Gloria Irwin tribute to Don Bandy

So many people have written about Don's incredible skills as a rewrite man, so I thought I'd share some different stories.

On one of my first nights with the rewrite desk, I sent Don to cover the shooting of a repo man in the Canal Fulton area. As time ticked by, I wondered why Don wasn't calling in to give us an update. Every time I answered the phone, I got a mechanical voice telling me "this is an ad attack," and I hurriedly hung up, waiting for Don's call.

I think it was Jim Dettling who finally got the call from Don, who quickly dictated the story to him. When Don returned to the office, I asked him why he hadn't called earlier. "I did, but you kept hanging up on me," he said with some exasperation.
Seems what I was mishearing as "an attack ad" was really "this is AT&T … " with a collect call.

I also recall how much trouble Cristal Williams had in finding an appropriate retirement gift for Don. "He's not a '90s kind of guy," she concluded, ruling out whatever electronic gadgets were trendy at the time. I don't remember what she finally settled on.

He may not have been a '90s kind of guy, but Don was a trusty and dependable journalist and human being for all times.

Gloria Irwin
(still not retired)