The pool that Channels built

By John Olesky (BJ 1969-96)

I was looking for something completely different when I came across photos of the Aug. 11, 1985 party at "The Pool That Channels Built," as I called it. That was because Features Editor Jim Nolan, leading up to the initial Channels television guide in 1981, demanded page proofs every time that I changed a comma or moved any element in the mockups I had been working on for months. That resulted in so much overtime for me -- $10,000 in one year in 1980-81 dollars, which would be about $60,000 in buying power today, plus more in the following year -- that it easily covered the cost of the pool.

Anyway, I threw a pool party Aug. 11, 1985 and my favoritee invitees were the old State Desk gang, which was broken up in the 1970s in favor of a Metro Desk:

Pat Englehart, raucous, passionate State Desk editor, and the best editor of my 43-year newspaper career. Pat died in Florida in 2005. His wife, Marge, lives in the Elks National Home in Bedford, Virginia.

Harry Liggett, the assistant State Desk editor who stepped in after the Englehart whirlwinds and brought order and calm. Harry came with his wife, Helen, who died last year.

Frances B. Murphey, Good Afternoon columnist (in those days; later, Good Morning when the BJ switched from PM to AM paper) who got the names and photos of people in the BJ who would never have made it in print otherwise. Fran died in 1998.

I was assistant State Desk editor under Pat Englehart and alongside Harry Liggett. My wife, Monnie, helped organize the 1985 pool party. Monnie died in 2004.

By 1985 management had split up Pat, Harry and I into other roles. This was my thank-you to them for the glorious, marvelous and happy State Desk years.

I sold the house and pool in 2006 after Paula and I moved into our Tallmadge condo. But the pool, built in 1983, provided 23 years of memories. Among my favorites was the 1985 pool party with the old State Desk gang.