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.
Tuesday, May 09, 2023
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.
Thursday, May 04, 2023
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.
Tuesday, May 02, 2023
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.
● 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.
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.