CHARLES SMITH MONTAGUE -- CHASM -- PASSES AWAY

 

Chasm – Charles Smith Montague – who was at the BJ for more than 40 years, passed away May 7.

Chasm was one of my favorite people at the BJ and there was a LOT of competition for that honor because the BJ newsroom had astounding talent and personalities.

Chasm knew how to enjoy life. More people should try it.

The Steubenville native married Rebecca Orosz. They had two sons, Jonathan and Joshua Montague, who with wife Amanda makes delightful chocolates at Lilly Handmade Chocolates in Cleveland owned by Amanda. One of their customers was Kelly Clarkson of American Idol fame.

Chasm retired from the BJ in 2008 in the same week that photographer/page designer Ted Schneider and photographer Lew Stamp did. Now Chasm and Ted are reunited in the afterlife.

Chasm was big in helping stage the famous Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska.

Chasm visited 1970s BJ State Desk reporter Cathy Strong in Wellington, New Zealand, where Cathy is renown world-wide for her Massey University faculty work. Former BJ photographer Don Roese and I also visited Cathy, back to back, one year. So did Fran Murphey, BJ’s extraordinary columnist who made common folks famous.

 

When I contributed to the BJ Layoff Auction, Chasm gave me three lights from the BJ tower which I treasure and keep in my den for daily viewing.

 

One of his sons, Josh, wrote his obituary which will appear in Thursday’s BJ. I can’t add much to it. Chasm would be proud of Josh’s writing:

 

Charles "Chuck" Smith Montague, a renowned journalist, loving father, and doting grandfather, passed away on May 7, 2023.

 

Born in Steubenville, Ohio, in the 1940s, Chuck devoted his life to his family, his fervor for journalism, and his enthusiasm for sports.

 

An academic scholar, Chuck spent a summer interning in Munich, Germany, before graduating from the esteemed Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in 1969.

 

He launched his illustrious journalism career in Elyria, Ohio, before joining the Akron Beacon Journal in the early 1970s. Chuck's journalistic accomplishments at the Akron Beacon Journal spanned over four decades, during which he served as a reporter, editor, and headline writer.

 

While at the Akron Beacon Journal, Chuck was part of the courageous newsroom team covering the tragic Kent State protest and shootings in 1970. Their efforts were recognized with the prestigious 1971 Pulitzer Prize for General Local Reporting.

 

Alongside his professional accomplishments, Chuck passionately advocated for the fair treatment of Akron Newspaper Guild members, actively participating in labor contract negotiations during the 1970s and 1980s.

 

A man of many talents, Chuck also excelled as a pitcher for the Beacon Journal Bombers Men's Softball team.

 

After graduating from Ohio University, Chuck married Rebecca Orosz. Together, they raised two sons, Jonathan and Joshua Montague, instilling a passion for sports and a deep appreciation for education. Both sons, Montessori, Cuyahoga Falls, and Hudson School alums, pursued successful careers and established their own families.

 

Later in life, Chuck became an Ohio Soccer Association referee, achieving the remarkable feat of refereeing soccer games in all 50 US states. His zest for travel persisted into retirement, leading him on eco-tourism adventures to places like Baja California, the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, and Alaska.

 

Chuck's warmth, wit, and commitment to his craft left an indelible mark on his family, friends, and colleagues, who will cherish his memory. His sons Jon and Josh (Amanda), grandsons Charlie and Gibson, and a vast community inspired by his kindness, intelligence, and generosity will carry forward his legacy.

ERIKA SMITH PART OF L.A. TIMES PULITZER

 

Erika Smith gets Pulitzer at L.A. Times

 

Former BJ reporter Erika Smith was among Los Angeles Times reporters who won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for revealing a secretly recorded conversation among city council members that included racist comments, a scandal that prompted two officials to resign. 

 

2023 STATE AWARDS FOR BJ NEWSROOM STAFF

 

State awards for BJ newsroom staff

The Ohio Associated Press Media Editors awarded first place to three BJ reporters:

 

Amanda Garrett for best news reporter.

 

Doug Livingston and former reporter Seyma Bayram for best enterprise report for 'How Catholic Democrats in Akron helped write the conservative playbook to overturn Roe.'

Former sports reporter Marla Ridenour for best sports columnist.

 

Ridenour also won a second-place award for best sports writer.

 

Bayram also won third place for explanatory writing.

 

Other winners:

Digital project, second place: Stephanie Warsmith and Paula Schleis.

 

Sports photo, second place: Jeff Lange.

 

Sports feature writer, third place: Nate Ulrich 

 

Feature writer, third place: Craig Webb.

 

Full page design, third place: Sydney Clark.

 

Reporter Derek Kreider won second place for news writer in Division II for work he completed at the Wooster Daily Record before joining the Beacon Journal.

PAULA TUCKER'S PODCAST INTERVIEW ABOUT 1970 KENT STATE SHOOTINGS IS A CAN'T MISS LISTEN!

 

Paula Tucker’s podcast is one you shouln’t miss

Former BJ State Desk reporter Paula Stone Tucker, who in the crowd in 1970 when Ohio National Guard shot and killed 4 and wounded 9 Kent State students over the Vietnam War, gave an amazing interview on the Eyewitness History podcast.

Paula, later a clinical psychologist for Akron Public Schools after two decades in California with Kaiser Permanente, in the 38-minute, 21-second podcast gave a clear, conconside view of May 4 and the events leading up to it.

She did this one with Josh Cohen. It’s an Apple podcast.

Paula was 5 ½ months pregnant and a reporter checking out the scene with Gov. James Rhodes’ Guard, most of them the same age as the students they fired at, when the shooting erupted.

She wrote about it in her best-selling book, “Surviving: A Kent State Memoir,” which dealt with both the Kent State shootings and Paula’s personal life at the time.

It has won Florida writers awards, too.

“Surviving” is available on Amazon.com.

 

You can listen to the podcast at:

 

https://podcasts.apple.com/.../eyewitness.../id1617821942

 

This podcast is deserving of being added to the Kent State archives about that terrible time when opposition to the Vietnam War forced America to withdraw its troops from “that crazy Asian war.”

 

Paula, after California, Akron and Tallmadge homes, is living in her domicile in The Villages, Florida where 150,000 senior citizens live without being in a city. The Schwartz family owns and controls the sprawling Villages which is in three counties.

 

I spent winters there year after year. Loved it!

 

Paula also performs in various bands on her flute, in Florida and, previously, in Summit County.

 

Paula’s brother, Tom Stone, and I are golf partners in senior leagues at Brookledge and Sunny Hill.

PRESERVATION COMMISSION REJECTS BJ DEMOLITION. CITY COUNCIL NEXT STEP FOR APPEAL.

 

Preservation Commission rejects plan to demolish BJ building.

The Urban Design and Historic Preservation Commission voted 5-0 Tuesday against a proposal to demolish the former Beacon Journal building at 44 E. Exchange Street for a parking lot.

Michael Mouron, founder of Capstone Real Estate Investments in Birmingham, Alabama, bought the building for $1.1 million in 2020 after the Beacon Journal relocated to the AES Building at 388 S. Main St.

Mouron’s sons Drew Christopher and Lewis, who manage Capstone, own The Standard, an apartment complex at 22 E. Exchange St., and want to tear down the former newspaper office to accommodate parking.

John York, assistant director of law, said the owner had not met any of the criteria for demolition under Akron’s historic preservation ordinance

● Its integrity has deteriorated beyond saving.

● The building lacks historic or architectural significance or does not occupy a major portion of the historic landmark.

● Maintaining the historic landmark is not technically or economically feasible.

● The commission determines there’s no feasible alternative.

Commission members Jaunae Carter, Leianne Neff Heppner, Mark Schweitzer, Mark Smith and John Wheeler turned down Mouron’s request.

The Akron Times-Press built the downtown landmark in 1929, and it became the Beacon Journal’s headquarters after the two newspapers merged in 1938.

The Beacon Journal was Editor and Publisher John S. Knight’s first newspaper after he took over the business from his late father, C.L. Knight during the Great Depression. It grew into 32 newspapers employing 18,000 workers.

The Beacon Journal won four Pulitzer Prizes.

The owners can appeal the commission’s decision to Akron City Council.