Former BJ assistant managing editor, Features Dept. cats-herder, design editor and public editor Mike Needs is an interpretive specialist with the U.S. Forestry Service in Hermit Valley of St. Stanislaus National Forest. The North Fork Mikelumne River is nearby. So is Mosquito Lakes.

Mike foraged into his forestry fascination almost as soon as he left Ol’ Blue. He loves portraying author/humorist Bret Harte in the Lake Alphine Theatre of St. Stash forest near Sonora, California.

Said Mike, who began his new career at age 58: "It's a great job. I love it out here."

Kathy Fraze, BJ copy desk chief for about four decades till her 2012 retirement, has written books based on “letters” from her dog to “Pops” -- Mike Needs, in care of the U.S. Forestry Service.

Mike is an Ohio State and St. Joseph High School graduate from Cleveland who still lives in Akron when he’s not under the western skies.

As for J. Curt Brown, he used his 1971-74 BJ labor beat to wrangle a job with the United Rubber Workers Union as a PR flak, which morphed into a U.S. Steelworkers position when USW swallowed URW.

He also plays a pretty mean church organ, although he retired as music director and organist/choirmaster at New Life Episcopal Church in Uniontown.

Curt teaches piano and organ at his Highland Square home. He also does organ recitals. His mother and two sisters also played the piano.

He’s a Portage Lakes guy (Coventry High grad). 

Curt was city editor of the Charleston Gazette, West Virginia's largest newspaper, when the Marshall University plane carrying the football team, staff and supporters crashed into the hillside as it approached the runway in 1970 on its way back to Huntington after a loss to East Carolina, killing all 75 on board.

Twenty six sports teams have died in plane crashes. The most famous was Uruguay's 1972 rugby team, subject of the "Alive" movie. 

Other sports team crashes included Evansville, Indian men's basketball (29 died) in 1977, Turin, Italy Athletic Club (23) in 1949, Cal Tech football team (22) in 1960, USA figure skating team (25) in 1961, Lima, Peru soccer team (43) in 1987, Zambia national soccer (30) in 1993 and Yugoslavia ice hockey (44) in 2011.