BJ daughters connect in Indiana

Do you have a photo of Lou Albert to give his daughter?

Remember Lou Albert?

Dawn Wilson, the late BJ Action Line editor Craig Wilson’s daughter, has an interesting story to tell that is linked to memories of Lou.

She emailed me a week ago but I was in The Villages, Florida where I didn’t have access to my computer.



Lou left the BJ in 1984 to become display advertising manager for Fort Wayne Newspapers Inc. He came to the Beacon Journal in 1973.

Craig trained many a reporter in Action Line. The investigative skills later sent to the newsroom Connie Bloom and Betsy Lammerding, among others.

Here is Dawn Wilson’s story (she is a chip off the block when it comes to writing):

Hi John - -

This is Dawn Wilson, Craig Wilson's elder daughter.

I would appreciate if you could put this post on the BJ Retirees blog to ask for copies of pictures people might have of former ABJ employee Lou Albert:

Hi.  I am Dawn Wilson, Craig Wilson's elder daughter.  I worked for Portage Newspaper Supply from 1977 to 1982 and then moved to Fort Wayne Newspapers in 1982, where I worked until 1987. 

I wanted to share a little story you might enjoy and also make a request for pictures.

I still reside in Fort Wayne and the heritage and camaraderie of the Akron Beacon Journal and its great employees and family members continues to live on here.  

Recently I made a new friend through a mutual friend.  A few months later, upon looking at her Facebook account, I simultaneously saw her maiden name and picture, and the dots connected.  I immediately called her and asked if her dad was Lou Albert. (Just had to be; she looks just like him.)

Oh my, yes. How did you know that?

Well, your dad and my dad worked at the Akron Beacon Journal together, and then I got to know your dad when he moved from the ABJ to Fort Wayne Newspapers in the 80's. 

Who would have believed this?   Now my new friend, Jen Albert Dillon, and I had even more in common, and all sorts of stories to share about being little girls brought to work with our dads at their newspaper jobs.

One thing Jen has shared with me is how few pictures of her dad she has. Evidently, he was not a fan of being photographed. 

Jen and I have an event coming up in about 3 weeks for which it would be extra special to give her a picture or two of her dad; if anyone has an old photo of Lou they'd be willing to share with me to share with Jen, I would be very grateful. 

Many thanks.

Dawn

Thank you, John. 

Dawn

Dawn E Wilson, CPA, CGMA, MBA
5207 Hopkinton Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46814
260.348.5345

If you have photos of Lou Albert, you have Dawn’s address in Fort Wayne. And her phone number.

Detroit native Craig passed away in 2007. The late Connie Bloom, one of Craig’s proteges, wrote his obituary for the BJ. His first wife, Ella Leonard Wilson, predeceased him in 1992.

Craig and his second wife, Elizabeth Bendall Wilson, were chosen 2004 Outstanding Citizens by the Barberton Community Foundation. Elizabeth worked for the Social Security Administration for more than three decades. Dawn Wilson and Andrea (Dan) Korow of Cedaredge, Colorado are their daughters.

Craig was chief librarian and then Action Line editor at the BJ for 40 years, then contributed freelance to the 44 E. Exchange Street newspaper for another 11 years, mostly with his Book Talk column.

 

He was one of many characters at Ol’ Blue Walls during my 26 years there, but a great trainer of future newsroom reporters. He was a member of Mensa so he was no dummy. Aggravating, just like Pat Engelhart, but brilliant, too, just like Pat.

As wife Elizabeth put it, “Craig and I locked horns on a regular basis and every now and then stepped on each other’s toes. Maybe he stepped on yours, too, once or twice. But I can assure you that Craig Wilson is the finest man I have ever met. He had a pure heart and a genuine concern for his fellow man and his surroundings. I am honored he chose me as his wife.”

I love this line from Craig when he was reminiscing about his BJ days:

“I spent the first 18 months of my career as a reporter in the Ravenna office in what seemed like a retired chicken coop.”

During my days as BJ assistant State Desk editor under the whirling dervish, Patrick Englehart, the late Ray Redmond was the Portage County bureau chief stationed in Ravenna.

 

Portage County prosecutor Ron Kane trusted Ray so much that he left the FBI report on the 1970 Kent State shootings by the National Guard on his desk and walked out of the room so that Ray could “discover” and read it. The FBI report said the Guard was not in enough danger to begin firing.

 

It started the BJ, with Pat whipping everyone into shape, on its way to the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the four killings and nine injured by the unnecessary hail of National Guard bullets.

Craig was in the Navy during World War II and a University of Michigan School of Journalism graduate. He worked his way through college as a Yellow Cab driver.

A fervent Cleveland Indians fan, Craig named his dog Omar Vizquel Wilson for the famous Indians shortstop. The canine was listed as one of his survivors in Craig's obituary.

That was so Craig.

After this article appeared, Dawn Wilson wrote this email to me:

Hi John -

 

I received your Voicemail and looked at the Blog.  A huge thank you for posting it and also adding the pictures and so many nice things about my dad.

 

And, I appreciate the compliment on my writing; I was never a fan of writing as a kid but it became a necessary skill as a manager, and as a CPA for the last 25 years.  I suspect I was one of dad's trainees, too, and just did not realize it!

The pictures of Lou are great.  I so appreciate Mike Williams digging these out.  And I appreciate your willingness to send them to me.  I know Jen will love them!!  My thanks to you and Mike for making this happen.  I'll look for them.

I also love the old picture of my co-workers and me from Portage Supply and had not had a copy of it.

Thank you, John, for all of this and overseeing this Blog.  Please feel free to post this on the Blog for others and to let Mike know of my appreciation.

Dawn

 

Ken Krause sent the head shot of Lou Albert. Mike Williams sent the other photos.