Congratulations Graduates!

Photos and brief notes on two dozen sons and daughters of Beacon Journal employees were published in a “Congratulations Graduates!” page of the Beacon Journal on Tuesday, June 28, on page A6. There was nothing on Ohio.com so you will have to scrounge for a newspaper to see them.

Here they are:

Allison Michelle Ayers, Firestone High, daughter of Patricia and Michael Ayers, community relations/marketing, will attend University of Toledo.
Alissa K. Bass, Ohio State University bachelor’s in hospitality management, daughter of Linda Morley Lyell, Ohio.com and David Bass, interned at Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Jaime Elizabeth Bass, Copley High, daughter of Linda Morley Lyell, Ohio.com and David Bass, will attend Kent State.
Jessica Ann Berg, Kent Roosevelt High, daughter of Roger Berg, circulation, will attend Kent State.
Lauren Ann Brooks, Summit Academy High in Lincoln Park, Michigan, daughter of Scott Brooks, advertising, will attend Rochester College in Rochester, Michigan.
Jennifer Leigh Brown, Bowling Green State University, daughter of Kim and Debra Brown, advertising, plans to work at a marine biology nature camp in Andros Island, Bahamas.
Stephen Paul Brown, Jackson High School, son of Kim and Debra Brown, advertising, will attend College of Wooster on music and scholastic scholarships to study international business and horn performance.
Michael N. Carney, Columbus College of Art and Design, son of James Carney, news, and stepson of his wife, Katie Byard, news, son of Mary Stormer and stepson of Barry Stormer, is a freelance artist in Columbus
Adam J. Christian, Tallmadge High, son of DeAnna and Dave Christian, circulation, will attend University of Toledo to study communications.
Cynthia Marie Cistone, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, daughter of Judy and David Cistone, production, will attend Muskingum College on a softball scholarship.
Alexis Jane Cowman, Kent State bachelor’s in business administration, daughter of Sandra and Thomas Cowman, production, employed by J.M. Smucker in Orrville.
Paul David Cowman, University of Akron cum laude bachelor’s in marketing/advertising, son of Sandra and Thomas Cowman, production, employed as media coordinator at Malone Advertising.
Kelly Lynne Earlenbaugh, Ellet High School, daughter of Jane and Dennis Earlenbaugh, news art department, will attend Ohio University of study psychology.
Vincent Lee Gooden, Firestone High, brother of Leslie Johnson, finance, will attend Stark State College to study electronics.
April D. Hinkle, Huron School of Nursing/Cleveland Clinic R.N. diploma, daughter of Roy and Karen Jones, human resources, employed as registered nurse at Hillcrest Hospital.
Candace Michelle Kelley, Kent State bachelor’s in fashion merchandising, daughter of Joanne and David Kelley, production, interned at fashion-related employers in New York City and studied in Florence, Italy, though KSU’s fashion program.
Kortlyn Marie Moore, Kent Roosevelt High, daughter of Angelyn L. Healey and Kenneth J. Healey, creative technical services, will attend Kent State to study broadcast journalism and communications.
Alex Michael Reynolds, Green High, son of Roger and Susan Reynolds, newsroom, will attend University of Akron on a basketball scholarship to study mass media and communications.
Amanda Marie Reynolds, University of Akron magna cum laude bachelor’s in education/middle level, daughter of Roger and Susan Reynolds, newsroom,. Project LEARN and Project PRISE volunteer.
Lindsey Anne Rowland, Firestone High, daughter of Sarah Vradenburg, newsroom editorial, and Barry Rowland, will attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago to study fine arts/fiber and materials management.
Anna Springer, Kent Roosevelt High salutatorian, daughter of Barbara Hipsman and Bob Springer, newsroom editorial, will attend Loyola University in Chicago to pursue international studies.
Monica Renee Taylor, Central Hower High, daughter of Jeffrey R. Taylor, production, and Raeti A. Taylor, will attend Case Western Reserve University to duty chemical engineering.
Rebecca Vicars, Wadsworth High School, daughter of Barbara and John Vicars, Information Technology, will attend University of Akron, to study social work.
Kathleen Erin Yancer, Ohio State bachelor’s in architecture, daughter of Karen and Terry Yancer, information technology, employed at WD Partners, an architecture firm in Columbus.

Jane Betz drowns in Leesville Lake

Jane E, Betz RN


Jane Betz, wife of Tim Betz, former head of Information Technology at the Beacon Journal, drowned on Wednesday, June 22, near the boater’s beach at Leesville Lake.

Betz was traveling with two women on the lake on a pontoon, a boat with a hull constructed of round tubes, when she dove into the lake to retrieve a red foam noodle, said Carroll County Sheriff Dale Williams.

The two women on the boat said the 56-year-old went into the water and re-emerged, looking like she was having trouble, Williams said. The women said they could not pull up the boat’s anchor in time to help her. Divers recovered her body Thursday night in about 23 feet of water. Betz’s body was found near the area where she had been reported missing.

The search was concentrated at the waterfront property of Camp Aldersgate, south of Carrollton from about 6:10 a.m. until the recovery at about 7:15 p.m. Camp Aldersgate is one of seven camps situated at Leesville Lake, and Betz was not affiliated with the camp, according to Eric Dingler, camp director.

[Information from news item in the Times-Reporter, New Philadelophia, OH, Friday, June 24, 2005]

Here is her obituary from the Beacon Journal:

Jane E. Betz RN (Erisey) age 57 passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday June 22, 2005.

Jane received both an Associates and Bachelors of Science Degree in Nursing, and was currently working as a critical care nurse for Akron General Medical Center. She was ACLS certified and more recently received her PICC line certification. Jane took great pride in the care she gave to her patients, and in addition to her love of nursing she had an even greater love for animals.

She was preceded in death by her parents Clyde and Elinore Erisey, and brothers Richard and David Erisey. She is survived by her daughter Beth Morrison of North Canton, two sons; Spc. Shawn Morrison of Anchorage, AK, and Brian (Jennifer) Morrison of Louisville, OH, two grandsons; Brandon and Cameron, her husband Timothy, and her beloved dog Sampson. She is also survived by her three sisters Joanne Courtney of St.Louis, MO, Kathy (Mike) Myers and Denise (Phil) Jackson all of Georgia, two brothers; Steve (Colleen) Erisey of Maximo, OH and Scott Erisey.

Her wishes were to be cremated, and her family will celebrate her life on Tuesday starting at 5:00 P.M. in the Reed Funeral Home NORTH CANTON CHAPEL (801 Pittsburg Rd. NW North Canton, OH 44720), with a memorial service to follow at 6:00 P.M. Those who wish to attend are encouraged to bring their favorite pictures and memories of Jane to share. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to any local humane society branch in her name.
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Sunday, June 26, 2005, page B5 col. 3]

Tony Ridder expects ad rebound

Knight Ridder Inc., the second-largest newspaper publisher in the country, expects to see national advertising pick up in the second half of the year after slumping in the spring, the company's chief executive said Tuesday.

CEO Tony Ridder, addressing an investor conference sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America, an industry group, said national advertising ``fell off in March'' and has not rebounded, although he said he is optimistic it will improve in the second half of the year.

Last week, Knight Ridder, parent of the Akron Beacon Journal and more than 30 other daily papers, told investors its second-quarter earnings would be flat with year-ago results because of charges and weak results at the company's Detroit operations.
[The Akron Beacon Journal, Wednesday, June 22, 2005, page D2, col. 2]

Doug selling BJ clock tower bricks

Doug Oplinger hawks BJ clock tower bricks

In another benefit for United Way, bricks from the Beacon Journal clock tower -- in varying shapes and sizes, with and without mortar -- went on sale in the newsroom. The bricks are on display, of sorts, underneath reporter Doug Oplinger’s desk (His reward for coming up with the idea) and on top of the file cabinet near Stephanie Warsmith’s desk. Close to $150 already has been collected for United Way.

A visit with Don and Donn

Don Bandy and I visited Donn Gaynor on Wednesday (June 15) and spent almost two hours talking about people we had worked with at the Beacon Journal. We often had to talk about them for several minutes before anyone of us could remember the name. Donn lives on the corner of Deitz and Eva avenues in Akron--–just across Eva Avenue from the home of the late Jim Dettling. Donn remarked that there is a still a U.S. flag with just 48 stars flying at Dettling'’s front porch. Dettling, who served in two different branches of the armed forces, apparently put the flag up and his son has left it there. [That was the U.S. flag from 1912 to 1959 and had the greatest longevity of any of them.]

I cannot-- and won'’t-- mention all the good and bad gossip we recalled about former BJ types. Nor shall I repeat any of our observations on the news media today.

Gaynor has three different forms of cancer he discovered about a year ago. First the doctors told him he had lymphoma--–a cancer of the lymph nodes which grows slowly but surely. Then they noticed a melanoma or skin cancer under his left eye. Finally, they found cancer on his lungs. He had just been to the hospital on Wednesday for radiation treatments and has 10 or so more to undergo.

Bandy is selling his home o Aqueduct St. and will move probably somewhere in the Bradenton area of Florida where his sister lives. Other family members live in Florida and none remain in his old hometown of Washington Court House. Also old friends will know that keeping the house is becoming a chore. Donn used to have parties for BJ types to help with the annual leaf pickup chores.

You can send notes to Donn at PO Box 7636, Akron, OH. He got the PO box years ago after a mailman complained about his dog barking at him in a menacing manner. The dog is now half deaf and half blind. Bandy will supply his new address when he gets settled in Florida.

KR says earnings could be flat

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 14 (AP) - Knight Ridder, the second-largest newspaper publisher in the country, warned on Tuesday that its second-quarter earnings could be flat with year-ago results, because of charges and weak results at the company's Detroit operations.

The company also reported a 3.5 percent rise in overall advertising revenue last month, with retail advertising growth of 5.7 percent being offset by a 7 percent decline in national ads.

Classified ad sales rose 5.5 percent on sharply higher employment and real estate listings, while automotive ad sales decreased in the period.

For the quarter ending this month, Knight Ridder said its profit should be similar to last year's income of $1.08 a share, excluding a gain of 10 cents from a tax break and favorable adjustments in Detroit, where it runs The Detroit Free Press.

Severance costs and a decline in operating earnings from Detroit will weigh on its quarterly results, the company added.

On average, analysts are looking for earnings of $1.05 a share on $776.1 million in revenue. Knight Ridder's revenue totaled $760 million in the year-ago quarter.

Knight Ridder shares fell 84 cents, to $61.50.

[Published: June 15, 2005]

Ads on BJ clock tower OKd

The Akron Beacon Journal can sell advertising on its new clock tower.

The Akron City Council voted unanimously Monday to allow the advertising. The newspaper needed the council's OK on a conditional use because zoning law generally does not permit such signs to carry advertising.

A wraparound LED display message board also will be used to scroll news and announcements of local events.

A stationary time/temperature display will appear on four sides of the concrete tower, which will resemble the original one built in 1929 and should be completed sometime this fall.

[Akron Beacon Journal, Tuesday, June 14, 2005, page B4, col. 5]

Confidence in news falls to all-time low

Public trust in newspapers and television news continued to decline in Gallup's annual survey of "public confidence in major institutions" in the United States, reaching an all-time low this year, Editor and Publisher reported June 10..

Those having a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in newspapers dipped from 30% to 28% in one year, the same total for television. The previous low for newspapers was 29% in 1994. Since 2000, confidence in newspapers has declined from 37% to 28%, and TV from 36% to 28%, according to the poll.

Confidence in the presidency plunged from 52% to 44%, with Congress and the criminal-justice system also suffering 8% drops. Confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court fell from 46% to 41%. The 22% confidence rating for Congress is its lowest in eight years

The military topped the poll with a 74% confidence rating, with the police at 63% and organized religion at 53%. Big business and Congress (both at 22%) and HMOs (17%) brought up the rear.

Batz in 35th year at Dayton Daily News

Would you believe this?: Bob Batz, who is now living in Brookville, OH, is in his 35th year at the Dayton Daily News as a feature writer/columnist. And his oldest son Bob is a prize-winning feature writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“I could retire. But don’t plan to,” Batz says. “Sally and I still have fond, fond memories of BJ.”

Bob’s son received a first place in the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors Association 2004 awards for an article titled “Reaching Out With Both Hands.”
We are trying to obtain a copy.

It's not the usual dozen at lunch

The attendance figure for the BJ Retirees lunch on June 8 at Papa Joe’s was the usual dozen, but there were more women and two editorial types who have not been at the lunch for a while–Jane Snow and Don Bandy.

Jane is on leave from the BJ recovering from surgery. She will write about that later. Don Bandy has put his house on Aqueduct up for sale and will be moving to Florida where all his siblings live. There are no remaining relatives in hometown Washington Courthouse. Don will stay with a sister while he looks for a condo in Florida.

The two women in addition to Jane were Anne Catalano and Norma Hanzel. Husbands Joe and Ed were there along with other printers, Gene McClellan, Carl Nelson and Bob Pell. Editorial types attending were Harry Liggett, John Olesky and Tom Moore.

John will be leaving soon on a trip to his mother’s home in Italy and will be gone about three weeks.

Just click on the headline to see Tom Moore’s photos of the lunch bunch.

Richard Sweet: Record-Courier photog

Richard Sweet

Richard R. Sweet, 65, of Elno Avenue, Kent, died Sunday, May 22, 2005, at Justin T. Rogers Hospice Care Center in Akron, Ohio.

He was born Aug. 20, 1939, in North Ridgeville, to Dyer and Nina (Williams) Sweet. An alumnus of Kent State University, he earned a BFA in 1966. For nearly four decades he chronicled the faces and places of Portage and Summit County as a photographer for the Record Courier, from which he retired in September 2004. He also performed professional location photography for weddings, class reunions, etc., as well as a variety of commercial clients. His easy smile and gracious manner were fondly familiar to many people throughout the region. A member of the United Methodist Church of Kent, Kent Lions Club, and the Portage County Historical Society, Richard also enjoyed col lecting and restoring antique cameras, travel, reading history, and oil painting.

Richard's surviving family include his wife, Betty (Hejma), whom he married on Sept. 4, 1994; stepson, Craig Hejma of Kent; stepdaughter, Melissa (Tod Bates) Hejma of Taos, N.M.; sister, Joanne (Bob) Raybuck; and nephews of Shippenville, Pa., and Harvey Blanck of Clarksville, Tenn.; a niece, Diane Raybuck of Akron, Ohio; adopted family, Will and Karin Lange Underwood and their children; extended family, Frank and Sue Cook and their children at Gahanna, Ohio, Al and Carol Laymon of Hartville and their children. He was preceded in death by his parents and by brother, Charles Sweet.

The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to Dr. Sandra Hazra and the staff at the Justin T. Rogers Hospice Care Center for the excellent care given to Richard.

Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at United Methodist Church of Kent, with Rev. Dr. David Palmer and Rev. Douglas Denton officiating. The family will receive friends two hours prior to the service. Memorials may be made to UMC of Kent, 1435 E. Main St., Kent, Ohio 44240; Portage County Historical Society, 6529 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna, Ohio 44266; or Hospice Care Center, 3358 Ridgewood Rd., Akron, Ohio 44333.
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Friday, June 3, 2005, page B7, col. 5]

Authentic BJ coffee table

BJ coffee with glass top at left is supported (right) by press plates

This BJ coffee table in the basement family room of Roger and Anne Mezger has a base made of curved stereotype plates from 1976. They were among the last plates used in printing the Beacon Journal in those days when the newspaper was printed from curved plates cast from mats in the BJ composing room. Roger saved these to fashion this authentic BJ coffee table. The press plates weigh about 40 pounds each. One is from October 7, 1976 with the headline reading “Polls on debate show Carter outtalked Ford.” The other is from October 12, 1976 and the top headline says “Mao widow held with 3 radicals”–the infamous Gang of 4. The glass top is 24 inches in diameter. Roger says, “Over the years I have added decals that came in the mail from some of my alma maters and my favorite baseball team.”
(Photos by Roger Mezger)

Tom Ryan's son dies in Venice, FL

"Bill" Ryan

This blog would be negligent if attention was not given to the death of the late Tom Ryan’s son, John William “Bill” Ryan in Venice, FL, on May 22.

Tom was a veteran BJ reporter who died February 9, 1985. His wife, Marjorie, has been a resident of the nursing home on the fifth floor of Barberton Citizens Hospital for eight years and has suffered that long with Alzheimer’s. A daughter, Donna Gadel, is deceased, but all five sons–Mike, Jim, Shawn and Buddy--still live in Barberton.

Here then is the obituary:

John William "Bill" Ryan

John William "Bill" Ryan, 66, a resident of Venice, Fla., passed away May 22, 2005.

He was born Sept. 6, 1938, and lived in the Akron area most of his life. He grad uated from Barberton High School. Because of his warmth and understanding, many con sidered him "dad." He was known for his "Far Side" sense of humor, and his love of practical jokes. Bill served in the U.S. Navy from 1962 to 1965 aboard the aircraft carrier Bon homme Richard as a lithographer. He would say "Not a single Viet Cong got past San Diego during my hitch."

He worked as a salesman for Nabisco and sold cars. He also drove a cab in Las Vegas and worked for Summit County as a communications repairman when he retired. Bill would joke that he lived longer than Elvis, and knew more women than Liberace. He lived the last five years of his life in Florida, where he fished and lived a life of leisure. He was most proud of his grandson, Kade William, whom he refered to as "my buddy."

He was preceded in death by his father, Tom Ryan and sister, Donna Gadel. He is survived by his mother, Marjorie; son, Michael; daughter, Kellee (Kano) Keller; grandson, Kade; daugh ter, Sherry (Steve) Terrell; brothers, Buddy, Mike (Dana), Jim (Cheryl), and Shawn (Niki); and many nieces and nephews. "Bill R" will be tremendously missed.

His wishes were to be cremated and for his ashes to be spread into the Gulf of Mexico.
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Sunday, May 29, 2005 ]

Help find these BJ "Lost Lambs"

The following list is what I call “Lost Lambs.” That is probably not appropriate, but they are old timers I would like to contact. I have some ideas on how to find all of them, but thought this might be easier.–so

Can you put me in touch with Bob Batz, John Bird, Carol Camp, John DeGroot , Bob Feldkamp, Larry Fields, John Flynn, Judy Gilhousen, John Larrabee, Bruce McIntyre, Hank Rupple, Dale Smith, Tom Suchan and Bob vonSternberg?

Just leave a comment or drop me an e-mail at hliggett@ald.net