes him forget to kill the stuff you actually want printed.

5) If you are assigned to write plans for a new hotel in downtown Cleveland, make the report as colorful as possible, since many new hotels are announced daily.

6) Learn to play a musical instrument.

7) Don’t volunteer to tend bar at office parties because you will miss a lot of the fun.

8) If assigned to cover a fire, you will be expected to advise the firemen on their work. For example, I was the first reporter on the scene when the famed Hut bar at Superior and W. 3d caught fire. “Look out for broken bottles,” I warned.

9) Upon receiving an assignment, do not say, “Gee whiz, that is groovy.”

10) Read the paper every day so that when you get an assignment you don’t like, you can say, “We had that already.”

11) Read the Press every day so you can say, “They had that already.”

12) Avoid any story which lies within another reporter’s “beat,” or area of continuing responsibility, such as City Hall, the county courts, labor, medicine, education and bowling. With practice, any assignment whatsoever can be regretfully passed on to a beat reporter.

13) Do not refer to yourself as “a media” or “ one of the media.” You are not even a medium.

14) Try to think of the paper as your very own. And see what happens.

More tributes to Dick Zunt

2010-01-04T14:58:00.009-05:00

The funeral eulogy by Dan Coughlin:
http://videos.cleveland.com/plain-dealer/2010/01/dan_coughlin_eulogizes_dick_zu.html

Richard Ellers who went to the funeral Wednesday, at Rocky River St Patrick Church, "was the first time in my long lifetime I can ever remember a eulogy bringing a round of applause."

My favorite memory of Dick came in the early 1970's at a high school district track meet at Kent Roosevelt High School. I was working at the Willoughby News-Herald and was lucky enough to get the seat next to him in the pressbox. It began to rain and some of the area coaches, in an effort to stay dry, crowded under the pressbox's wooden canopy. One coach, with a very large derriere, kept backing up until he was sitting on what he thought was the pressbox window ledge. But what he was actually resting on was Zip's portable typewriter. Dick, too good-hearted to ask the coach to move, waited until the guy decided to get up. Zip was behind in typing agate results, but the coach with the big butt never knew it.

--- Bob Roberts

Yes, no doubt about it, Dick Zunt was a great guy. What amazed me about him was how many people he knew -- it must have been most of Cleveland and half the state. And he remembered all those names! A good example of this is one time Mike Quinn and I went to the spring state tournament to help Zip, typing up the agate results while he wrote the stories. After we were done, we went out to eat. The waitress was a young lady and Zip asked her where she was from. "Bucyrus," she said. He asked what her address was. She told him, and he knew somebody who lived two doors from her!

--Don Kerr

As people have mentioned, Dick never said goodbye when he left. Sometimes that was because he was always coming back into the office. I remember one night he was leaving, with his usual huge stacks of notes, papers and whatnot under his arms. He came back into the sports department a few minutes later when he realized that in all of that material he had under his arms, was the yellow pages off his desk.

Dick was truly one of the best ambassadors the PD ever had.

-- Kathy Kudravi

It's often said about people who pass, but it truly fits here - Zippy was one of the nicest human beings you'll ever meet. He loved what he did. What I'll remember about Zip is how he enjoyed the people that were at every event - from the kids, coaches and parents, to his colleagues covering the game. What a great guy. He will be greatly missed.

-- Al Pawlowski, SportsTime Ohio

The thing everyone overlooks because Dick Zunt was so nice is that he was probably the leading authority on the best high school players who passed through Cleveland over the last 50 years. The man was a walking encyclopedia.

In 2000, when the NCAA men's basketball tournament came to Cleveland for the first time, I suggested doing a takeout on the best players ever from the city and metropolitan area in the high school and college ranks, the story to run the morning the tournament opened.

I did it in between assignments in Winter Haven with the Tribe at spring training. Other than reaching by telephone Clark Kellogg (the best pre-LeBron player in the area's history) and Mouse McFadden, the engine who drove Cleveland State to a Sweet 16 berth, I depended heavily on Zip. Night after night I would return to my hotel room in Florida and find pink message slips waiting for me. Each was from Zunt, and each would name a player he had forgotten and give me the player's stats and relevant biographical information.

The underline "Plain Dealer reporter Dick Zunt contributed to this story'' that ran with the piece was not really true. Plain Dealer reporter Dick Zunt made that story possible.

In some ways, he was too nice to be critical. I recall when I was not very impressed with a highly touted area quarterback who was headed to Ohio State. This was after watching him play against Zip's beloved St. Ignatius Wildcats. The next day, I called Zip, told him of my misgivings, and said, "Am I completely off base in your view?'' Zunt agreed with me entirely about the player in question. The fact that he concurred, after all the great players he had seen, gave me the support I needed to take an unpopular stand. We were both proven correct when the player was eventually benched for most of his career at OSU despite the glowing press notices he took with him to Columbus from others.

Zippy was, in short, a very nice man, but he also had a very good eye.

Years later, when Dick had retired and I was doing a book on Cleveland's only track and field Olympic gold medalist since the 1960s, former St. Ignatius pole vaulter Tim Mack, Zip was again a great resource. When I couldn't find a Track and Field News profile of Mack for my research, Zunt offered his. He had stacks of the magazine at his West Park house, dating back decades. Anything I wanted to know about St. Ignatiuus in writing the book, Zunt dug out and happily gave to me. That's even though he knew my son went to St. Ed's.

I guess that said it all. Dick Zunt didn't have a biased bone in his body. Catholic or public school, black or white, Ed's or Ignatius even, he treated everyone the same. He was nice as a spring day, but he would give you an opinion you could take to the bank, too.

So long, Zip. I certainly could never thank you enough.

n Bill Livingston

I had forgotten Zip's insurance career. One wonders if the company survived. Can you imagine Zip denying anyone's claim? "Oh, that scratch on the bumper? Sure, we'll get you a new one, and while we're at it, the trunk, too....

-- Michael J. Quinn

When I was working at Elyria Chronicle Telegram (must be about 25 years ago), Dick was in charge of one of the all-district football teams so my boss told me to call him and get the info. I called Dick at the PD. He said he had the information in his car and he'd go get it. Before I could say, "No wait, Dick, I don't need it this second," I heard the phone hit the desk and he was gone. He came back about five minutes later all out of breath and gave me what I needed. I told him he didn't need to have done that and he could have called me back at his convenience, but he said, "I knew you needed it. It's no problem. Happy to help you, Steve. "

I get a chuckle every time I think of the sound of that phone hitting the desk. He was going out of his way to do me a favor immediately when he didn't have to.

That's Dick. He'd do anything to help. Far too many people in this business have enormous egos and think it's about them. Dick was just the opposite. To him it was about everybody but him. It was all about the people and the event he was writing about. Dick was one of the nicest people I've ever met. Knowing him was a real privilege.

--Steve Herrick

Dan Coughlin's Farewell to Dick Zunt

2010-01-04T14:42:00.003-05:00

Goodbye, Zip

As you know by now, former Plain Dealer sportswriter Dick Zunt died of cancer Saturday morning. The final week was not easy, so it was a blessing when he took his final breath. The visitation will be Tuesday, Jan. 5, from 2-4 and 6-9 at Chambers Funeral Home, Rocky River Drive and Puritas Rd., Cleveland. Funeral Mass is Wednesday, 10 a.m., St. Patrick's Church across, the street from the funeral home, the church where Dick ushered for over 40 years.

For my out of town readers, both of you, you probably didn't see the terrific sendoff Dick got in The Plain Dealer. Terry Pluto did a terrific column on him and Mike Peticca wrote a wonderful obit. Their themes reinforced Dick's personna -- the nicest guy in the world. There were two words he could never utter. He could not say "no" and he could not say "goodbye."

I've been asked to deliver the eulogy, which is a great honor, but Pluto and Peticca already used the good stuff.

Oldest of five children, Dick was born in 1931 on Cleveland's near West Side. The Depression was bad enough, but then his father came down with tuberculosis and spent several years in a TB hospital. Dick's mother packed up the five kids and moved in with grandparents in order to save their house. She wisely rented the house in order to pay the monthly mortgage. Many years later Dick's mom and the younger kids were able to move back into their house. She was pretty sharp. That's how it was when times were tough and your only luck was bad.

They scraped up the money to send the kids to private high schools. Dick went to St. Ignatius when the tuition was about 75 bucks a year. He ran track, leading to his life-long love affair with the sport. After graduatiing from St. Ignatius in 1950 with classmates which included Bishop A. J. Quinn and Indians owner Larry Dolan, Dick worked for a year to save money for college at John Carroll. It was there that he whetted his appetitie for a newspaper career by working on the Carroll News, the college paper.
After graduating in 1955, he joined the Navy for four years. It was peacetime, but there was still a draft. In that era it was almost impossible to begin your life's work until you fulfilled your military obligation. One of the first questions an employer asked was, "What's your draft status?" If you said, "1-A," you were usually told, "Come back in two years when you get out of the army."

Dick was 27 when he got out of the Navy in 1959. Imagine, 27 years old and he was just beginning his life's work. That's fine if you're a doctor, but he wanted to become a sportswriter. He came back home and landed a job as an insurance adjuster and also started working part-time at The Plain Dealer sports department helping Ed Chay take high school games over the phone.

He worked both jobs until December, 1964, when Hal Lebovitz hired him full time to work with me on the high school beat. I was fresh out of the army and had just been put on the high school beat, which was an important responsibility. Hal made a smart decision by bringing Dick aboard and making it a two-man job. I was a rookie. I didn't even know how to get to John Adams Field. Dick showed me. He was well-experienced but he was tolerant of me.

Dick stayed on the high school beat for another 37 years, finally retiring in 2001 at the age of 69.

One lady in the city room said Dick was the most polite person she ever met.

Chuck Murr, a former PD copy editor, pointed out that Dick shook more hands and made more friends for The Plain Dealer than anybody in history. All of that is true.

A couple final thoughts now. On New Year's Eve Russ Schneider and his family and Maddy and I were with Dick, sitting around his bed at the hospice. The symmetry didn't occur to me until the next day. We all joined the PD in 1964 -- Dick, Russ and me. Here we were together for the last time. The Class of 1964 also included Dennis Lustig, the world's shortest sportswriter. Dennis died in the early 1980's. Now Dick is gone. Russ and I remain. I noticed that Russ is now using a cane.

Dick "Zip" Zunt dies in hospice

2010-01-01T11:26:00.014-05:00

Dick "Zip" Zunt, a longtime high school sports reporter, died Saturday morning, Jan. 2 in the Hospice of The Western Reserve. He was 78.

Calling hours will be Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m., at Chambers Funeral Home, 4420 Rocky River Drive in Cleveland. The funeral mass will be Wednesday, 10 a.m. at St. Patrick West Park Catholic Church, 4427 Rocky River Drive in Cleveland. Burial will be at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, 10175 Rawiga Road in Rittman. Memorial contributions can be made in Zunt's name to St. Ignatius High School, 1911 W. 30th St., Cleveland, 44113.

Here's the link to the obit in The PD:

http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2010/01/longtime_plain_dealer_sports_r.html

He had gone into Hospice earlier this week, after being transferred from Fairview hospital .

He was diagnosed with cancer in September, former colleague Chuck Murr reported.

Chuck Murr passed along these comments from friends about Zip:
"He was kind, polite, happy, hardworking and a true gentleman. Treated everyone
with respect, even lowly copy aides in the day. Which is what I was when I met
him. Wanted to be more like him when I grew up. I missed the mark by quite a
bit, but I am surely better for having known him." -- Joel Downey

"Zippy always said,'Hi, how are you doing?' to everyone around him even if he was in a conversation with someone else. No one in my life was so aware of others. Truly, he was a special and amazing man. He will be much missed. RIP Zip. -- Kenny Matley

"A truly nice man, always very helpful to everyone. He saw every player in every sport in the area for 50+ years and was a walking encyclopedia. The man had many strengths." -- Bill Livingston

"The Plain Dealer family and thousands of high school athletes across Northeast Ohio lost a true giant in the newspaper industry. No one covered high school sports with more enthusiasm than Dick Zunt. More than that, there was no warmer human being than Dick Zunt. Thousands of high school athletes were the lucky ones to have Dick Zunt cover them." -- Burt Graeff

"The nicest guy in the business. Ever." -- Michael K. McIntyre

"Man, I never saw that guy without a big smile on his face and a cheerful laugh. He was truly one of the finest human beings I've ever met. May he rest in peace." -- L.C. Johnson

"He was the kindest gentleman I have ever known. He was a gift to all of us who knew him. I'm glad his suffering is over. He deserves to be at peace. This is heartbreaking." -- Sue Klein

"Dick Zunt is possibly the kindest and most caring man I ever met. I grew up reading his stories and wanting to follow in his footsteps. He literally made it possible for me to work at the PD sports department. Better than that, he became my friend and colleague. Thanks for everything Dick, but especially for being such a true friend." -- Larry Sheehe

Chuck Murr said on Jan. 1, 2010: "visited with Zip this past evening ..." and I know many of you.. have been to see him in the past couple of days. His family greatly appreciates it. Zippy's alertness comes and goes as he is heavily medicated for the pain. He had a terrible fever Wednesday night, but it subsided Thursday and he spent much of the day chatting with friendsand family. By early evening he was quite tired and slept most of the time.His family members are truly touched by each visit. As we all know, Dick Zunt has touched all of us in such a positive way for so many years. If you get the chance in the next day or so."

Rich Fletcher said this:"I went to see Zippy Wednesday night (12/30) around 7:30 pm. He had a lot of family that had just arrived from out-of-town and, according the Hospice volunteer, a non-stop stream of friends. His family said that they were very moved at the "outpouring of love" (quote from his sister-in-law, Flo) that people have showed Zip. "Rich said he was awake but tired when he visited.

" He noticed me right away, saying "Oh, Rich. So glad you came. I missed you at the last luncheon."

Russ Kane dies

2009-12-20T22:26:00.004-05:00

Russ Kane, former city editor, copy editor, promotions director, died Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009 in the VA hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. His daughter Barbara was at his side, holding his hand when he died at 3:30 p.m., according to his son Rob. Russ had had a stroke in late November.

Here's the link to the obit by Tom Feran:

www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2009/12/russell_kane_former_plain_deal.html

Still more to learn at 90

2009-12-12T15:51:00.006-05:00

Jean Elsner, the wife of the late editorial writer Sid Elsner, got a nice front page story on Wed, Dec. 12, about her still taking classes at CSU at age 90:

"Jean Elsner , 90, of South Euclid, is a life-long bookworm and has been taking classes at Clev for the last 27 years. Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, CSU will present her with a special medal during the graduation ceremony. Elsner graduated the first time in 1941 from Ohio University. Elsner, who has never driven a car, still takes the bus to her classes. "

For the rest of the story:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/12/at_90_cleveland_state_universi.html

Harry West revisited

2009-12-12T15:36:00.007-05:00

Pat and Ralph Gessler had breakfast with Harry West at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas in September. West, a former features editor, isn't golfing anymore but loves keno, says Pat, a former news editor/systems guru. Ralph, a former printer, is still working in circulation.

Russ Kane has stroke

2009-12-06T17:05:00.002-05:00

Russ Kane, who had a stroke Nov. 25, is in Palo Alto, Calif. VA hospital . He's in building 100, ward 4A, the hospice unit. Russ was a city editor and Sunday Magazine editor, among other positions.

His son Rob Adams-Kane, a former PD copyaide, says "he's surrounded by grandkids and others and getting as many visitors as he can stand. From time to time he throws them all out, via minute but unmistakable gestures. He's very weak. Russell has chosen to not receive significant nutrition or hydration since his move to the VA.

The address is 3801 Miranda Ave., Palo Alto CA, 94304.

Rob says Russell is "greatly enjoying the stories in John Tidyman's new book, Gimme Rewrite Sweetheart, which we're reading aloud for him. "

Alumni invited to Book Sale

2009-11-30T23:44:00.002-05:00

The Plain Dealer Holiday Book Sale is on deck for Thursday, Dec. 3 from 3-5:30 p.m. in the second floor community room. Security Guards have been alerted to admit former Plain Dealer employees.

Prices haven't risen: $3 hardcover; $2 paperback, $2 CDs, $10 coffee table books, $8 and $5 audiobooks. Also music CDs and ample kids books. Limit of these to 10 per customer per day.

Half - price day is Friday, Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to noon.

See you there.

Tales of Snyderman

2009-10-18T22:11:00.002-04:00

Seems that there are a few domestic tales about the late Bob Snyder, aka Snyderman, in the book just out by his widow Pat Snyder, "The Dog Ate My Planner: Tales and Tips from an Overbooked Life."

The book features Bob as Gadget Man, obsessed with electronic devices, and shares other well-kept secrets such as his obsession with flossing, his ploys to beat the American health care system, and his personal filing (or not) system.

You can read more by going to the book's web page, http://www.TheDogAteMyPlanner.com, or Pat's web page, http://www.PatSnyderOnline.com.

Friday, Oct. 30 Luncheon Date

2009-10-08T21:34:00.000-04:00

PD Editorial Retirees & Expatriates

Casual unstructured lunch troupe

Gather for lunch on the last Friday of January, April, July and October

Spouses and guests always welcome

NEXT LUNCHEON: Noon, Friday, October 30

PLACE: Stancato’s, 7380 State Road (Ohio 94), Parma,

Strip mall near intersection with West Pleasant Valley Road

From I-480 take State Road south

From I-77, Ohio 82 (Wallings Road), west to State Road, then north

From I-71, Ohio 82 east to State Road, then north

COST: Buffet $6.95, plus beverage, dessert (optional), and tip

RSVP by Friday, October 23

Janet Beighle French (216) 221-2318, or jabfr519@sbcglobal.net or

JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923, or japallant@sbcglobal.net

Future gatherings: January 29, April 30, and July 30

Miller's memorial

2009-10-07T21:16:00.001-04:00

Bill Miller's memorial Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 at the Ohio theatre was quite a party. Here's a link to photos and tributes:

http://www.clevelandpeople.com/other/william-miller.htm

Cy Wainscott, managing editor/production

2009-09-28T23:36:00.006-04:00

By Judy Wainscott

Cy Wainscott, 74, who died September 27th at home in Gambier, was literally raised in movie theaters in north central Illinois (Rantoul
and Champaign-Urbana), where his parents managed theaters.

He and his
brother, Marc, would report to work there after school.

One of Cy’s special jobs, he recently told his wife, Judy, was making popcorn in the theater basement, bagging it with lots of salt and butter, then taking it up to the candy stand. When he or Marc tired of the feature movie,
they would nap on cots in the projection room, entertaining one another
by acting out favorite scenes until they fell asleep.

Cy never lost his
love for popcorn—his comfort food—or for the movies of the 30’s and
40’s. As he realized he was dying from cancer, he cheered himself by
watching dozens of old movies on DVD.

His early career goal was the Lutheran ministry and he prepared at
Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. During his senior year, he worked on
the college newspaper and decided he would make a better newsman than preacher. He never regretted that decision.

His first job after graduating in 1957 was as a reporter for the Ashland (OH) Times-Gazette. He was soon managing editor, the youngest in the state at that time.

In 1962, he joined The Plain Dealer as a copy editor and was eventually a
Managing Editor, responsible for overseeing the production of the
newspaper. He was a member of Unit One, the American Newspaper Guild, and of the journalism fraternity, Sigma Delta Chi, and past president of
the Press Club of Cleveland.

During the 1980s, for five years, he was publicity director of Kansas
State University in Manhattan, KS. He left to join a division of
Eastman-Kodak in Boston that made computer systems for newspapers. He saw the world on that job, consulting with newspapers in New Zealand,
Poland, Sweden, Scotland and England, including the Times of London.

In 1991, Cy and Judy returned to a home they’d purchased in Gambier, her
hometown, where he joined the Kenyon (College) Review as Managing
Editor. He also served as advisor to the student newspaper, The
Collegiate, and was selected all-campus advisor-of-the-year.

He retired
in 1995 to pursue hobbies, including the King Arthur legend, model
trains, tropical fish and heraldry. He loved to design coats of arms and
was working on a set for the Board of Trustees of Kenyon when he died.

During a trip to England in the 1960’s, he was so moved by a service at
Westminster Abbey he returned home an Episcopalian. He was an active
member of Harcourt Parish Episcopal Church in Gambier where a memorial
service will be held Saturday, October 24 at 11 am.

Besides Cy’s widow, Judith McCluskey Wainscott, whom he married in 1965,
he is survived by his mother, Frances McDaniel Wainscott Grantham, of
Fairborn, OH. Other survivors include his brother Marc’s widow, also
Judy Wainscott, of Fairborn; his brother-in law Jon (Tony) McCluskey and
his wife, Bonnie, of Appleton, WI; a nephew, Charlie McCluskey, of
Oshkosh, WI; a neice, Paige McCluskey Richards of Milwaukee and her
husband, Erik, and their daughters, Sadie and Stella. Cy’s father, Cyril
Emmett Wainscott, died in 1958. Cy’s widow requests that memorial
donations be made to favorite charities.

For funeral home info and to leave condolences visit http://www.snyderfuneralhomes.com/\

Alana Baranack has an obit with lots of photos at http://obitsohio.com/2009/09/28/cy-wainscott-74-gambier/

The Plain Dealer's obit can be read at http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2009/09/cy_wainscott_former_managing_e.html

Jane Moulton, food writer

2009-09-28T23:20:00.003-04:00

JANE H. MOULTON, 83, an assistant food editor and wine columnist for the PD from 1967-1992, died Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009 at South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Heights

A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, September 29, 2009, at 2:30 p.m. at the Church In Aurora with Rev. Kevin Horak officiating. Mrs. Moulton will be buried in Aurora City Cemetery.

The entire death notice is at www.greenfamilyfuneralhome. com. The obituary will be in the Plain Dealer on Tuesday, Sept. 29,2009.

Nancy Lee weds Marie Wilson

2009-09-21T07:46:00.002-04:00

Nancy Ann Lee and Marie Collins Wilson were married Friday in Aquinnah, Mass. The Rev. Dr. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, an Episcopal priest, officiated at the Outermost Inn.
Ms. Lee (left) 56, is the editor and vice president for licensing of The New York Times Syndicate. She graduated magna cum laude from Kent State University. She was a Plain Dealer copy editor and assistant photo editor in the 70s.
She is the daughter of Joyce I. Lee of Fort Myers, Fla., and the late James E. Lee.
Ms. Wilson, 69, is the founder and president of the White House Project, a nonprofit organization in New York that promotes women’s leadership in business and government. She graduated from the University of Delaware and received a Master of Science in higher education from Drake University.
Until 2004, she was the president of the Ms. Foundation for Women in New York. She is a creator of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Her first marriage ended in divorce.
She is the daughter of Myrtle M. Collins of Atlanta and the late Henry A. Collins.

Help wanted: Copy editor

2009-09-18T13:21:00.004-04:00

A new website, http://www.sportsink.com, covers high school sports in Medina and Summit counties. SportsInk is looking for a copy editor to wrangle stories into good shape and sniff out extra info as needed.

SportsInk is also offering the SportsInk software to writers who want to cover high school sports in areas outside of Medina and Summit counties. Find out more info at http://www.sports-reporting.net

William F. Miller Memorial Celebration

2009-08-31T23:46:00.000-04:00

A tribute to the late William F. Miller, Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter and dear friend to Cleveland's vast ethnic community, is set for Friday October 2nd, 5:30pm, in the beautiful Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare, 1501 Euclid Ave, downtown Cleveland.
Because of William's efforts in helping save the historic and now thriving theaters, PlayhouseSquare has generously offered the Ohio Theatre for this celebration of his life.

Friends from Cleveland's ethnic, civic, media and arts communities will gather to salute Bill's 40-year career as one of Greater Cleveland's most accomplished, passionate and charismatic journalists.

William F. "Wolfgang" Miller: writer, photographer, polka singer, devoted friend, loving husband and father. An exciting guy who could energize a room!

Join us for a night of great stories, joyous memories, special guests, music and more.

Dick Russ, Managing Editor of WKYC-TV Channel 3, will emcee the tribute.

A cocktail reception will be held in the theater following the program. This celebration of Bill’s life and achievements are free and open to the public.

For more information, please contact:

Billy Miller (organizer)
212-598-4902
Email: Billyartnyc@yahoo.com

August Pust (organizer)
216-261-2690
Email: Gapust@aol.com

Jeannie Emser (PlayhouseSquare)
216-348-5271
Email: emserj@playhousesquare.org