Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Update from Kathy Lally

When our e-mail address list to Kathy Lally bounced, we started looking around and found that she had left the Baltimore Sun and was now working on temporary assignment with the Washington Post. Finally it dawned on us to try an old e-mail address for Kathy and her Pulitzer-prize winning husband Will Englund. They spent a couple of tours of duty reporting for the Sun in Russia. Now it appears Kathy may be teaching Russians some reporting. Here’s e-mail received September 28 from her:

“I left The Sun at the end of July. After 29 years there, I decided it was time to try something else. I've been filling in on the Outlook section of the Washington Post, for someone who is on leave, working as an editor on the section. (It's the Sunday opinion section.) Next, I'm thinking about taking on an assignment to teach reporting and writing to reporters in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. I'll keep you posted.”

A good e-mail address for Kathy is will.kathy@starpower.net

Click on the headline above to read one of Kathy’s recent articles for the Washington Post. This one is headlined “Stuff a Ton of Stuff Into 80 Square Feet, and Say Goodbye” It provides a ton of interesting statistics about the annual migration of students to campus. Her daughter is a freshman this year.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Retired and tired in Florida


Terry and Cecily Dray and Dave and Gina White are both retired and tired in Florida after four hurricanes. Here are their latest reports secured by John Olesky:

From Terry & Cecily Dray, who live in Avon Park, FL:
We made it thru another one. This one went right thru Avon Park...kind of came right up Highway 27. We didn't leave town...nowhere to go. By the time we knew for sure it was coming, it was too late. The only routes considered safe were going West and we wanted to go North. But, again, we were blessed with no damage. Power just came back on (about 1:00 p.m. Tuesday. It went out at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday. About half of Avon Park is still without power. It seems that the power companies sent most of their people to the Panhandle to help with Ivan, leaving us with...well, not much. The reports on damage in this area are 6 times the combined damage of Charlie and Frances. We are still under a mandatory curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Thanks for thinking of us. Terry & Cecily

From Dave & Gina White who live in Venice, FL:
Hey John,
Enough is enough! Four hurricanes in six weeks. You can't believe how it takes a toll on your nerves. Again we were very lucky, no damage, gusts at 47 miles an hour and steady wind between 25 to 30 mph and no flooding. Poor Punta Gorda got 3 of the 4 hurricanes. It's only 20 miles from us. I see that WVA is in 6th place, is that the same WVA I Know. They must of made the field level this year!
Your Friends, Dave & Gina

Saturday, September 25, 2004

Cullison interviews Gable in 1958


Recalled Stories from the Beacon Journal:

Mark J. Price wrote an insightful article on Clark Gable in the Beacon Journal on Monday, September 20, 2004 (page E1) which mentioned a piece by Art Cullison on April 4, 1958. Cullison interviewed Gable and his wife, Kay (wife No. 5) at Cleveland where Gable was making a personal appearance tour to promote his movie, “The Teacher’s Pet.”

Price’s article prompted me to check the 1958 piece by Cullison. Click on the headline above to read the story.

To read the article by Price, go to Ohio.com at

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/living 710633.htm

You may have to register (free) to access it.




Saturday, September 18, 2004

Beacon Journal honored


Associated Press


COLUMBUS - The Akron Beacon Journal won first place in business and arts coverage for 2003 from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, while a staff reporter and photographer each won best of show.

More than 900 entries were submitted by 120 news organizations. In the print category for circulation of 100,000 or more, the newspaper won the following awards:

Best business coverage: first place, ``Legacy of Decline,'' by John Russell.

Best arts reporting: first place, ``Arts Recession,'' staff.

Best coverage of children's issues: second place, ``Kenmore Abuse Case,'' John Higgins, Andale Gross, Keith McKnight, Carl Chancellor, Phil Trexler, Kymberli Hagelberg, Stephen Dyer, and David Knox and staff.

Best explanatory journalism: second place, ``Focus on: Independent Inventors,'' by Paula Schleis.

Best sports coverage: second place, ``Boys of Spring,'' by Keith McKnight and Ed Meyer.

In best of show, Lew Stamp won as best photographer, and Cheryl Powell won as best reporter (as did reporter Kelly Lecker of the Toledo Blade).

The Beacon Journal's online partner, Ohio.com, won first place for best web site.

Friday, September 10, 2004

A T-shirt for Monia


The WVU 1100 Club at West Viriginia University presented retiree John Olesky and his granddaughter Beth, 14, with a T-shirt with the name of Olesky'’s late wife, Monia, on it at the East Carolina game on September 4. The club raised $3,700 in memory of Monia and another WVU fan who also died this year. Combined with $4,300 raised by the FanNet WVU message board, that'’s $8,000 donated to WVU in Monia'’s memory. John and Monia have been such ardent fans that they have the flying WV logo on their grave marker. The 1100 club raises money to be used for coaches’ recruiting expenses. Posted by Hello

Thursday, September 09, 2004

Maxine Lozier on the hurricanes


“Charley" wasn't good to us, without electric for a week and weather in the nineties. That's a lot better than Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte - those poor people are still recovering. One of our son-in-laws is in Port Charlotte, with FEMA and says they still have a long way to go, he's working 12 hours a day. In other words we were very, very lucky.

"Frances" gave us forty to fifty mile winds-no damage. The electric was off and on but not for any long period of time. Again we were lucky.

"Ivan," I'm worried about, a category five hurricane could crumble this house of ours, I'm sure. Especially after looking at the pictures coming through my computer.
All of this isn't enough, our son-in-law passed away in Holland Michigan (my daughter, Pam's husband). When this is over, I'm thinking about writing a book -- there's a lot that I haven't put in writing that would make a good story at least for a smile, after the worst is over and forgotten.

Thanks for listening, I feel better now. Maxine Lozier lozimax@aol.com

Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Dodging Hurricanes


Dave & Gina White and Terry & Cecily Dray are dodging hurricanes about every other week, it seems. The Drays have been in the path twice, but only have one downed orange tree and another damaged orange tree out of all of that. Miraculous, actually. Here are e-mails sent to John Olesky:

>From Terry & Cecily Dray:

We are doing fine. Yes, once again we were ground zero. The eye came right thru Avon Park. Winds were not as bad but storm lasted well over 12 hours. We were without power ab out 36 hours this time (which is better than 5 days). We are now watching Ivan and have decided to go north if he turns this way. We don't fear for our safety, and are becoming old hands at this hurricane stuff, but going without power in the aftermath is just too much to go thru a third time. Thanks for your concern,
Terry & Cecily

>From Dave & Gina White:

Well John we were missed again! Hope Ivan will do the same. We had wind gusts at 46 mph, steady wind 20-26 mph. Only 2" of rain, just a normal Florida weekend. We hope the Drays lucked out also. But by the weather maps it looked like Frances was going right over Avon Lake, Sebring area. Charley was to the left of us and Frances was to the right, hope Ivan doesn't go in the middle!
Dave & Gina