PD Sweeps

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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