Harold McElroy back in hospital

BJ business department retiree Harold McElroy, who lives in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, is back in the hospital. Harold had surgery June 15 to remove his cancerous right lung.

He started feeling bad Monday and wife Linda called 911 in the middle of the night. Doctors are running tests and are concerned about fluid buildup.

Click on the headline to read BJ Alums blog posts about Harold's situation.

Sue Murphy flees Irene and visits Elizabeth Patton

BJ Alums got this email from Elizabeth Patton, BJ Sidebar Magazine editor till she left in 1993 to become Executive Director of Project:LEARN, an adult literacy program in Medina, before moving to Blairsville, Georgia in 1996.


My good friend and former BJ employee, Advertising Dept’s Sue Murphy, fled from her home in Hilton Head, South Carolina. She didn’t want to take any chances that Hurricane Irene might hit the SC coast and went to visit her daughter Kelly who lives in Fayetteville, Georgia, just south of Atlanta. Kelly and Sue came up to the mountains to visit for the weekend, leaving the hubbies at home so we could have a girl’s weekend.

We visited various antique stores, had great meals, drinks and good times. They were amazed at the

Elizabeth Patton (left) Sue Murphy

temperature change in the mountains. We are typically 10-15 degrees lower than Atlanta. It was a beautiful weekend, temps in low 80’s with overnight lows of 57-59. On Sunday morning I found them both on my screened porch wrapped in blankets drinking tea and enjoying the neighborhood rooster.

It was a good time.

I also took them to our golf course which elicited a vow to come back and play some golf.

Thanks,

Elizabeth

Elizabeth was executive assistant for the Union County commissioner in Georgia till her 2003 retirement. Her daughter, Cynthia, is owner of a law firm in Marietta, Georgia. Her son, Michael, is the manager of a CVS pharmacy in Dallas, Georgia.

Elizabeth's address is 1160 Hidden Lake Road, Blairsville, GA 30512. Her email is empatton@windstream.net

BJ parking deck will be torn down

The Akron Beacon Journal parking deck, a fixture on High Street for more than 50 years, will be torn down this fall, the company announced Tuesday.

The structure will be taken down because of its deteriorating condition.

“The concrete decks are deteriorating primarily due to corrosion of reinforcing steel embedded in the concrete and freeze-thaw action,” according to a structural engineering report prepared for the Beacon Journal. “The steel structure is deteriorating primarily at deck expansion joints and floor drains where water is penetrating the concrete slabs.”

Eslich Wrecking Co. of Louisville will tear down the deck and salvage any recyclable material. The work is scheduled to begin in October.

Employees of the Beacon Journal will park at other lots owned by the company near its offices at 44 E. Exchange St. Plans for the 10-level deck were drawn in 1958. It was built shortly thereafter.

[Source: ohio.com]

KSU prof Dr. Evonne H. Whitmore

Dr. Evonne H. Whitmore

On August 25, 2011, Dr. Evonne H. Whitmore went home to meet our Lord.

She had an incredible and accomplished 35 year career in journalism with 22 of those years as a professor at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Arthur Whitmore III and children, Lathan McKinley (Kinney) of San Francisco and Lauren Rae of Atlanta.

A Wake will be held on Sunday, August, 28th, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Stewart & Calhoun Funeral Home, 529 W. Thornton St. Akron, Ohio.

Dr. Whitmore's Homegoing celebration will be held on Monday, August 29th at 12 noon at Arlington Church of God, 539 S. Arlington St., Akron, Ohio. Friends may visit the church from 11 a.m. until time of service. Procession will form and condolences may be sent to 6150 Second Ave., Kent, OH 44240. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make donations in honor of Dr. Whitmore. Please make checks payable to: Kent State University Foundation and mail to: KSU/JMC, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242, reference: The Dr. Evonne H. Whitmore Memorial Scholarship.
330-535-1543 www.stewartcalhoun.com
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Sunday, August 28, 2011, page B7, col.4]

Pam McCarthy still swinging

No, not THAT kind of swinging. Former BJ staffer Pam McCarthy, who retired in 2008 from Hoover High School after 22 years as a teacher and student newsmagazine advisor, came back Aug. 14 to play in the Hoover High Alumni softball game in North Canton.

Not that Pam is retired from everything. She's district manager for Arbonne International, a skin care and health products company.

Pam's mom, Akron West High grad Charlotte Ruth McCarthy, died July 28.

Pam's siblings are Karen Uber of Cuyahoga Falls, Kathy McCarthy of Cuyahoga Falls and Jerry McCarthy of Bradenton, Fla. Pam became a grandparent for the first time Aug. 2 when Los Angeles attorney Bethany Marvin Stevens, daughter of Pam and former husband and former BJ photographer Tom Marvin, gave birth to Jackson Marvin Stevens.

Click on the headline for the obituary of Pam's mother.

John Dunphy has a more pleasant trip

Former BJ staffer John Dunphy, who flew to Cincinnati for his father's (Harry) funeral earlier this month, had a more pleasant journey -- to visit grandsons Reagan and Landon in Seattle. They also visited grandchildren Jaxson, Amanda and Kierstin.

John works at the Orange County, California Register.

John and wife Rebecca Allen live in Lakewood, California. They did have to deal with a flight delay before returning home to their condo.

Click on the headline for the obituary on John's dad, Harry Dunphy.

Dave Hess' son Danny dies in crash

Update: Danny will be buried Saturday, September 2, in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, next to his mother. There will be a memorial service at 11 a.m.

Danny Hess, 54, son of Dave Hess, died Tuesday, Aug. 23, from injuries suffered in a motor scooter accident.

The accident occurred near their home in Springfield, Va., outside Washington, D.C.

Dave is retired and was a former reporter for the Beacon Journal in Akron and Washington, D.C. He also was a long-time Washington, D.C. correspondent for Knight-Ridder Newspapers.
Here is Dave's contact information:
703-941-4531 - phone

5411 Easton Dr.
Springfield, VA 22151

kpachya@verizon.net

Virginia Coy, 89, dies. Worked at BJ.

CUYAHOGA FALLS -Virginia A. Coy, 89, passed away August 21, 2011.

Mrs. Coy was born in Akron and had resided in Cuyahoga Falls the past 65 years. She had worked as Secretary to the Superintendent of the Akron Board of Education and later worked for the Akron Beacon Journal and retired from Lawson Milk Co. She was a 60 year member of Riverside Alliance Church, had volunteered at Haven of Rest, was a member of Akron Baptist Temple Golden Agers. She loved crossword puzzles, was the scrabble queen and was an 89 year old Facebooker.

Preceded in death by her husband, Albert Olin Coy, she is survived by her sons and daughters, Dan (Denise) Coy of Perrysville, Ohio, Cindy (John) Casper of Cuyahoga Falls, Don (Pam) Coy of Norton and Linda (Greg) Kolat of Fort Mill, S.C.; 11 grandchildren, eight great-grand-children; and sister-in-law, Helen Coy of Cuyahoga Falls.

The family would like to express special thanks to Hospice of Summa and their exceptional caregivers as well as to her loving and attentive neighbor Michele.

Friends may call one hour prior to an 11 a.m. memorial service Saturday, August 27 in Riverside Alliance Church, 2433 S. Main St., Akron, OH 44319, Pastor Les Sutherland and Pastor Nevin Weist officiating. Final resting place, Rose Hill Burial Park. In lieu of other remembrances, memorials may be made to Hospice of Summa, 444 N. Main St., Akron, OH 44398-6153 or Haven of Rest Ministries, P.O. Box 547, Akron, OH 44309-0547 or Riverside Alliance.


Virginia's late husband, Al Coy, and BJ newsroom retiree John Olesky were on the Cuyahoga Falls Amateur Baseball Association board of directors together in the 1970s. Al Coy's sister, the late Helen Coy, was administrative secretary to editor Paul Poorman. Helen retired in 1989. Virginia and Al's son, Don Coy, is married to retired printer Al Hunsicker's daughter, Pam.

Gary Pruitt has biggest paycheck in Sacramento

GenCorp’s chief executive has the highest total compensation among public-company chief executives in the Sacramento area. But McClatchy Co. ’s CEO has by far the biggest paycheck, according to the latest company statements on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Gary Pruitt, chief executive of the Sacramento-based newspaper giant, took home more than $2.8 million in cash but received no stock in the latest fiscal year. But Scott Seymour of Rancho Cordova-based rocket maker GenCorp Inc. had the highest total compensation due to equity grants of more than $1.6 million.

Pay for publicly held company chief executives in the area quickly falls off after the top three, however, with No. 10 earning barely over $300,000.

See a slide sww gallery of the Top 10

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2011/08/24/slideshow-sacramento-highest-paid-ceos.html?s=image_gallery

Jim Romenesko retiring from Poynter

Jim Romenesko who maintains the Romenesko page for the Poynter Institute, a Florida-based non-profit school for journalists, is going into semi-retirement.

This change will give him more time to devote to his life and to his other project including jimromenesko.com, his own page he subtitles “a blog about media and other things I’m interested in” It will be officially launched in January 2012.

Starting January 2, 2012, Jim will post “casually” to his namesake blog on Poynter.org. We expect that’ll mean a few items a day.

Jim will continue to tweet frequently about media and tech from the @romenesko account and from the @poynter account.

Poynter hired him in August of 1999, after seeing his MediaGossip.com, a hobby site he started in May of 1999.

Romenesko (born September 16, 1953) also runs the blog Starbucks Gossip, which covers the company Starbucks Coffee. It is one of the more influential websites regarding Starbucks, and has a large following of company employees and customers.

Romenesko graduated from Marquette University and went to work for the Milwaukee Journal, serving as a police reporter for the newspaper. Initially repulsed by the sometimes grisly nature of his work, he would go on to publish the coroner's reports of unusual deaths in a book called Death Log (1981). From 1982 to 1995 he worked as an editor for Milwaukee Magazine, where he wrote features and a popular, award-winning column that covered the local media called "Pressroom Confidential". During this time he also taught journalism courses at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He went on to work as an Internet reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press from 1996 to 1999.

From 1989 to 1999, Romenesko ran a newsletter named Obscure Publications which covered fanzines. In 1998 he began the website Obscure Store and Reading Room, which linked to odd news stories, and which earned him the reputation of a "witty Matt Drudge." In May 1999 he began another website, this one covering the media and called Mediagossip.com. It proved a success and later that year was acquired by the Poynter Institute. The site, renamed to Romenesko's MediaNews, was migrated to Poynter's domain and became hugely popular among journalists, helping Poynter get more than 14,000 page views a day in 2000. Romenesko's site, reputed as "the best-known newspaper blog."
[Sources: Poynter, Wikipedia]

Documentary to feature 60 cartoonists

It’s titled “Stripped.” It's a new documentary featuring 60 cartoonists. Creators Dave Kellett and Frederick Schroeder interviewed cartoonists ranging from the veteran artists behind “Garfield” and “Family Circus” to creators of such new strips as “Cul de Sac” for their “love-letter to the art form.”

They hope to raise post-production expenses ($58,000) on Kickstarter by Sept. 22; at last check they’d received $16,686 from 447 backers. Michael Cavna says the filmmakers “have come along just in time” because “this is, most certainly, a seismic time for comics.”

See Documentary page

Harold McElroy comes home

Beacon Journal business department retiree Harold McElroy came home today. Harold had surgery June 15 to remove his cancerous right lung.

The email from Linda, Harold's wife:

Hi Everyone;

Harold came home today. He is doing well. The ride home made him pretty tired, but he was able to walk into the house with the aid of a walker. He has a long road ahead of him, but is making progress.

Today was a little hettic, trying to set up a schedule, of getting used to me being his nurse. Tomorrow will be better.

A visiting nurse will be here tomorrow and therapists will start next week. After a couple of weeks he will go to outpatient therapy.

I am glad to have him home and he is happy to finally be home after two months of hospitals.

He wants to be able to sit in his chair and watch TV and get on the computer again. Maybe tomorrow.

Thanks again for all of the cards and prayers. We still need the prayers.

Take care,
Linda and Harold

"Home" is Pawleys Island, South Carolina, where the McElroys live a block from retired printer Dick Latshaw and his wife, Pat.

Click on the headline for previous BJ Alums postings on Harold.

Rick Armon writes book on breweries

Rick Armon’s new book, Ohio Breweries, will be released officially on September 1 by Stackpole Books of Mechanisburg, PA . I

t's a travel book that profiles all the operating breweries in the state -- from the massive Anheuser-Busch InBev plant in Columbus to the small seasonal breweries on the Lake Erie Islands. At last count, there were nearly 50 breweries in Ohio. But that number will soon be out of date because many are slated to open later this year or early next.

The softcover book retails for $19.95. It is available now at Amazon.com, and should be available at all major bookstores and at many breweries.

Armon will have a book signing and party at Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. on Grant Street in Akron at 6 p.m. September 2. He will be signing books and giving a speech at Barley's Smokehouse in Columbus on September 1.

Armon, a reporter for a couple of decades, is a real beer enthusiast. He has been a homebrewer for more than 10 years and writes about beer in his beer blog for the Beacon Journal.

Check it out.

Creed Black, ex-president of Knight Foundation, dies

Newspaper editor and publisher Creed C. Black, the former president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, died Tuesday in Miami. He was 86.

Black became president of the Knight Foundation in 1988 after a long career in journalism that included being named editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1970 and publisher of the Lexington Herald-Leader in 1977.

When Black took over the Knight Foundation, the grant-making nonprofit organization was based in Akron and had five employees. During his 10-year tenure, the foundation doubled its assets to $1.2 billion, according to an online obituary penned by the current foundation president, Alberto Ibarguen.

Black oversaw the foundation’s move from Akron to Miami, where the Knight brothers had relocated the headquarters of Knight-Ridder newspapers. He created a national presence for the foundation, which trains journalists from around the world while supporting arts, education and civic engagement programs in the 26 communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers.

Just last week, the National Collegiate Athletic Association adopted a policy that Black had championed for more than 20 years, according to Ibarguen.

Teams participating in an NCAA-sponsored championship or football bowl game now must be on track to graduate at least 50 percent of their players. The new policy is consistent with recommendations the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics made in 2001 and 2010 reports.

“The Knight Commission’s work embodies Creed’s value-driven life, and his high expectations, of himself and others,” Ibarguen wrote on the Knight Foundation’s website. “It is fitting that he was engaged with the commission’s work until his final days. What he began will continue to impact people’s lives and values in the future.”

Black began his journalism career when he was 17 at his hometown newspaper, the Paducah (Ky.) Sun-Democrat.

Black worked for Stars & Stripes following World War II and graduated from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism in 1949. He was an editorial writer and executive editor of the Nashville Tennessean; vice president and executive editor of the Savannah Morning News and Evening Press; vice president and executive editor of the Wilmington (Del.) Morning News and Evening Journal; and managing editor and executive editor of the Chicago Daily News.

After serving 18 months in the Nixon administration as the assistant secretary for legislation for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Black was named vice president and editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Inquirer was owned by Knight Newspapers, which bought the Herald and Leader in 1973. The Akron Beacon Journal also is a former Knight-Ridder newspaper.

Black returned to his home state to become the publisher who consolidated the Herald and Leader into one in 1983. During his tenure as publisher of the Lexington Herald-Leader, the newspaper won the first of its three Pulitzer prizes.

Black is survived by his wife, Elsa; sons Creed Jr., Steven and Douglas; and daughter Michelle.

A memorial service will be held in Miami at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Kendall United Methodist Church, 7600 SW 104th St. Interment will occur later in Paducah, Ky.
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Wednesday, August 17, 2011, page B4, col.1]

Cathy Strong enjoys rare snowstorm in New Zealand

The rare snowstorm that hit New Zealand provided a fabulous opportunity for former BJ staffer Cathy Strong, who was visiting the country where she spent decades teaching journalism. Writes Cathy on her Facebook:

Zero visibility, chilling Antarctic wind, but the most fabulous snow , and fresh tracks cuz no one else wanted to be on the slopes -- I've fallen in love again with snowboarding.

Cathy previously taught snowboarding in New Zealand, one of her many talents, before going to Dubai to teach journalism. She has a PhD, too, so she's Dr. Cathy Strong Robinson.

Worst snowstorm in decades to hit New Zealand was due to a large high pressure system stretching from Antarctica to the sub-tropics, which had merged with three neighboring low-pressure systems.

Cathy is a communication and media sciences professor at Zayed University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Previously, she spent decades in New Zealand and got an international reputation for her work in journalism.

Cathy was in Kenya in May and New Zealand in August.

Click on the headline to read about the unusual snowstorm in New Zealand.

John Olesky: Revisiting my life

By John Olesky
I took 2 of my 3 children and 4 of my 7 grandchildren on a trip to West Virginia to revisit landmarks of my life and my late wife's life and our courting days. It was an outstanding odyssey, captured on still photos and videos, with my commentary on the still photos.

The idea was to put together a verbal and visual record to give to my grandchildren so that they can show it to their grandchildren long after I'm a skeletal, dusty body in Northlawn Memorial Garden.

We revisited my Monongah, West Virginia birthplace, where I was educated in Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic School and Monongah High; Rivesville, West Virginia, where my sister, Jackie, lives; Williamson, West Virginia, where my late wife Monnie Turkette Olesky was born; and Cinderella, West Virginia, the coal camp where Monnie grew up surrounded by a passel of cousins because her mom, her mom's two sisters and her mom's brother all lived within a few houses of each other. So did Monnie's paternal grandfather. They called that section of Cinderella "Turkette Hollow" for obvious reasons.

If you're interested, click on the headline to see the 38-page photos/documentary.

9 receive Knight religion reporting awards

The USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism has announced the recipients of the 2011 Knight Grants for Reporting on Religion and American Public Life. Among many outstanding applications, nine projects were chosen to receive grants between $5,000 and $20,000.

“We are very excited to support reporting on topics that include the influence of William Lane Craig, one of the leading thinkers of the Christian right; post-prison life for Latino and African-American Muslim converts; and sexual teachings in ‘hip’ evangelical churches,” said Diane Winston, Knight Chair in Media and Religion at USC Annenberg. “These projects illustrate the impact of religion on major issues facing the nation.”

Click here to see recipients.

BJ astronomy columnist Philip Hegenderfer dies

Phil Hegenderfer, who lived on Manchester Road, worked in the physics department at the University of Akron. He was an Astronomy Club of Akron guru and a freelance astronomy columnist for the Beacon Journal.

Philip Hegenderfer, 66, of New Franklin, passed away on Tuesday, August 9, 2011.

He was born August 2, 1945 in Marysville, Ohio to the late Floyd and Opal (Penn) Hegenderfer. Phil was a graduate of Marysville High School. He served as a Sergeant and Electrician in the United States Air Force, and later graduated from The University of Akron where he earned a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering and a bachelor and master degree in Physics. Phil was a Registered Professional Engineer and a long-time employee at Ohio Edison. After retiring from there, he worked as a part time teacher at the University of Akron. Phil was also a former president and honorary lifetime member of the Astronomy Club of Akron. He wrote, edited and published astronomy literature, was a freelance weekly columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal and was heavily involved with many civic projects including giving lectures on astronomy to the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Senior Citizens and Kiwanis. He was also known to be an avid hiker on the MetroParks trails.

Philip was preceded in death by his parents; and two sisters, Berna Jean and Irene.

He is survived by children, Christine, Scott (Jennifer) and Gina; sister, Karen; brother, Byron; grandchildren, Matthew, Tricia, Lauren, Sarah and Andrew; and many nieces and nephews. Phil will be greatly missed by family and friends.

Cremation has taken place. A private burial will take place at a later date in Marysville, Ohio. Please visit the guestbook at www.hummelcares.com.
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Sunday, August 14, 2011, page B6, col. 5]

Lisa Katz Pagel home for hospice care

Kent State graduate and 1987 Beacon Journal intern Lisa Katz Pagel, daughter of former BJ staffer Marv Katz, came home from the hospital Thursday to hospice care. Only pain medication and oxygen lines remain hooked up. There's an increase in the rate of fluid buildups in her abdomen and around her lungs.

Nurses from Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care, operating out of University Place, Washington, and other hospice workers will assist Lisa nearly daily.

Marv's cellphone number is 828-606-1422 for those who want to contact Marv or who may be coming near Fort Lewis, Washington, Lisa's hometown. Marv and wife Joyce live in Henderonville, North Carolina.

Click on the headline for regular reports on Lisa on the Caring Bridge web site.

Print is the new vinyl

Ramblings from BJ Lunch

Carl Nelson, Dick Latshaw and Tom Moore

Dave Boerner, Bob Craiglow, Al Hunsicker and Gene McClellan

By Tom Moore

Two old faces showed at the retiree luncheon this month along with one guy who showed up for the first time.

Old timers are Dave Boerner and Dick Latshaw. New is Bob Craiglow who worked in accounting. He retired in 1999.

And of course a few of those who rarely miss a luncheon.

Once again, a great time was had by all, trying to recall folks we worked with at the Beacon Journal. Of course, as we grow older, some names escape us until we “play 20 questions” and somebody comes up with the right answer.

Speaking of old timers, Tom Moore told about a party he attended Saturday night at Karen Lefton's in Copley.

He and his wife found folks he'd worked with over the years and had not seen for a long time.

Among them, Colleen Murphy and her husband Bob Tigelman, Sarah Vradenburg, Betsy Lammersding, Jane Snow, David and Beth Hertz , Dave Adams and Don Roese.

There were others, didn't take notes (too busy visiting and recalling old times) and, of course, that old memory could be slipping a bit.

One of the big topics among the crowd, their trips overseas and the adventures they had. It's sure great to see the folks having fun and enjoying life after the life they've devoted to the Old Beacon Journal.

Don Roese said he had lunch the other day with former BJ photographer Tom Marvin. He also said he'd love the make another trip to Alaska. He usually spends a couple of months driving around and seeing the sights. But for now, he's involved with an organization that makes sure the homeless get some food. (Peter Maurin Cendter) Yes, Akron does have homeless, but you'd never know it the way the media ignores it. Guess they think if there's no publicity, it'll go away.

But back to the retiree luncheon.

Dick is visiting his 94-year-old mother who still lives here. He's now in North Carolina. He says she “still gives me hell.”

Bob, who lives in the Cleveland area keeps busy helping AARP members with their income taxes. It's supposed to be for those low-income folks, but he says you'd be surprised at the number of “rich” folks who try to use the free service (maybe that's why they're rich.)

Don't know what brought it on, but Carl Nelson came up with an old Army story. (Course you don't need a reason to bring up anything.)

Seems his company had been on two-week maneuvers and they were packed like sardine in the back of a covered truck and it was hard to breath. Carl solved that problem by cutting a hole in the canvas top and sticking his nose thru it. (He's always been a resource sort).

Media stocks drop more than market as whole

Stocks fell across the board Thursday in the worst day of trading since 2008. The drop was fueled by a global credit crisis and a weak U.S. economic recovery, with the expectation that Friday's jobs report will add to the worries. The Dow fell 4.3 percent, the S&P 500 fell 4.8 percent, and the Nasdaq fell 5.1 percent. Most media stocks took a larger hit than the market as a whole.

“Many stocks follow economic expectations up and down. A few, like hard metals, do better in a down market. But newspapers’ fortunes vary up and down even more than the economy itself,” says Poynter media business analyst Rick Edmonds.

Newspaper Company Stock Prices August 4, 2011
Company	% change from opening to close
A.H. Belo	-3.48%
Gannett	-5.59%
Journal Communications	-5.94%
Lee Enterprises	-15.96%
McClatchy	-9.66%
Media General	-2.93%
New York Times	-7.56%
E.W. Scripps	-5.62%
Washington Post	-6.21%
Source: Yahoo Finance

Harold McElroy moved to Murrells Inlet

Linda McElroy, wife of BJ business department retiree Harold McElroy, sent this email about Harold, who had surgery June 15 to remove his cancerous right lung.

Hi Everyone;

Harold is now at Waccamaw Hospital for rehab. This place is close to home.

He is improving each day. He is still weak and gets tired easily. He will also be getting speech therapy to improve his swallowing muscles. They need to be stronger in order to be able to have liquids and food. He has a feeding tube for now.

He will be here for at least two weeks. He has a positive attitude and is looking forward to getting home. He will require therapy at home also.
We have been away since June 15th.

It is good to be home, but it will not be right until he is home with me.

Thanks for all of the cards and prayers. Please still keep him in your prayers.

Love,
Linda

Waccamaw Hospital is in Murrells Inlet, which is 15 minutes from the McElroys' Pawleys Island, South Carolina home. He was moved from the Health South Rehabilitation Hospital of Charleston, South Carolina. Retired printer Dick Latshaw and wife Pat live a block from the McElroys.

Click on the headline to see earlier posts on Harold's health situation.

Info sought on Action Line staffers

Note from Kat (Kathy Harrison) Stewart:

I was one of the cub reporters for the ActionLine column back in the late 60s, during Bob Henretty's last week and into Craig Wilson's tour of editorialship. Was wondering if anyone has heard from, or know the whereabouts of, Bill Cox or John McKiernan? Bill was at AL when I arrived, and John came later on, in maybe 1967 or so. I left for SoCal in 1969 and did keep up through snail mail with Bill for a while but lost contact with him. Would appreciate any info about either.

"Kat Stewart" paralaxvu@sbcglobal.net

BJ error correction gets top spot

The Beacon Journal today gave top spot play to a correction on results printed Wednesday on school levies at Stow-Munroe Falls and Nordonia Hills. It was reported that the levies passed, but both failed.

The seven-paragraph "Getting it Straight" explained:

The person who watched the results Tuesday night did not know that while most
counties' election reports show "yes" votes on the first line and "no" votes on the second, the Summit board of elections' computer is unique in that it switches the results to place the largest number first, whether in the affirmative or negative.

How they rank in news coverage

A new study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism shows that Gabrielle Giffords’ appearance in the news this week was no anomaly. The Arizona congresswoman, recovering from a gunshot wound to the head, is second only to President Barack Obama as the most-covered politician of 2011. Behind Giffords is Anthony Weiner, who is followed by six Republicans, several of whom are running for the GOP presidential nomination. Rounding out the top 10 is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

1. President Obama: 2,046 stories
2. Gabrielle Giffords: 328 stories
3. Anthony Weiner: 234 stories
4.John Boehner: 221 stories
5. Sarah Palin: 155 stories
6. Donald Trump: 140 stories
7. Newt Gingrich: 136 stories
8. Michele Bachmann: 121 stories
9. Mitt Romney: 120 stories
10. Hillary Clinton: 110 stories

Oops! BJ reports incorrect levy votes

The Beacon Journal incorrectly reported in Wednesday’s newspaper that both the Stow and Nordonia levies had been approved. An editor misread the results on the county Board of Elections website Tuesday night. They both failed.

See the story on Ohio.com

Distressing update on Marv Katz' daughter

Click on the headline for a disturbing update on the health of Kent State grad Lisa Pagel, daughter of Marv Katz, who included the Beacon Journal in his 40-year career. Lisa's sister, Susie Bobenrieth, posted the report.

Marv retired in 1998 after a career that included journalism, public relations, freelance writing and PR consulting. Three years later, Marv and wife Joyce moved from Rockville, Md., to a mountainside home five miles from downtown Hendersonville, N.C., which is 22 miles from Asheville.

Lisa was Glenn Proctor's first intern hire at the BJ for the summer of 1987.

You also can get the update in a pdf file from our storage area

Harry Dunphy, father of John Dunphy, dies at 95

Obituary for Harry Dunphy, father of former Beacon Journal reporter John Dunphy who is now at the Orange County (CA) Register:

Harry Dunphy, age 95, died July 31, 2011, Cincinnati. Harry Anthony, beloved husband of the late Angela, dear father of Harry Anthony Dunphy (Verity), Stephen Hanley Dunphy (Mary Elane), Sr. Patricia Ann Dunphy, John Michael Dunphy (Rebecca), Maureen Cecilia Welling (Michael), Paul Thomas Dunphy (Mary), Peter Damien Dunphy (Patty), Dennis Justin Dunphy (Wendy) and Christine Marie Barnett (Michael), dear grandfather of 16 and great-grandfather of 8. General Manager of Kraft Foods dairy division and Merchant Cold Storage. Proud member of Maketewah Country Club for over 40 years. Visitation will be Thursday August 4, 2011 from 9:30am until time of mass of christian burial at 10am at St. Vincent Ferrer 7754 Montgomery Rd. (45236). The family asks that memorials please be made to Hospice of Cincinnati P.O. Box 633597 Cincinnati, Oh 45263. www.thomasjustinmemorial.com

Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer on August 2, 2011

Jim Arnold leaves Ohio.com, going to grad school

Friday was Jim Arnold's last day at Ohio.com, the Beacon Journal online site. He will be attending grad school in the Fall at Kent State University to complete work on a master's degree and will be teaching a few classes.

"I've been teaching for the past three semesters at Kent and thought it was time to take advantage of the free credit hours that come with teaching," Arnold said.

There have been some significant changes on Ohio.com and Arnold apparently decided he would rather channel his career efforts in a different way.

Arnold started at the Beacon in February, 1994 as photo edtor and with Ohio.com in March, 1996. He started with Knight Ridder in 1990 in South Carolina at The State newspaper.

Media workshop is Sept. 15 at Kent State

The seventh annual Poynter KSU Media Ethics Workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, September. 15 in Franklin Hall, home of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University.

Top sports journalists and ethics professionals will discuss all of the “Foul Play” happening in athletics at the collegiate and professional level.

Speakers will include:
· Rob King, senior vice president, editorial, ESPN Print and Digital Media
· Terry Pluto, Cleveland Plain Dealer sports columnist
· Brian Windhorst, Miami Heat/NBA reporter, ESPN, formerly of the Plain Dealer and the Akron Beacon Journal
· Ben Marison, editor, and Mike Wagner, investigative reporter, The Columbus Dispatch
· Steve Fox, editor of ESPN.com online discussions for the NFL and college football blog networks and developer of University of Massachusetts’ sports journalism concentration
· Melissa Ludtke, editor of Nieman Reports at Harvard University
· David Craig, professor and associate dean for academic affairs in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma
· Marla Ridenour, Ohio State University reporter and columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal
· Julie Engebrecht, former sports editor for the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Additional guests and panelists will be announced soon.

The event will stream live on the Web and on mobile devices. All participants can contribute to the workshop discussions and ask questions of the speakers via Twitter using the hashtag #ksuethics11.

The Poynter Institute’s ethics faculty, Ellyn Angelotti, Kelly McBride and Stephen Buckley will facilitate. In addition, McBride again will release results of Poynter’s “Sense-Making” studies during the Media Ethics Workshop. The “Sense-Making” research is funded by the Ford Foundation.

The Workshop is a daylong training program for professionals, educators and students.

The ethics conference uses state-of-the-art technology and features live streaming on several websites, cyber connections for distance speakers, live blogging via Twitter and a permanent archive.

Registration fees include: Lunch, snack and all workshop materials.

To order tickets

What is not in your newspaper or not online?

Just happened to notice an interesting article on the New Philadelphia/Dover Times-Reporter which now charges for some online stories. The article is in answer to a complaint by a reader who does not like the idea of paying twice for the same news. The article notes that there is news in the newspaper that is not on line and news online that is not in the newspaper. Is this weird or does everyone do it?

Click on the headline to read the article