tr for add 13 and "30"

Retired BJ printer Bob Pell was taken to the emergency room on April 21 with a side pain and after two cat scans the doctor decided he had Myeloma on the spine. A spinal biopsy on April 7 confirmed the diagnosis and he underwent three weeks of radiation treatment. Bob’s wife, Peg, is also still getting dialysis three days a week. She takes the Medina County Transit System to Medina and then Bob picks her up so she can get home earlier. Because of all this, Bob has find it necessary to give up his job as publisher of the newsletter for the Wadsworth Eagles. Bob tells about old-time publishing in this final newsletter. Here it is:

I Found the Newsletter's "30"

By BOB PELL
About a quarter of a century ago when newspaper pages were put together by skilled human hands, and not computers, large mechanical monsters card Linotype Machines produced the type. I am referring to the pre-1980's Akron Beacon Journal, where I spent nearly 35 years of my life and we had approximately 40 of those machines, some used for display ads and others used to set the news for the pages... one line at a time.

When edition time drew near an important story would usually break and it would come into the Composing Room with about 10 sheets of copy pasted together. The Copy Desk would cut the story into paragraphs and give each operator a piece of copy containing three or four paragraphs. At the end of the page where he cut it, he would write, "TR for add one" etc., until he had them all distributed. The Linotype Operator would set the paragraphs in type, turn a rule upside down (TR) and set the above "TR" line and the "add" number, then take it to the "bank" or "dump", depending on how much he wanted to impress his neighbors.

The Copy Desk would keep handing out the pieces of the article as each operator came up with his type and finally at the bottom of the last piece of copy was the figure "30", which signified the end.

You may be wondering why I am telling you all of this, but unfortunately I have found the "30" for my Publishing of your Newsletter. It is not something that I chose to do but something that could not be avoided.

I have thoroughly enjoyed publishing your Newsletter for the past 13+ years and had hoped to go on with it but it was not to be. Yes, it has been frustrating at times, but fun too. A big mistake can be fun too, if you decide to make it so... like the time I ran the picture of Irene Gibson and captioned it as "Irene Givens". That is definitely a sure way to verify that you members are reading the Newsletter. I now refer to Irene as Irene Whatzername.

John [newsletter editor John Kernan] and I have always worked well together, usually finding a way to agree on most of our decisions. We had one rule we stuck with: No religion or politics. This was a "fun" thing and we wanted to keep it that way. We would get together a few days just prior to completion of our upcoming edition and go over it carefully to make it as well of a publication as we possibly could. We were pleased with our product.

At our S. Lyman St. Aerie John and I were working together -- he as Secretary and me in my usual place as Treasurer. That is where I first met John and got to know him. Hey, I can hardly remember when I wasn't Treasurer. I am glad to tell you that Paula Sponsler has agreed to take over the publication of this Newsletter and I wish her the best and I know the cooperation with the Officers and Members is great. Well... maybe a nudge now and then. John Kernan has also agreed to stay on and work with Paula so I am happy this Newsletter will continue to exist.

Last, but definitely not least, I will be eternally grateful to all of you for the honor you bestowed on me by naming our new Pavilion the Bob Pell Sr. Pavilion. I am very proud every time I see that stone in front of the Pell Pavilion with my name on it. My more than thirty years as your Treasurer seems to have flown by so fast and now I am wondering where they went. Before being elected Treasurer, I was Inside Guard and Worthy Vice President. I ran for President but Charlie Hoezle beat me by five votes. You can't win them all!

It's been a fun 13+ Newsletter years. I am going to miss it..
.~Bob Pell -30-