Forced into PPOs

I got back from my latest trip to read my letter from KR that Guild retirees, and everyone else (except executives?), have been forced into PPOs rather than the fee-for-service that I have been under since I started at the BJ in 1968. I thought our 1996 Guild contract prohibited KR from changing our medical coverage.

Oh, we have a "choice," but if we opt to continue using the doctors we have had for decades (my doctor is not on the UHC/KR list although 4 others in his group are), and they are not in the UHC network, then we would pay up to $2,300 more a year than those in the PPO network.

Some "choice."

I have notified the Guild in Cleveland to see what, if anything, it can do for Guild retirees, including a possible class-action suit that would include KR employees across the nation.

If this is allowed to stand, then KR will continue to, in effect, reduce our pension by increasing the costs to us for medical care.

I may be tilting at windmills, but I'm tiring of Tony Ridder buying more yachts by shifting KR costs to its retirees, thereby breaking the promises made when John Knight was in charge, and was a man who kept his word.

By the way, I get this letter in July telling me that KR/UHC forced us into PPOs in January, 7 months retroactively.

D.C. Balz reports from DC

Here’s the reply I received from my letter to Doug Balz seeking information. The complete letter is posted here despite a slight hint of “Liggett bashing.” Doug, you see, is not aware how much I have mellowed since those old days.

Harry:

Yep, it's me. And I do have a web site that I'll pass on. But imagine my surprise and pleasure when I opened your letter to find that it was, indeed the feared Harry Liggett, the iron man of the desk, the one who had all of us worried about what he would say about our copy. If it got past Harry, that was good enough for me. `

And then today, what am I reading but the book compilation of the NY Times series on race, and there in one of the chapters is the story of Carl Chancellor and Bob Dyer, complete with a quote from Charlene. I tell you, between your letter and the book, I felt as if I was back in Akron. I remember it from the 70s, when the back shop was converting to cold type and we in the newsroom were learning about computers. It seems like yesterday. .

I think that what you're doing is admirable, and I hope you have great success with all the people who have passed through the Beacon newsroom. It's a great place, even if that office in the corner is no longer occupied by the man himself (so what if he paid his trainers more than his reporters). I've fiddled around with web sites, and my wife says I should get rid of AOL, that it's a waste of money and she's probably right, but I haven't done it yet, which is why my URL is douglasb1@aol.com.

A few words about me, and where I've been since leaving Akron....
I went to Miami to work on the magazine with Lary Bloom. I later edited a big project on Castro's 25th anniversary of taking over Cuba. We had a bunch of reporters and a few outside experts, working with us. It looked at Cuba and at Miami. After that I edited the daily feature section for a couple years. Somewhere in there I divorced my first wife, fell in love with someone else (in that order, by the way), got married and, when she got a classy job with Knight Ridder, as the publisher at the Gary, Ind. paper, I went to work for the Chicago Tribune. After awhile I became the editor of the Sunday Arts section. Our music critic was none other than John von Rhein. I later worked on the magazine and was the head of the features copy desk. I retired, can you believe it? in 1998 and moved to Washington to be with my wife, who was now the head of Knight Ridder-Tribune features. Wes Albers works for her. For awhile I did nothing, then took a part time job at a bookstore, and taught beginning reporting for a year at George Washington University. I have two daughters from my first marriage. Sarah, who was born in 1975, lives in Bellingham, Wash. and works for the university there. Annie, who was born in 1978 (both were born in Akron, by the way) lives in San Francisco, works with retarded children, and is getting married in December.

Whew. That's a long graph. It would never have gotten past you. Maybe six graphs, probably seven or eight. This is a daily newspaper. Not a novel.

It was great to get your letter. I hope you're well. About Pat, what can I say? I think of him and those crummy cigars he chewed on. Rum Crooks, they were. I think of his foot on the desk, demanding copy NOW!!!! Your letter brings that all of that back.

Doug

DC Balz
2264 Cathedral Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008
E-mail: douglasb1@aol.com

[Blogger Note: The cigars were DeNobili]

Tom Suchan report from Wichita

Tom Suchan worked at the Wichita Eagle for Davis “Buzz” Merritt, author of Knightfall, the great critique on Knight Ridder. Posts on Buzz appear in the April 2005 archives of the blog on April 26 and 30. Here is a report from Suchan:

After 13 years in beautiful Akron, I left the Beacon Journal to go to work for Larry Flynt in September 1977. He was just beginning his legitimate publication, Ohio Magazine, and I was the executive editor.

My period there didn’t go real well. I started work on the day after Labor Day and left the following year on Valentine’s Day. (It was my holiday career.)

With the help of Scott Bosley, I got a job at the Wichita Eagle in May 1978. (It was quite a shock to my system since I hadn’t been further west than Chicago at that time.) I came in as Sunday editor and then moved up to assistant managing editor.

My years in Wichita were good. The editor, Buzz Merritt, was the first Knight editor to go to a Ridder paper, and he worked hard to improve the quality.

In 1989, I left the newsroom to try something completely new at the paper. I became manager of development. The aim was to find new and exciting ways to make money for the paper, and we did. We published books, directories and the like.

My professional career stopped in 1991. I stopped working (or retired) in March of that year. I was 48 at the time.

I had three main goals to accomplish after I left newspapering: to write the Great American Novel, to grow the perfect tomato and to volunteer.

Unfortunately, the novel never came to be … and I have a drawer full of rejection notices to prove it. The tomato experiment failed, too. Growing tomatoes (and corn and beans and cucumbers) on five acres just west of where we lived got to be just too much. (I’m sure everyone knows that summer temperatures in Wichita are well over the 100-degree mark.)

The volunteering bit was a great success. I found that everybody’s looking for a guy with a relatively strong back to do a variety of jobs.

And that’s where I am now. However, I am a bit surprised at the kind of tasks I’m being offered. They don’t have a thing to do with journalism. Rather it’s food.

We work at a camp for the handicapped … in the kitchen whipping up wonderful goodies. We work at a soup kitchen in downtown Wichita. And we work at a homeless shelter preparing meals.

“We,” by the way is my wife, Kay, and myself. She still continues to work outside the home at our parish school, coordinating programs for special needs children. Our four children all live in the area, and we are finding ourselves doing lots of babysitting for our 11 grandkids.

About the only writing I do anymore is for our parish monthly newspaper. I have a regular column.

We would love to hear from any and all of you in Beacon Journal-land. The particulars are:

Tom Suchan
1734 N. Westfield
Wichita, KS 67212
(316) 722-7809
E-mail: tksuchan@swbell.net

Knight Ridder earnings drop 13.8 percent

The Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Knight Ridder Inc., one of the nation's largest newspaper publishers, said Thursday that second-quarter earnings fell 13.8 percent from a year ago, due in part to declines in circulation revenue as well as increased severance costs.

Net income declined to $74.4 million, or $1 per share, for the three months ended June 26 from $86.3 million, or $1.08 per share, a year ago. The latest quarter includes a 3-cent gain from the favorable resolution of prior-years' tax issues, including interest, offset by a 1-cent charge for severance in Detroit.

The year-ago quarter included gains of 10 cents per share on tax issues and favorable adjustments in Detroit, primarily post-retirement benefits. Excluding one-time items, Knight Ridder said earnings would have fallen 6.9 percent year-over-year.

Total revenue edged up to $761.5 million from $760.2 million last year. Advertising revenue rose to $604.2 million from $591.7 million in the same quarter of 2004. Circulation revenue, however, fell to $132.3 million from $136.4 million last year.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were looking for earnings of 99 cents per share on sales of $769.4 million.

Knight Ridder's shares fell 25 cents to $62.16 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, and remain near the bottom of their 52-week range of $60.09 to $71.07.

Knight Ridder Chairman and CEO Tony Ridder said, "In a pattern that has been consistent since March, the bright spots continue to be retail, help wanted and real estate. The soft spots continue to be classified automotive and national, although national did turn positive --by one-tenth of one percent-- in June. While the June ad revenue increase of 0.9 percent was a bit lower than April and May, it is encouraging to see that July is currently running close to 3 percent, with national considerably improved."

For the quarter, Knight Ridder said costs rose 2.1 percent, with labor and employee benefits up a modest 0.4 percent and newsprint, ink and supplements up 6.2 percent. Interest expense also increased, reflecting both higher rates and higher outstanding debt. Losses from equity investments decreased, due to better results from CareerBuilder and Seattle.

And The Motley Fool reports:

There are also signs that Knight Ridder's attempt to boost its standing in digital media is working. The popular CareerBuilder job site brought in $121.3 million during Q2, a 78% increase over last year. And the Knight Ridder Digital group grew overall online ad sales by more than 52% during the quarter.

Yet even with that good news, we can't know for sure whether Knight Ridder is a budding bargain. That's because the company published neither a balance sheet nor a cash flow statement. Talk about irony: A company built around reporting on others can't seem to get it right when it comes to reporting on itself. Sheesh.

Knight Ridder isn't unique in the industry for this practice, of course. Tribune (NYSE: TRB) and Gannett (NYSE: GCI) both did the same thing over the past 24 hours. Still, it stinks. And what's the point, anyway? Shouldn't Knight Ridder want investors to have all the data they need to jump on board if the stock is indeed undervalued? You'd think so.

James Todd Kittinger obit

Sorry we missed this earlier

James Todd Kittinger Jr., who retired from the production engraving department in 1994 with 26 years of service, died June 23.

Here is the obituary published in the Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, July 7, 2005:

James Todd Kittinger, Jr., 72, died June 23, 2005.

He was the beloved husband of the late Eva; loving uncle of Kathy Gabler; and dear brother of John and the late Katherine Reed.

He served honorably in the U.S. Navy, and was an Akron Beacon Journal employee for many years.

Private Services. Malloy Memorial & Crematory.

30 attend Midwest Intern Camp

A thank-you from Bonnie Bolden:
Some 30 interns and entry-level journalists attended the Knight Ridder Midwest Intern Camp at the Akron Beacon Journal last week, taking over the open space that once housed the third-floor newsroom library. "We had a wonderful group of young journalists who participated fully, asked excellent questions and challenged the speakers," said Bonnie Bolden, newsroom, who organized and directed the on-site camp.She thanked the following people for serving as speakers: Publisher Jim Crutchfield; newsroom staff members Kim Barth, Mike Burbach, Andale Gross, David Hertz, Darnell Mayberry, Mike Needs, Robin Tinay Sallie, Debra Adams Simmons and MarkTurner; Karen Lefton, human resources; and Rita Madick, community relations and marketing.

Donn Gaynor May 18, 1927 - July 6, 2005

Joan and Donn Gaynor

Donn F. Gaynor classified obit

Donn F. Gaynor

Donn F. Gaynor, of Akron, passed away on July 6, 2005 after a short battle with cancer.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, he attended Butler University. He was a veteran of the U.S. Armed Air Forces in World War II and later worked for Chicago and Southern Air Lines, Lake Central Air Lines and the Mansfield News Journal. Donn retired in 1993 from the Akron Beacon Journal after 27 years as a reporter and copy editor. He then worked part-time at the Arlington Greenhouse for seven years.

Donn was preceded in death by his wife, Paula "Joan"; daughter, Patricia Wines; son, Donn "Mike" Gaynor; and granddaughter, Cynthia Wines. He leaves his daughter, Paula Calton; grandchildren, Shana Myers, Rachel Lewis and Ricky Calton; daughter, Pamela Ruff; grandchildren, Michael and Mellissa Ruff and grandchildren, Joanne and Damon Gaynor; daughter-in-law, Jeaneatte Gaynor; grandchildren, Shawn, Jamie and Casie Gray; daughter- in-law, Diane Siess; great- grandchildren, Aubree, Alaina and Alexa Myers, Meah and Miles (Lewis) Bland and Dillon Gray.

Calling hours will be TONIGHT from 5 to 8 at Newcomer Funeral Home, 131 N. Canton Rd., where funeral services will be conducted Monday at 1 p.m., with Rev. Robin Adair officiating. Interment will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park. The family requests all contributions be made in Donn's remembrance to the American Cancer Society, 1900 W. Market St., Akron OH 44313-6927.
(Newcomer Funeral Home, 330-784-3334.)
Please sign the guest book at Ohio.com/obituaries.
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Sunday, July 10, 2005, page B8, col. 4]

You also can leave comments here.

Donn F. Gaynor news obit

Newsman Donn F. Gaynor dies of lung cancer at age 78

Retired journalist known for putting together accurate, well-written articles

By Marilyn Miller
Beacon Journal staff writer

Colleagues describe retired Akron Beacon Journal copy editor and reporter Donn F. Gaynor as soft-spoken and easygoing, but a great newspaperman.

``He was a journeyman's journeyman in the business. We won't see his caliber again,'' said copy editor Charles Montague, who worked by Mr. Gaynor's side. ``His work was well-written and well-researched and he always managed to put things in perspective for the reader.''

Mr. Gaynor died Wednesday of lung cancer. He was 78.

Born in Indianapolis, he loved the outdoors and taking day trips. His family said he would often throw his fishing gear into the car and venture out from his Firestone Park home.

Mr. Gaynor was known for putting together accurate and well-written articles in a short time.

Montague still remembers one of Mr. Gaynor's best lead paragraphs because it was concise and to the point: ``The car went three miles the wrong way on the East Expressway before the inevitable happened.''

Ironically, Mr. Gaynor was at work the day a similar story would be written about his own family.

In April 1974, Mr. Gaynor received a call from his wife telling him his 2-year-old granddaughter had fallen, so she and their daughter were taking the child to the doctor.

Then 1 ½ hours later, he received another call telling him there had been a car accident and he needed to go to Barberton Citizens Hospital. He recalled what happened next to a reporter: ``She was dead -- they were all dead when I got there.''

The crash claimed his wife, Paula, his oldest daughter, Patricia Wines, and his granddaughter, Cynthia. Mrs. Gaynor apparently lost control of her car and swerved into the path of a truck.

The accident that claimed three generations of family members was less than two miles from their home.

``It was devastating for all of us, and despite his personal suffering, Dad pulled us all through it,'' said daughter Pam Ruff of Norton. ``He was never the same after the accident. He remained faithful to Mom. He never dated and he never took off his wedding ring.''

Ruff said her father was a lovable, caring person.

``He cared for everyone else, but never wanted anyone to fuss over him,'' she said.

On July 9, 2001, he lost his only son, Donn Michael, when he suffered an apparent heart attack while riding a motorcycle.

He is survived by two daughters.

A self-taught newsman, Mr. Gaynor attended Butler University in Indianapolis.

He worked for the Mansfield News Journal for 10 years before joining the Akron Beacon Journal in 1966. He was a reporter, assistant city editor, city editor then copy editor until retiring in 1993.

An aviation buff, he was in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1945 to 1947, then worked for Lake Central Airlines and Chicago and Southern Airlines as a baggage handler and operations agent.

``We used to go out to the Akron Fulton Airport and watch the small planes take off and land,'' Ruff said. ``He also taught us all how to drive, grandchildren, too, in the airport parking lot there.''

He started out as a police and fire reporter at the Mansfield newspaper.

``He used to listen to the police scanner and hop in the car and take us with him while he chased down the story or followed fire trucks,'' Ruff said.

As a copy editor, he still listened to his police scanner and would call the news desk to report breaking news.

He was also known to crack jokes and his humor often showed through the headlines he wrote. He used to joke about how he always had to defend his double-N Donn, saying it was his only distinction.

When he learned the late Donn F. Eisele was appointed an astronaut in 1968, Mr. Gaynor wrote a piece for the newspaper.

``Being a double-N Donn is a darn nuisance,'' he wrote. ``I see that Gov. Jim Rhodes welcomed you to your hometown, Columbus, after your record-setting flight in Apollo 7, with a letter addressed to Don (one-N-only). I know how it hurts.''

He wrote that he was named with two N's either because he was born during a tornado or the result of a breeze that shook his mother's hand when she signed the birth certificate.

``Later, when I noticed that I wasn't like the other kids, namewise, I asked Mom, `How come I got two N's in my name?' '' the story went on. ``She told me she read it on the side of a boxcar in a passing freight train.

``She never offered any other explanation. I didn't, until that time, even know that Mother read boxcars. You should read my mail. Usually it is addressed to Don or Donald, seldom Donn.

``I have gotten mail addressed to Dawn, Down, Dinn, Dunn and, on at least two occasions, Damn Gaynor -- of course, those two might have been intentional.''

Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or 800-777-7232 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com

Gaynor Services

Calling hours for Donn F. Gaynor will be 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Newcomer Funeral Home, 131 N. Canton Road, Akron. Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday at the funeral home, with burial in Greenlawn Cemetery. The family suggests donations be made to the American Cancer Society.

[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Friday, July 8, 2005, page B6, col. 3]

Donn F. Gaynor dies

Donn F. Gaynor, of Akron, passed away July 6, 2005. Funeral announcements later. (Newcomer Funeral Home, 330-784-3334.)
[Akron Beacon Journal, Thursday, July 7, 2005, page B6, col. 2]

Full obituary will be posted later.
Please see the June 18 post on "A visit with Donn," one of the greatest BJ newspapermen.

Advertising chief leaving BJ

Scott Brooks, vice president of advertising at the Akron Beacon Journal since 2003, has resigned to take a similar position with a startup newspaper in Washington, D.C.

Brooks will become vice president of advertising for the Washington Examiner, a free daily tabloid launched earlier this year.

Brooks' last day at the Beacon Journal will be July 22. Publisher James Crutchfield said he will conduct a search for a replacement.

Brooks, 44, joined the Beacon Journal in March 2003 and reorganized the newspaper's advertising department to focus more on smaller advertisers, Crutchfield said.

The Examiner is delivered free to 50,000 single-copy readers and to 210,000 households Monday through Saturday. Owned by Clarity Media Group, the paper offers lower advertising rates than competitors such as the Washington Post. Its home delivery targets high-income neighborhoods.

Beacon Journal wins journalism awards

The Beacon Journal is among the Ohio news organizations earning top honors from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists.

In the Best of Show category, the Beacon Journal's David Giffels was named best columnist in Ohio.

The newspaper also captured several first-place awards, including reporter Bob Downing for best coverage of the environment for his articles on E-Check. Television critic R.D. Heldenfels won first place for best media criticism for a series of columns on Election 2004, and sportswriter Tom Reed won first place for best sports profile for ``Greece Calls Akron Man Home.''

Reporter Phil Trexler earned top honors for best use of public record for an article on license suspensions.

To read about others winning awards, click on the headline to read the full story which apppeared in the Beacon Journal on Wednesday, July 6, 2005.

We took an Erie Canal trip in our boat end of June

We, Ann and Ott Gangl took our boat on a ten day Erie Canal trip, if you would like to see the pictures and a report, please click on the headline for the link. (Thanks Harry for doing it for me).

...Ott

Congratulations Graduates!

Photos and brief notes on two dozen sons and daughters of Beacon Journal employees were published in a “Congratulations Graduates!” page of the Beacon Journal on Tuesday, June 28, on page A6. There was nothing on Ohio.com so you will have to scrounge for a newspaper to see them.

Here they are:

Allison Michelle Ayers, Firestone High, daughter of Patricia and Michael Ayers, community relations/marketing, will attend University of Toledo.
Alissa K. Bass, Ohio State University bachelor’s in hospitality management, daughter of Linda Morley Lyell, Ohio.com and David Bass, interned at Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Jaime Elizabeth Bass, Copley High, daughter of Linda Morley Lyell, Ohio.com and David Bass, will attend Kent State.
Jessica Ann Berg, Kent Roosevelt High, daughter of Roger Berg, circulation, will attend Kent State.
Lauren Ann Brooks, Summit Academy High in Lincoln Park, Michigan, daughter of Scott Brooks, advertising, will attend Rochester College in Rochester, Michigan.
Jennifer Leigh Brown, Bowling Green State University, daughter of Kim and Debra Brown, advertising, plans to work at a marine biology nature camp in Andros Island, Bahamas.
Stephen Paul Brown, Jackson High School, son of Kim and Debra Brown, advertising, will attend College of Wooster on music and scholastic scholarships to study international business and horn performance.
Michael N. Carney, Columbus College of Art and Design, son of James Carney, news, and stepson of his wife, Katie Byard, news, son of Mary Stormer and stepson of Barry Stormer, is a freelance artist in Columbus
Adam J. Christian, Tallmadge High, son of DeAnna and Dave Christian, circulation, will attend University of Toledo to study communications.
Cynthia Marie Cistone, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, daughter of Judy and David Cistone, production, will attend Muskingum College on a softball scholarship.
Alexis Jane Cowman, Kent State bachelor’s in business administration, daughter of Sandra and Thomas Cowman, production, employed by J.M. Smucker in Orrville.
Paul David Cowman, University of Akron cum laude bachelor’s in marketing/advertising, son of Sandra and Thomas Cowman, production, employed as media coordinator at Malone Advertising.
Kelly Lynne Earlenbaugh, Ellet High School, daughter of Jane and Dennis Earlenbaugh, news art department, will attend Ohio University of study psychology.
Vincent Lee Gooden, Firestone High, brother of Leslie Johnson, finance, will attend Stark State College to study electronics.
April D. Hinkle, Huron School of Nursing/Cleveland Clinic R.N. diploma, daughter of Roy and Karen Jones, human resources, employed as registered nurse at Hillcrest Hospital.
Candace Michelle Kelley, Kent State bachelor’s in fashion merchandising, daughter of Joanne and David Kelley, production, interned at fashion-related employers in New York City and studied in Florence, Italy, though KSU’s fashion program.
Kortlyn Marie Moore, Kent Roosevelt High, daughter of Angelyn L. Healey and Kenneth J. Healey, creative technical services, will attend Kent State to study broadcast journalism and communications.
Alex Michael Reynolds, Green High, son of Roger and Susan Reynolds, newsroom, will attend University of Akron on a basketball scholarship to study mass media and communications.
Amanda Marie Reynolds, University of Akron magna cum laude bachelor’s in education/middle level, daughter of Roger and Susan Reynolds, newsroom,. Project LEARN and Project PRISE volunteer.
Lindsey Anne Rowland, Firestone High, daughter of Sarah Vradenburg, newsroom editorial, and Barry Rowland, will attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago to study fine arts/fiber and materials management.
Anna Springer, Kent Roosevelt High salutatorian, daughter of Barbara Hipsman and Bob Springer, newsroom editorial, will attend Loyola University in Chicago to pursue international studies.
Monica Renee Taylor, Central Hower High, daughter of Jeffrey R. Taylor, production, and Raeti A. Taylor, will attend Case Western Reserve University to duty chemical engineering.
Rebecca Vicars, Wadsworth High School, daughter of Barbara and John Vicars, Information Technology, will attend University of Akron, to study social work.
Kathleen Erin Yancer, Ohio State bachelor’s in architecture, daughter of Karen and Terry Yancer, information technology, employed at WD Partners, an architecture firm in Columbus.

Jane Betz drowns in Leesville Lake

Jane E, Betz RN


Jane Betz, wife of Tim Betz, former head of Information Technology at the Beacon Journal, drowned on Wednesday, June 22, near the boater’s beach at Leesville Lake.

Betz was traveling with two women on the lake on a pontoon, a boat with a hull constructed of round tubes, when she dove into the lake to retrieve a red foam noodle, said Carroll County Sheriff Dale Williams.

The two women on the boat said the 56-year-old went into the water and re-emerged, looking like she was having trouble, Williams said. The women said they could not pull up the boat’s anchor in time to help her. Divers recovered her body Thursday night in about 23 feet of water. Betz’s body was found near the area where she had been reported missing.

The search was concentrated at the waterfront property of Camp Aldersgate, south of Carrollton from about 6:10 a.m. until the recovery at about 7:15 p.m. Camp Aldersgate is one of seven camps situated at Leesville Lake, and Betz was not affiliated with the camp, according to Eric Dingler, camp director.

[Information from news item in the Times-Reporter, New Philadelophia, OH, Friday, June 24, 2005]

Here is her obituary from the Beacon Journal:

Jane E. Betz RN (Erisey) age 57 passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday June 22, 2005.

Jane received both an Associates and Bachelors of Science Degree in Nursing, and was currently working as a critical care nurse for Akron General Medical Center. She was ACLS certified and more recently received her PICC line certification. Jane took great pride in the care she gave to her patients, and in addition to her love of nursing she had an even greater love for animals.

She was preceded in death by her parents Clyde and Elinore Erisey, and brothers Richard and David Erisey. She is survived by her daughter Beth Morrison of North Canton, two sons; Spc. Shawn Morrison of Anchorage, AK, and Brian (Jennifer) Morrison of Louisville, OH, two grandsons; Brandon and Cameron, her husband Timothy, and her beloved dog Sampson. She is also survived by her three sisters Joanne Courtney of St.Louis, MO, Kathy (Mike) Myers and Denise (Phil) Jackson all of Georgia, two brothers; Steve (Colleen) Erisey of Maximo, OH and Scott Erisey.

Her wishes were to be cremated, and her family will celebrate her life on Tuesday starting at 5:00 P.M. in the Reed Funeral Home NORTH CANTON CHAPEL (801 Pittsburg Rd. NW North Canton, OH 44720), with a memorial service to follow at 6:00 P.M. Those who wish to attend are encouraged to bring their favorite pictures and memories of Jane to share. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to any local humane society branch in her name.
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Sunday, June 26, 2005, page B5 col. 3]

Tony Ridder expects ad rebound

Knight Ridder Inc., the second-largest newspaper publisher in the country, expects to see national advertising pick up in the second half of the year after slumping in the spring, the company's chief executive said Tuesday.

CEO Tony Ridder, addressing an investor conference sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America, an industry group, said national advertising ``fell off in March'' and has not rebounded, although he said he is optimistic it will improve in the second half of the year.

Last week, Knight Ridder, parent of the Akron Beacon Journal and more than 30 other daily papers, told investors its second-quarter earnings would be flat with year-ago results because of charges and weak results at the company's Detroit operations.
[The Akron Beacon Journal, Wednesday, June 22, 2005, page D2, col. 2]

Doug selling BJ clock tower bricks

Doug Oplinger hawks BJ clock tower bricks

In another benefit for United Way, bricks from the Beacon Journal clock tower -- in varying shapes and sizes, with and without mortar -- went on sale in the newsroom. The bricks are on display, of sorts, underneath reporter Doug Oplinger’s desk (His reward for coming up with the idea) and on top of the file cabinet near Stephanie Warsmith’s desk. Close to $150 already has been collected for United Way.

A visit with Don and Donn

Don Bandy and I visited Donn Gaynor on Wednesday (June 15) and spent almost two hours talking about people we had worked with at the Beacon Journal. We often had to talk about them for several minutes before anyone of us could remember the name. Donn lives on the corner of Deitz and Eva avenues in Akron--–just across Eva Avenue from the home of the late Jim Dettling. Donn remarked that there is a still a U.S. flag with just 48 stars flying at Dettling'’s front porch. Dettling, who served in two different branches of the armed forces, apparently put the flag up and his son has left it there. [That was the U.S. flag from 1912 to 1959 and had the greatest longevity of any of them.]

I cannot-- and won'’t-- mention all the good and bad gossip we recalled about former BJ types. Nor shall I repeat any of our observations on the news media today.

Gaynor has three different forms of cancer he discovered about a year ago. First the doctors told him he had lymphoma--–a cancer of the lymph nodes which grows slowly but surely. Then they noticed a melanoma or skin cancer under his left eye. Finally, they found cancer on his lungs. He had just been to the hospital on Wednesday for radiation treatments and has 10 or so more to undergo.

Bandy is selling his home o Aqueduct St. and will move probably somewhere in the Bradenton area of Florida where his sister lives. Other family members live in Florida and none remain in his old hometown of Washington Court House. Also old friends will know that keeping the house is becoming a chore. Donn used to have parties for BJ types to help with the annual leaf pickup chores.

You can send notes to Donn at PO Box 7636, Akron, OH. He got the PO box years ago after a mailman complained about his dog barking at him in a menacing manner. The dog is now half deaf and half blind. Bandy will supply his new address when he gets settled in Florida.

KR says earnings could be flat

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 14 (AP) - Knight Ridder, the second-largest newspaper publisher in the country, warned on Tuesday that its second-quarter earnings could be flat with year-ago results, because of charges and weak results at the company's Detroit operations.

The company also reported a 3.5 percent rise in overall advertising revenue last month, with retail advertising growth of 5.7 percent being offset by a 7 percent decline in national ads.

Classified ad sales rose 5.5 percent on sharply higher employment and real estate listings, while automotive ad sales decreased in the period.

For the quarter ending this month, Knight Ridder said its profit should be similar to last year's income of $1.08 a share, excluding a gain of 10 cents from a tax break and favorable adjustments in Detroit, where it runs The Detroit Free Press.

Severance costs and a decline in operating earnings from Detroit will weigh on its quarterly results, the company added.

On average, analysts are looking for earnings of $1.05 a share on $776.1 million in revenue. Knight Ridder's revenue totaled $760 million in the year-ago quarter.

Knight Ridder shares fell 84 cents, to $61.50.

[Published: June 15, 2005]

Ads on BJ clock tower OKd

The Akron Beacon Journal can sell advertising on its new clock tower.

The Akron City Council voted unanimously Monday to allow the advertising. The newspaper needed the council's OK on a conditional use because zoning law generally does not permit such signs to carry advertising.

A wraparound LED display message board also will be used to scroll news and announcements of local events.

A stationary time/temperature display will appear on four sides of the concrete tower, which will resemble the original one built in 1929 and should be completed sometime this fall.

[Akron Beacon Journal, Tuesday, June 14, 2005, page B4, col. 5]

Confidence in news falls to all-time low

Public trust in newspapers and television news continued to decline in Gallup's annual survey of "public confidence in major institutions" in the United States, reaching an all-time low this year, Editor and Publisher reported June 10..

Those having a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in newspapers dipped from 30% to 28% in one year, the same total for television. The previous low for newspapers was 29% in 1994. Since 2000, confidence in newspapers has declined from 37% to 28%, and TV from 36% to 28%, according to the poll.

Confidence in the presidency plunged from 52% to 44%, with Congress and the criminal-justice system also suffering 8% drops. Confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court fell from 46% to 41%. The 22% confidence rating for Congress is its lowest in eight years

The military topped the poll with a 74% confidence rating, with the police at 63% and organized religion at 53%. Big business and Congress (both at 22%) and HMOs (17%) brought up the rear.

Batz in 35th year at Dayton Daily News

Would you believe this?: Bob Batz, who is now living in Brookville, OH, is in his 35th year at the Dayton Daily News as a feature writer/columnist. And his oldest son Bob is a prize-winning feature writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“I could retire. But don’t plan to,” Batz says. “Sally and I still have fond, fond memories of BJ.”

Bob’s son received a first place in the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors Association 2004 awards for an article titled “Reaching Out With Both Hands.”
We are trying to obtain a copy.

It's not the usual dozen at lunch

The attendance figure for the BJ Retirees lunch on June 8 at Papa Joe’s was the usual dozen, but there were more women and two editorial types who have not been at the lunch for a while–Jane Snow and Don Bandy.

Jane is on leave from the BJ recovering from surgery. She will write about that later. Don Bandy has put his house on Aqueduct up for sale and will be moving to Florida where all his siblings live. There are no remaining relatives in hometown Washington Courthouse. Don will stay with a sister while he looks for a condo in Florida.

The two women in addition to Jane were Anne Catalano and Norma Hanzel. Husbands Joe and Ed were there along with other printers, Gene McClellan, Carl Nelson and Bob Pell. Editorial types attending were Harry Liggett, John Olesky and Tom Moore.

John will be leaving soon on a trip to his mother’s home in Italy and will be gone about three weeks.

Just click on the headline to see Tom Moore’s photos of the lunch bunch.

Richard Sweet: Record-Courier photog

Richard Sweet

Richard R. Sweet, 65, of Elno Avenue, Kent, died Sunday, May 22, 2005, at Justin T. Rogers Hospice Care Center in Akron, Ohio.

He was born Aug. 20, 1939, in North Ridgeville, to Dyer and Nina (Williams) Sweet. An alumnus of Kent State University, he earned a BFA in 1966. For nearly four decades he chronicled the faces and places of Portage and Summit County as a photographer for the Record Courier, from which he retired in September 2004. He also performed professional location photography for weddings, class reunions, etc., as well as a variety of commercial clients. His easy smile and gracious manner were fondly familiar to many people throughout the region. A member of the United Methodist Church of Kent, Kent Lions Club, and the Portage County Historical Society, Richard also enjoyed col lecting and restoring antique cameras, travel, reading history, and oil painting.

Richard's surviving family include his wife, Betty (Hejma), whom he married on Sept. 4, 1994; stepson, Craig Hejma of Kent; stepdaughter, Melissa (Tod Bates) Hejma of Taos, N.M.; sister, Joanne (Bob) Raybuck; and nephews of Shippenville, Pa., and Harvey Blanck of Clarksville, Tenn.; a niece, Diane Raybuck of Akron, Ohio; adopted family, Will and Karin Lange Underwood and their children; extended family, Frank and Sue Cook and their children at Gahanna, Ohio, Al and Carol Laymon of Hartville and their children. He was preceded in death by his parents and by brother, Charles Sweet.

The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to Dr. Sandra Hazra and the staff at the Justin T. Rogers Hospice Care Center for the excellent care given to Richard.

Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at United Methodist Church of Kent, with Rev. Dr. David Palmer and Rev. Douglas Denton officiating. The family will receive friends two hours prior to the service. Memorials may be made to UMC of Kent, 1435 E. Main St., Kent, Ohio 44240; Portage County Historical Society, 6529 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna, Ohio 44266; or Hospice Care Center, 3358 Ridgewood Rd., Akron, Ohio 44333.
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Friday, June 3, 2005, page B7, col. 5]

Authentic BJ coffee table

BJ coffee with glass top at left is supported (right) by press plates

This BJ coffee table in the basement family room of Roger and Anne Mezger has a base made of curved stereotype plates from 1976. They were among the last plates used in printing the Beacon Journal in those days when the newspaper was printed from curved plates cast from mats in the BJ composing room. Roger saved these to fashion this authentic BJ coffee table. The press plates weigh about 40 pounds each. One is from October 7, 1976 with the headline reading “Polls on debate show Carter outtalked Ford.” The other is from October 12, 1976 and the top headline says “Mao widow held with 3 radicals”–the infamous Gang of 4. The glass top is 24 inches in diameter. Roger says, “Over the years I have added decals that came in the mail from some of my alma maters and my favorite baseball team.”
(Photos by Roger Mezger)

Tom Ryan's son dies in Venice, FL

"Bill" Ryan

This blog would be negligent if attention was not given to the death of the late Tom Ryan’s son, John William “Bill” Ryan in Venice, FL, on May 22.

Tom was a veteran BJ reporter who died February 9, 1985. His wife, Marjorie, has been a resident of the nursing home on the fifth floor of Barberton Citizens Hospital for eight years and has suffered that long with Alzheimer’s. A daughter, Donna Gadel, is deceased, but all five sons–Mike, Jim, Shawn and Buddy--still live in Barberton.

Here then is the obituary:

John William "Bill" Ryan

John William "Bill" Ryan, 66, a resident of Venice, Fla., passed away May 22, 2005.

He was born Sept. 6, 1938, and lived in the Akron area most of his life. He grad uated from Barberton High School. Because of his warmth and understanding, many con sidered him "dad." He was known for his "Far Side" sense of humor, and his love of practical jokes. Bill served in the U.S. Navy from 1962 to 1965 aboard the aircraft carrier Bon homme Richard as a lithographer. He would say "Not a single Viet Cong got past San Diego during my hitch."

He worked as a salesman for Nabisco and sold cars. He also drove a cab in Las Vegas and worked for Summit County as a communications repairman when he retired. Bill would joke that he lived longer than Elvis, and knew more women than Liberace. He lived the last five years of his life in Florida, where he fished and lived a life of leisure. He was most proud of his grandson, Kade William, whom he refered to as "my buddy."

He was preceded in death by his father, Tom Ryan and sister, Donna Gadel. He is survived by his mother, Marjorie; son, Michael; daughter, Kellee (Kano) Keller; grandson, Kade; daugh ter, Sherry (Steve) Terrell; brothers, Buddy, Mike (Dana), Jim (Cheryl), and Shawn (Niki); and many nieces and nephews. "Bill R" will be tremendously missed.

His wishes were to be cremated and for his ashes to be spread into the Gulf of Mexico.
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Sunday, May 29, 2005 ]

Help find these BJ "Lost Lambs"

The following list is what I call “Lost Lambs.” That is probably not appropriate, but they are old timers I would like to contact. I have some ideas on how to find all of them, but thought this might be easier.–so

Can you put me in touch with Bob Batz, John Bird, Carol Camp, John DeGroot , Bob Feldkamp, Larry Fields, John Flynn, Judy Gilhousen, John Larrabee, Bruce McIntyre, Hank Rupple, Dale Smith, Tom Suchan and Bob vonSternberg?

Just leave a comment or drop me an e-mail at hliggett@ald.net

A final -30- for Polly

Did everyone notice the neat floral tribute left by Nancy (Yockey) Bonar at the calling hours and service for Polly Paffilas? It was a 30 formed from red roses.

For those who might be too young to know, this “30" sign is an archaic term that was used in journalism up to the early 1980's. The sign was at the end of copy that was submitted to the newsdesk, to mark that this was, indeed, the end of the news story. It is still used - albeit rarely - to mark the end of press releases and other non-published copy.

At one time, journalists had to submit their stories by telegram; they would do so and mark the end of the story by "-30-" - after which they could include personal messages to their editors.

Journalists seem to be following telegraph operators as a thing of the past. My father and grandfather were both railroad telegraph operators in their younger years and I seem to recall that there were several codes that were used. These oldtimers are both gone now and there are many ideas about how the 30 got started. If you know anything on the subject, please add a comment at the end

The -30- mark's true origin is hard to determine. It has been used as one of the telegraph signals meaning "end of story". However, the -30- has probably been around since before the telegraph was even invented,

There are numerous theories regarding possible origins for the -30- sign:

* Eighty means farewell in Bengali; an English officer used 80 in the end of a letter to the East India Company in 1785. Adopting this, the EIC mistook the 80 for 30.
* The first message during the Civil War. The number "30" was placed on the bottom of the telegraph after it was written out. This was later picked up by other telegraphers.
* The end mark during early newspapers was the hash sign (#). Typists, either by mistake, or to save time, didn't go to upper case, hence "3". A zero and two dashes were added for the look of it
* When AP (Associated Press) was established, each member paper was entitled to 30 telegraphs a day. The 30 marked the last telegraph.
* Back in the day, when typesetters still manually placed slugs, a typesetter would place his #30 slug at the case to symbolize that he was finished with his article - so another typesetter could take over the cases
* Press wires closed at the half-hour mark - 30 minutes past the hour.
* Press offices used to close at 3'o'clock. This was later abbreviated to 3'o, and finally to -30-
* Some people believe that this is a reference to the bible (ignoring that we are talking about journalists here, which almost by definition rules out the theory), in that 30 silver pieces caused JC's death
* When newspaper stories were handwritten, X meant the end of a sentence, XX meant the end of a paragraph, and XXX meant the end of the story (XXX is of course 30 in roman numbers)

Whatever the use was, the -30- sign has been with us for a long time, and was only killed off when computers started to gain foothold. But not completely: In the pamphlet "What's Your Story - A Guide For Getting News Into The Washington Post", published recently by the Washington Post, the 30 sign is mentioned. In their directions for faxing press releases, they say "Type 'end' or '30' at the bottom of the last page."

-30-

Country roads took him home

to a place called Monongah

You can go home again

I had a memorable weekend over the Memorial Day weekend.

I attended my Monongah High School alumni reunion for a dinner/dance and meetings with former classmates for the first time, in some cases, in 55 years. To sweeten the situation, I visited Monongah, where I was born in my Olesky grandparents’ house. Hey, it was the Great Depression and people made do.

Actually, I was repaying a favor. My sister, Jackie, had attended my 50-year reunion in 2000. This time, Jackie’s class was the 50-year class (of 1955).

The reunion was at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at Westchester Village in Fairmont, WV. So, that morning I drove to Monongah (childhood playground of Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban) and had my photos taken in front of my birthplace, in front of the house we rented and then the house that my parents bought from Consolation Coal Company because it had indoor plumbing and ours didn’t. I was 12 the first time I used the bathroom without winter windburn on my bum.

Other photos were taken:

-- At the edge of the holler (yes, I know how the outside world spells it) where I had wrecked by going over the edge with about every vehicle that my parents bought me. Once, a neighbor knocked on my Mom’s door and, when she answered, handed my unconscious body to her with “Here’s your son.”

-- At my aunt’s grocery where I hung upside down while clinging to a second-floor metal railing 15 feet above the concrete till a customer grabbed me by the ankles.

-- The steep Jackson Street hill where we did our sledriding at tremendous speeds because we poured water on the road in winter so it would freeze, and the Jackson Street residents countered with coal ashes, which we counter-countered with more water.

-- The concrete steps above the street car station (electric trolley to young whippersnappers) where daredevil Bill rode me double (I was on the handlebars) on his bicycle as we bumpty-bumped down, by my count after looking at the photo, 49 steps.

As I said, I had been to my Class of 1950’s 50-year reunion in 2000 with my late wife, Monia, but there were several who didn’t make it then who showed up this time, including the classmate with the deerskin suit (he shot it; someone else stitched it together). And some who didn’t make it to the evening’s dinner/dance showed up at the 1 p.m. lunch I arranged at Say-Boy Restaurant on Country Club Road, just down the street from Country Club Bakery, birthplace of the pepperoni roll (Food TV cable network had a piece on the bakery).

I can’t wait for the Class of 1950’s 60-year reunion in 2010. By then, it may be a Wheelchairs R Us event, particularly if I decide to take on that holler again.

Memorable Stories: An unopened bottle

Beacon Journal Sports Editor Larry Pantages contributed a moving Memorial Day story for A1 of todayÂ’s newspaper.

Phil Masturzo also had a great photo of Larry's father, Billy, holding a bottle of "“31" bourbon that has remained unopened since three Pantages brothers decided not to open it until all returned home from World War II. There also is a view of a gold bracelet engraved with the name, military ID and blood type of Gus Pantages who was killed Feb. 13, 1945 when his plane hit some trees and detonated the bombs under the aircraft.

There also is a photo of Gus'’ mother, Mary Pantages, who continued to operate the family business after her husband was killed by a robber in 1937 and while her sons, Jimmy, Gus and Billy went off to serve in World War II. The General Cafe closed in 1957 when the property was sold to make room for Akron'’s expressway. Mary died in 1969.

It was 60 years ago that Gus was killed and the bourbon bottle remains unopened in Billy'’s kitchen cabinet. There also is a photo of Billy, his son Larry and Larry'’s sons William and Alexander,-- three generations who remember their family'’s contribution to World War II.

Gus W. Pantages has no grave marker in Akron. His funeral service was in the Philippines. But he is remembered along with 1,529 other Summit County veterans whose names are cut into marble walls adjoining the entrance to Memorial Hall at the University of Akron. Larry made a rubbing of his uncle'’s name as did his sons.

Unfortunately, you cannot see the photos unless you get the newspaper or the digital BJ, but you can read Larry'’s story on Ohio.com by clicking on the headline above.

His story gave this blogger a little bit of renewed pride in the BJ which devoted its editorial pages today in a tribute to some 70 Ohioans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan with mug shots of all but 14 of them.

This is after all Memorial Day.

Going, going, gone: End of an era

The end of an era came Wednesday, May 25, 2005, as a crane
lowered the Akron Beacon Journal's old clock tower onto a flatbed
truck. The 26-foot, 4,800-pound tower, part of the city's skyline
since 1966, will be stripped for parts by junkyard artist P.R. Miller.
(Beacon Journal photo by Paul Tople)

Polly Paffilas 1921-2005

Pauline Katherine Paffilas

By Marilyn Miller
Beacon Journal staff writer

A colorful character in the newsroom, Polly Paffilas, the former food writer and About Town columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal, died Thursday. She was 83.

A supporter of the arts and an animal lover, she had an affinity for hats and enjoyed dressing up. .
Friend and colleague Nancy Yockey Bonar of Medina said even after Miss Paffilas retired she would get up every morning, put on her makeup, get dressed and select her earrings and rings.

"That was her daily ritual, she'd be up and at 'em, ready and dressed. She was still the lady."

She loved to cook and always. used her good china for guests at lunch, dinner or bridge parties.

"Polly was one of the grand dames of journalism,' said her former longtime colleague Mickey Porter. "She'd tackle any kind of story."
Her newspaper career covered more than 45 years before she retired in 1987.

She and colleague Frances B. Murphey, who died in 1998, broke into the business as temporary hires through Manpower. When the staff was short in the newsroom during World War II, they were called in.

It was a male-dominated business when Miss Paffilas signed on in 1942, in the low-tech days of pencils, typewriters and hot metal type.

Hired at $23.50 a week as a clerk in the reference library, she tried to learn every job at the paper. She even learned how to operate the manual elevator.

Miss Paffilas became a cub reporter on the city desk. She later moved to the Woman's Department, where she became food writer, women's editor, and spent 10 years as the About Town columnist. She interviewed many greats, including baseball's Mickey Mantle and former. President Truman.

Bonar's favorite story was when John F. Kennedy was running for president and spoke at the Akron Armory.

"We were practically running down the street trying to get there, when Kennedy passed by us in the motorcade and winked at us," she said. "When we got to the Armory there was no way we were going to get through the crowd. But Polly whipped out her Women's City Club card, held it up high and elbowed her way in, shouting `Press, excuse me, press.'

"We didn't have press cards, but she managed to get us right up front. She was amazing.

Kent State University professor Tim Smith, a former managing editor at the Beacon Journal, said Polly had a great sense of humor and was very outspoken.

"She was a remarkable woman, uninhibited, frank and very candid in her food reviews."

He added: "She spared no one's feelings when it came to preparing food well. She had a lot of influence as a food writer."

And readers weren't shy about imposing on her when they needed help. One called her on a busy Thanksgiving morning to ask her how to stuff a turkey.

"She was the last of the newsroom icons that readers knew by name," said friend and colleague Joan Rice. "Polly got piles of mail She got so much mail, the compare had to hire a secretary to handle it -- the head of the department didn't even have a secretary!”

Readers remember the moving story she wrote about the death of her dog, Molly Brown.

And when she learned she had diabetes, she also shared it with her readers .

"There I was - March 31,1973 - a date I'll never forget - a middle aged, fat diabetic," she wrote. "Frightening thoughts crossed my mind."

She went on to lose 80 pounds and shared her expertise, strength and hope with readers.
Mentor to colleagues

But as food lost its appeal, she took over the social writer beat.

Food writer Jane Snow said Miss Paffilas was her mentor. "She was always available to help a young reporter. She was a tough old newswoman who started in this business before women were really accepted."

Snow added: "She'd walk through the newsroom in an elegant outfit and a big hat smoking a cigarette and barking orders, but behind that crusty exterior she was one of the most warm-hearted, friendliest people you'd ever want to meet."

Snow said when Miss Paffilas left she had stacks of recipes. Those recipes are being categorized by the Akron-Summit County Public Library and will be available in the special collections library at the main library.

"Polly was always fiercely proud of her Greek heritage and the food beat," said retired col-league Russ Musarra, who took the About Town mantle next.

"It was daunting following her on the social beat. Polly knew the town inside out, she grew up here and wrote about all these folks before she took the beat. I came in as a street kid from Cleveland with barely any social skills at all."
Proud of heritage

Miss Paffilas was born Aug. 8, 1921, in Parkersburg, W.Va., but lived in Akron all her life, attending Crosby Elementary School and graduating from West High School.

She was always proud to be a Greek, said her nephew, Steve Paffilas of Cleveland. "She was a very caring, giving, strong-willed, hard-working lady. She had a sense of order and was very meticulous."

He recalled his visits to Akron and all the great meals his aunt used to cook, especially the Greek food. She was caregiver to her parents, who came to Akron in the early 1900s.

A member of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Miss Paffiilas earned many writing and civic awards, including the prestigious John S. Knight award.

In 1980, Akron General Medical Center named a 20-bed facility for the treatment of diabetics in her honor for her tireless education efforts, both in print and as a member of the board of trustees of the Akron Diabetes Center.

She also started the Sugartown Express, a major diabetes fund-raiser.

Funeral service, calling hours
A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 129 S. Union St., Akron. Friends may call at the Billow funeral home in Fairlawn, 85 N. Miller Road, from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday and at the church one hour before the service Tuesday.

Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 2680, North Canton, OH 44720 or the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Friday, May 27, 2005, page B1]

Polly K. Paffilas dies

Polly Paffilas died in her sleep this morning (Thursday, May 26, 5005) at her apartment in 900 W. Market St. She had suffered from complications of diabetes..

Calling hours, tentatively, will be Monday evening at Billows with services Tuesday at Greek Annunciation Church. Burial will be next to her parents at Rose Hill Burial Park.

Always thinking ahead, Polly wrote her own obit several years ago and last year had thje family plot re-groomed. Cat Harvey is already at his new home in country with a Polly friend as was pre-arranged

Obit will probably be in Akron Beacon Journal on Friday. Donations may be made to American Diabetes Association,1815 W Market St, Akron, 44313 Tel: (330) 835-3149

[Information is from Nancy (Yockey) Bonar]

Tales from the Seven Star *******

By Charlie Buffum
In the days when dinosaurs ruled journalism, the Beacon Journal was a strange land, filled with smoking wastebasket fires from careless smokers, and peopled with curious “Front Page” characters. Some of them, children, did not even have college degrees!

It was a time when the owner, John S. Knight, came to work every day, in a suit and tie, and actually cared about every word that appeared in his paper. His chief Allosaurus was Ben Maidenburg, who bullied and sneered but wasn’t above lending ten bucks to a needy printer or reporter when needed.

It was a time when Fran Murphey, who favored bib overalls, ran a half-column snapshot of a circus in her “Around Town” column and regularly climbed into the back of her cluttered car in the BJ parking lot to catch a 4 a.m. nap after writing a column all night.

Speaking of women journalists, it was not very distant from the time that the newspaper’s distaff legend, Helen Waterhouse, in her 80s, had rushed to cover a raid on a mismanaged old folks home in the Portage Hotel. On the elevator going to the scene, one of the assistant DAs turned to the wispy-haired, disheveled Waterhouse and asked, “How are they treating you here?” Witnesses say she sputtered for weeks over that one. But Helen is a story for others to tell.

Anyway, children, at this golden time, there was a young man named Bill Berger.

Bill, now departed, had a ‘40s pompadour haircut that he retained throughout life. He had served in World War II as a Marine Corps “airdale,” the back-seat gunner in a lumbering torpedo plane in the Pacific. He once almost shot off his own tail, he claims, but being an airdale, he missed. He was later recalled to almost single-handedly win the Korean War, too.

Berger was for many years the BJ’s cop-shop reporter. He got so close to the police that he was considered one of them by both the cops and the editors. But he was always conscientious. (For his journalistic reward, he ended up handling Soap Box Derbies and Spelling Bees for the Promotion Department. Ah, meritocracies… But that’s another story, too.)

Bill was a great practical joker. He had a desk and typewriter at the Police Station, outside the Detective Bureau. The detectives, headed by a jolly guy named Carroll Cutright, once decided to give Berger some of his own medicine. They taped a dead fish under his desk. For days, Bill couldn’t figure it out. When he finally did, his first thought was, “Don’t get mad; get even.”

Cutright was a natty dresser, sort of the sartorial equivalent of former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Hank Stramm. Cutright had a new fedora hat of which he was very proud, Bill noted, and his retaliation plot was hatched.

Every day, Berger carefully folded a strip of toilet paper and slipped it inside the hat’s headband, adding a strip a day. As a result, Cutright’s hat rode higher and higher on his head. He knew something was “fishy,” but couldn’t figure it out. It went on until the chapeau was set precariously high on the Chief Detective’s head and a strip search was indicated. They didn’t mess with Berger again.

Another time, a cop who didn’t trust the practical jokers hanging around the station decided to lock and park his brand-new car in a parking lot across from the BJ, rather than keep it near the Police Station. Bill found out. It was winter, and at the time when computers were coming in, and IBM punch cards were in vogue. Bill collected piles of the little punch-card confetti pieces.

With the help of two police accomplishes, he went to the parking lot and, after flashing badges, the cops used master keys to open the new car. Bill carefully fed the confetti into the car’s windshield defroster vents. He and the cops hid by a BJ window to watch.

The victim cop came to the parking lot, looked around, unlocked his car, and got in. A puff of blue smoke as the engine started. Next, the driver turned on the defroster. This was clear because the inside of the new car immediately looked like one of those snow globes, shaken, not stirred.

As Bill told it, the cop jumped out of his car, drew his pistol, and screamed. He demanded to know from the lot owner how this happened, and the conspirators saw the poor operator wave his hands, obviously explaining that “It was the police!” The guy started looking around for the culprits. “If he could have found us right then, he might have shot us,” Bill laughed, clearly without remorse.

Ah, journalism. How could people like that put out such a damn good paper, one that people actually read … and believed?

McEaneney hired by AkronWatch.org

Retired BJ reporter Dennis McEananey has been hired as the leg man for AkronWatch.org which will bird-dog the City of Akron’s spending habits.

Retired steel fabricator Larry L. Parker launched the site on April 29 and reported 27,000 hits in the first six days. The site says the city has “squandered millions of taxpayer dollars on so-called economic development projects over the last 25 years. He hired McEnaney to prowl city hall and check public records. The site targets city debt which exceeded $500 million in December for work past and present on Canal Park, the expressway, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the John S. Knight Center.

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellicd told reporters Wednesday that Parker is a liar who is wasting his money rehashing old issues.

Click on the headline to check out the site.

Dismantling the old BJ clock tower

Beacon Journal columnist Bob Dyer reports on the dismantling of the BJ clock tower in a story in the newspaper on Thursday, May, 19, 2005 on page B1. The huge tower will be lowered to the street next week and given to renowned junkyard artist P. R. Miller and trucked to his workplace at 414 N. Howard St.

Miller will give dozens of floodlight bulbs to Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts for use in a student project. The big red plastic BJ letters will go to Bob “BJ” Jones, owner of Business Interiors and Environments on S. Broadway. Miller will then strip any parts he needs for a public art project. Whatever he does not use will go to Annaco Co., a scrap metal company on Hazel Street. Annaco then will write a check for $1,000 to United Way. BJ officials originally thought the tower was made of stainless steel worth $1,500 to $2,000, but only the outer covering is stainless and the inside galvanized so the actual value is somewhere between $400 and $750,

Robert W. Leitch dies

Robert Leitch

Robert W. Leitch, 89, a loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away Sunday, May 15, 2005, after a short ill ness. He was born in Akron on Sept. 9, 1915, to William and Albertine Leitch. Robert graduated from Ellet High School, served as a captain in the Army during World War II, and retired from the Akron Beacon Journal in 1985 after more than 50 years of service. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Akron Typographical Union, and volunteered for many years for the Akron Civic Theater. He was preceded in death by his wives, Virginia in 1997, and Jean in 2003. He is survived by his daughter, Amy (Frank) Beverly; stepdaughter, Susan (Gary) Zimmerman; grandchildren, Kurt Arnold IV, Laura (Brian) Hall, Zak Arnold, Ryan and Cory Zimmerman, Derek, Joshua, Allisonn, and Alesha Beverly; sister-in-law, Vivian (Dick) Lindenberger; nephews, Rick (Toni) and Jeffery (Margaret) Lindenberger. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. SUNDAY, May 22, 2005, at the Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel, 85 N. Miller Rd. Funeral
services will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 23, in the Mausoleum Chapel at Rose Hill Burial Park on West Market Street in Fairlawn. (Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel, 330-867-4141.)
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Thursday, May 19, 2005, page6, col. 5]

Costello to get stent for heart problem

Retired composing room printer John Costello will have at least one stent and possible two put in place next week because of blockage. John, who had a double heart bypass in 1990, said he passed a stress test just fine in April but later he became short of breath so he went in earlier this week for a heart catherization when the blockage was discoverd. He is to see his family doctor on Monday and cardiologist on Tuesday.
(Stents are metal devices that are placed permanently inside an artery to help keep it open.)

Audrey swinging the bat for Walsh

Audrey Hoiles, one of my three young visitors in times past (See Jan 2 post), is making news on the sports pages again.

Audrey hit a double and a triple in the 17-0 Walsh Jesuit softball win over East High on Monday in the first district finals at Kent State. The Walsh Warriors are the defending Diviision II champion.

Audrey is the daughter of BJ attorney Karen (Chuparkoff) Lefton and retired BJ reporter Bob Hoiles.

Zippy beckons students to McDonald's

Zippy is 7 feet tall, made from recycled stainless steel

This photo has nothing to do with the Beacon Journal, but former employees and retirees will remember Zippy as the mascot of the University of Akron. The giant stainless steel Zippy is now beckoning students from the corner of the new MacDonald’s restaurant at 246 E. Exchange St. in the university area.

Zippy is made of recycled stainless steel and is seven feet tall. He stands on a pedestal which is about 5 feet tall so he rises 12 feet into the skyline. Zippy is the creation of local artist John Comunale who operates from his studio at Communal Structural Concepts which he started in 1991. The studio is on the sixth floor of Canal Place, the old B.F. Goodrich complex at 540 S. Main St., Akron,

The idea for Zippy came from John Blickle, president of Heidman Inc., a local McDonald’s franchisee who knows Comunale from grade school. He had seen other pieces done by Comunale and asked him if he could fashion Zippy. Zippy actually is made from old McDonald’s stainless steel work stations and restaurant equipment.

Zippy and similar creations by Comunale start with a stainless steel wire skeleton. Comunale then cuts pieces of stainless he fits over the skeleton and welds and hammers into place. He used UA’s newer Zippy logo as a model.

Comunale, now 54, graduated from Firestone High School in 1968 and attended Ohio State University and the University of Akron. He has done everything from custom work for home and restaurant interiors including gates, railings, brackets, tabletops and light fixtures. He spent a number of years in North Carolina working as a carpenter and sculptor on movie sets for such films as Mr. Destiny, A Few Good Men, The Last of the Mohicans and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle film.

Work by Comunale includes a stainless steel bull he did for the Rib Doctor, a barbecue vendor, a giant steel cockroach climbing up an exterior wall of TNT Exterminating, a clock outside the historic Everett building downtown and a big stainless steel catfish at Furnace and Howard streets..

Projects in the works include one for Omicron Delta Kappa honorary society in the Student Union which will show five birds soaring with trailing ribbons that flow through the ODK logo. He also is making a sign for a coffee shop called Mocha Maiden that will open on Maiden Lane.

Changes on BJ Business Desk

Notes from the inside on changes in the BJ Business Desk:

Business Editor Steve Berta left the Beacon Journal on May 8 to accept a position as A.M.E. Businsss of the Indianapolis Star. David Hertz, who has been working in Metro, has become interim business editor. Deputy business editor Dave Scott has gone back to reporting in the business department and business reporter John Russell is the new deputy. Likely successor to Berta is Mitch McKenney, deputy metro editor.

Elbert Starks III, who also left the newsroom staff on May 8, is going back to college to get a teaching degree. He said he couldn't be a student and work at ``big'' paper like BJ, but can do it back home in Fort Wayne, IN., which is paper he came from. He also has some elderly family members there.

Revolving BJ tower gone forever

BJ tower under construction: May 12, 2005

The revolving BJ clock tower is gone forever. In its place will be a concrete tower with a stationary time and temperature display on four sides and a wrap-around LCD message board for streaming news, announcements and–if a zoning variance is approved–advertisements. The old sign had 12-foot tall plastic letters. The 26-foot-tall, 4,800-pound stainless steel top is now lying on the roof of the building. It will be given away or carted off to the scrap yard where the scrap would sell for $1,500 to $2,000. The new tower will be 15 feet shorter than the last one, peaking at 105 feet above the sidewalk. The new tower will resemble the original 1930 tower. Changes from the original were made in 1939, 1935 and 1966. The new tower should be in place by mid-summer.

Columnist Bob Dyer writes about it in a piece on page B1 of the Beacon Journal on Thursday, May 12, 2005. Accompanying the story is a sketch of how the new tower will look.

Click on the headline to see it.

Gleaned from Hot Type

United Way Award goes to BJ
The Akron Beacon Journal was this year’s recipient of United Way’s Spirit of Caring Award. The award was presented in gratitude for the newspaper’s outstanding support of United Way and year-round commitment to the community. The Akron Beacon Journal donated nearly $184,000 to the 2004 campaign through employee pledges, special events, matching funds and corporate contributions. Publisher Jim Crutchfield was community campaign chair.

Circulation and ad revenue (Period 4 through Week 5)
Daily circulation down 3,767 from same period 2004. Total daily 141,991
Sunday circulation down 9,089 from same period 2004. Total Sunday 176,778
Ad revenue up 5.7 percentd fxrom same period 2004

Moving on
Steven Berta and Elbert Starks III, newsroom, left the company May 8.
Patrick Bryant, advertising, left the company May 9.

Condolences
To Jane Hecht, administration, on death of her mother, Evona Danner, May 5.
To Michael Marcus, creative technical services, on death of his wife, Linda, on May 4.
To Neil Page, circulation, on death of his mother, Kleda K. Page, on May 4.
To Sue Reynolds, newsroom, on death of her brother, William K. Probert, on April 29.
To Dave Wilson, newsroom, on the death of his father, Lee C. Wilson, on May 4.

Death
Donna Schmid, who retired from finance in 1980 with 36 years of service, died April 18.

Emil Hartman dies

Emil Hartman


STOW-- Emil W. Hartman, 64, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, went home to be with the Lord on May 4, 2005.

Living in Stow for 36 years, he enjoyed working at the Akron Beacon Journal for his first career, and was a mentor and teacher of ASL at Kent State University for his second career. He was an avid member and president for numerous years of the Akron Club of the Deaf. He was also actively involved with AAAD, CAAD, CAD, and enjoyed golf.

Preceded in death by his parents, George and Mary, he is survived by his wife of 43 years, Barbara J.; daughters, Debbie Hartman Bell (Jon) of Stow, Lynn Hartman Oblisk (Brett) of Stow; grandchildren, Brittany and Hannah Bell, Jeffery, Justin, and Nicky Oblisk; twin brother and sister-in-law, Earl and Barbara Ann Hartman of Tallmadge; and many nieces and nephews.

Pastor Eloy Pacheco will conduct services Monday, 6 p.m., at Redmon Funeral Home, where friends may call from 3 p.m. until service time. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the family in care of Redmon Funeral Home. (RED MON, STOW, 330-688-6631.)
[Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Sunday, May 8, 2005 ]

Phila News podcast makes debut

PHILADELPHIA, May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The Philadelphia Daily News announced the creation of a continuing series of podcasts to debut on Friday, May 6.

"If you ever wondered what the Philadelphia Daily News would sound like, what it would be like if it was an audio show, this is your chance," said Frank Burgos, Editorial Page Editor of the Daily News.

The paper announced the debut of PhillyFeed, a program of news, on-the-street interviews, original music, sports talk and other material that can be found every Friday at http://www.phillyfeed.com. "This is stuff we could NEVER print in the paper," said Burgos.

A podcast is a self-created audio program made available to the public through the Internet as MP3 music files. Those files can be played on portable MP3 players such as iPods and on desktop computers. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, about 22 million U.S. adults now own an iPod or other type of MP3 player and 29 percent of them have downloaded a podcast program.

"Millions of people are turning to podcasts as an alternative to radio and other traditional media sources," said Burgos. "We see this as an exciting opportunity to present news, commentary and music you won't hear on other podcasts or radio programs."

PhillyFeed will be hosted by Burgos and Eric Mayberry, Daily News advertising executive. Various Daily News staff members will discuss stories they've worked on, and newsmakers, sports figures and others found in the paper every day will be interviewed. There will also be comments by experts on various subjects.

PhillyFeed can be downloaded at http://www.phillyfeed.com and will be
updated every Friday.

Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc, is a division of Knight Ridder (NYSE: KRI) the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with products in print and online. The company publishes 31 daily newspapers in 28 U.S. markets, with a readership of 9.0 million daily and 12.7 million Sunday. Knight Ridder also has investments in a variety of Internet and technology companies and two newsprint companies. The company's Internet operation, Knight Ridder Digital, develops and manages the company's online properties. It is the founder and operator of Real Cities (http://www.RealCities.com), the largest national network of city and regional Web sites in more than 105 U.S. markets. Knight Ridder and Knight Ridder Digital are headquartered in San Jose, Calif.
SOURCE Philadelphia Daily News
Web Site: http://www.phillyfeed.com http://www.philly.com

Knight Ridder Watch is new web site

A new substance abuse policy is being introduced at the Beacon Journal. You can get the details and download the policy at a great new web site called Knight Ridder Watch.

Knight Ridder Watch is a project of the Knight Ridder Council, a coalition of union locals representing employees at Knight Ridder newspapers. Council members welcome the participation of Knight Ridder employees who are not represented by unions to participate in the Council or to become part of the Council's e-mail list. Contact:: knightriddercouncil@knightridderwatch.org

You can click on the headline above to go to the site, but you also might want to save the url as a bookmark or favorite.

http://www.knightridderwatch.org/

Here is a notice from Paula Schleis to Akron Guild members:

May 4, 2005

Guild members,
We have concluded negotiations on a new drug and alcohol policy the company plans to submit. This policy is not a contractual provision, but because it does involve a change in working conditions the company is required to give us the chance to offer input.
The guild's negotiating team of Mark Davis, Kathy Antoniotti, Jim Mackinnon, Paula Schleis and Rollie Dreussi met with the company on four occasions, and we're pleased to report that the company agreed we had much to offer.

Nearly all of the guild's suggested changes were accepted. For instance, the company dropped language that would discipline an employee for merely possessing alcohol on company property, beefed up language on what constitutes the kind of "reasonable suspicion" that would prompt drug testing, and eliminated language that treated over-the-counter medication the same as prescription or illegal substances.

This policy is NOT IN EFFECT until the company gives you a copy. What is posted here is where the policy stood when guild negotiations concluded. Because the company intends the policy to be implemented building wide, they were also seeking input from other representatives.

Also note, and this is very important, that where the policy conflicts with our contract,
OUR CONTRACT TAKES PRECEDENCE.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Paula

Newspaper circulation drops 1.9 percent

Circulation fell 1.9 percent at major U.S. newspapers in the six-month period ending in March, an industry group reported Monday, May 2, 2005, marking one of the worst declines in recent years.

Newspaper circulation reached a recent peak in 1984 but has been declining steadily over the past decade as other forms of media compete for the attention of readers, including cable television and the Internet.

The Newspaper Association of America, a Vienna, Va.-based industry group, reported that average daily paid circulation declined 1.9 percent in the most recent reporting period for the 814 newspapers reporting comparable data to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Average Sunday circulation for the 643 newspapers reporting those figures fell 2.5 percent.

Both were wider than the declines of 0.9 percent in daily circulation and 1.5 percent in Sunday sales in the previous six months reported by the Audit Bureau, a circulation reporting group based in Schaumburg, Ill.

Gannett Co.'s USA Today remained the top-selling paper in the nation, according to the Audit Bureau, with total paid circulation edging up 0.05 percent to 2,281,831. The Wall Street Journal fell 0.8 percent to 2,070,498. The New York Times rose 0.24 percent to 1,136,433, and Tribune Co.'s Los Angeles Times's daily circulation, including Saturdays, fell 6.5 percent to 907,997.

Other major papers posting significant declines included the Chicago Tribune, the flagship paper of Tribune Co., whose daily circulation fell 6.6 percent to 573,744. Hearst Corp.'s San Francisco Chronicle fell 6.1 percent to 468,739.

Despite the long-term erosion in paid circulation, major newspaper companies have continued to produce profit gains, largely thanks to advertising rate increases, and newspaper stocks have held up relatively well.

Over the past five years shares of major publishers like Gannett, Tribune and Knight Ridder Inc. have outperformed the S&P 500 index, with the exception of Dow Jones & Co., which has been dragged down by a prolonged drought of financial and technology advertising at The Wall Street Journal.

Click on the headline to read the full story in Business Week.

Or search on:"newspaper ciirculation" with your browser for stories from many publ;ications.

Giffen's adult league hits grand slam

Former Beacon Journal Sports Editor Tom Giffen has turned an avocation for pickup baseball games into a lucrative profession. Giffen, 57, is in his 13th year as the owner of Roy Hobbs Baseball, a national organization that provides formal competition for adult men and women in the sport. In 2005, its membership will consist of about 400 teams spread across virtually every state.

BJ sports writer Tom Gaffney tells the story in a Community Extra story titled “Adult League hits grand slam” in the Beacon Journal on Sunday, May 1, 2005.

in 1990, Giffen spearheaded what was to become a four-team league of adult men playing out of Akron. The following year, the league grew to 11 teams and joined Roy Hobbs Baseball, which was then owned by Ron Monks of California.

Then on New Year's Eve in 1992 Monk sold Roy Hobbs Baseball to Giffen and his wife, Ellen, for an undisclosed amount.

For several years, Giffen ran Roy Hobbs Baseball out of his basement and continued to work at the Beacon Journal. In the mid-1990s, the organization began to bring in more and more teams and the scope truly took on a national feel. That was when he resigned from the newspaper to work full time at his business

Roy Hobbs, by the way, is the fictional hero of Bernard Malamud's novel, “The Natural.” Robert Redford played the lead role in the movie of the same name.

To read Gaffney’s piece, click on the headline above.

For more information on Roy Hobbs, call 330-923-3400 or go to the Web site at
www.royhobbs.com