Youngest 'Ann Hill' yet

The reading of the Ann Hill letter, which has been a hallmark of Guild Christmas parties for more than three decades, had its youngest practioner this year. Rhebbekah Yoder, 10, step-niece of the newsroom's Paula Schleis, did an expressive reading of the outraged Ann Hill.

In the audience of two dozen or so, fittingingly, was Ted Schneider, who has done the Ann Hill letter in nun habit and in rap style and who is the most memorable Ann Hill letter performer.

For those new to BJ lore, Ann Hill was an Ohio State University magna cum laude graduate with a masters in journalism/PR who came to the Beacon for a one-day tryout. After wading through enough work to bog down Woodward and Bernstein, the last straw was being sent to cover a Canton sewers meeting. The only thing Ann wrote was her memo to Managing Editor Bob Giles complaining of the Army-like discipline and "shitwork" and reminding B.G. that she was a superstar at OSU. And thus the legend began.

Ted met Ann Hill in California and tried unsuccessfully to persuade Ann to return for the Guild Christmas party and do the 25th anniversary reading in person.

Ann's biography says that she was a feature writer and investigative reporter with the Dayton Daily News and other daily newspapers and founded her first marketing and public relations agency, Hill & Zoog, in Columbus in 1978, primarily as a political consultant for Ohio politicians.

Ann went to California and started the Ann Hill Communications company in 1985 in San Rafael. She is the principal owner.

As he has for years, after the reading of the Ann Hill letter John Olesky stood up in reference to the Canton sewers assignment and exclaimed: "Englehart made me do it!"

For those who are really out of the loop, that would be another legend, the late Patrick T. Englehart of Mogadore, who was State Desk Editor when Ann Hill strolled into and stormed out of the Beacon Journal.