How Russ Musarra learned his lesson the hard way

In "Gimme Rewrite, Sweetheart . . .
Tales From the Last Glory Days of Cleveland Newspapers—Told By The Men and Women Who Reported the News," a book by former Cleveland Press reporter John H. Tidyman (Gray & Company), retired Beacon Journal and Cleveland Press reporter Russ Musarra recalls how he learned a valuable lesson concerning the cutthroat competition between the Press and the Plain Dealer in those days. The Press died, and the PD presses on.

Musarra's recollections:

You learned your lessons the hard way. I learned how to cajole pictures from grieving wives and mothers. On the night shift, if somebody got killed in an automobile accident or a shooting or whatever, you'd want to get a picture.

Michael Kelly was a reporter for the Plain Dealer. Well, Mike was a very nice person. He just couldn't do enough for you.

He and I went out to a grieving parent's home one time to get pictures of somebody who had died. We got there at the same time and he said, “Let me do the talking.” We were talking and getting information. I'm writing as fast as I could.

He said, “Do you have any pictures of little Johnny?” And so she brought out the pictures of him and he took them all. He said, “Thank you so much.”

He's leaving, and I said, “Do you have any more pictures?” She said, “Well, no. I gave them all to him.”

I said, “Well, Mike.” He said, “Screw you.” If you got there first, take them all. Screw the competition.

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Russ was known at the BJ for being an excellent reporter who could be outspoken. There were times when the entire newsroom stopped while Russ aimed his anger at an editor. In the later years, as we all do, Russ mellowed. I have first-hand evidence that you couldn't ask for a nicer co-worker.

After coming to the BJ from the Press and PD, the pride of Macedonia worked 30 years at the Beacon before his 2000 retirement.

Click on the headline for photos and a Ayers sketch and the cover of "Walks Around Akron," based on a 1987-on series of articles that Russ wrote and Ayers illustrated for the BJ about Akron landmarks.

Click here to read other excerpts

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Ott Gangl's comment was too delicious to leave hidden under "Comments." Here it is:

Ott Gangl said...
The best of my 35 years at the BJ were the ones on the Beacon Magazine with Russ and the late Bill Bierman.

We had so much fun, often loud, that they banned us to a far corner of the stock room, which didn't faze us a bit. Eventually they allowed us out and placed us next to the art department. Then we had a window.

....Ott