’Dam, Sarah, don’t get stuck at the airport this time!

BJ retiree Sarah Vradenburg is enjoying the charms and flowers of Amsterdam till April 1, or later if she gets stuck in an airport again the way she was with Firestone High grad Cheryl Miller and BJ reporter Katie Byard for three days on a previous European trip that began with a tour of Italy.

Sarah Vradenburg

Katie, former Editorial Board retiree Sarah and Cheryl, once at Akron Children’s Hospital, who lives in Canal Fulton, were flying from Paris to America, but engine trouble east of Iceland caused the plane to turn back to Paris, three to four hours away. 

When they finally got to America, their flight to Ohio from Atlanta was too full so they had to wait again, but not for days.

Sarah retired from Ol’ Blue Walls in 2006 after 22 years in the saddle. 264 years of newspaper experience left the BJ that September day.

Diane Evans, 32, columnist who was on leave.

Debby Stock Kiefer, 28, Recipe Roundup and copy desk slotter.

Jane Snow, 28, food editor extraordinaire.

Mike Needs, 25, design editor and former public editor, off to a national parks career.

Kathy Spitz, 22, health.

Sarah Vradenburg, 22, editorial staff.

Gloria Irwin, 21, business.

Jocelyn Williams, 19, photographer.

Mary Ethridge, 18, business.

Dave Hertz, 15, business editor.

Robin Sallie, 12, photographer.

Andale Gross, 9, reporter and Guild Unit chairman.

Kim Profant, 7, copy editor and design editor.

Tim Good, 6, copy editor and design editor.

It wasn’t the last mass exodus, which explains why the 250 in the BJ newsroom at my 1996 retirement has plummeted to about 60 today.