Tom Melody, Frederick Pollack & Mike Herchek, Sr. will be added when I return to Ohio from Florida

Frederick Pollack passes away

Frederick Pollack

Fred Pollack, a BJ printer for 35 years, passed away Sunday, February 17 in Largo, Florida.

Fred’s obituary:

Pollack, Frederick, 81, of Largo, FL, passed away on Sunday, February 17, 2019. He will be missed by his loving family and friends.

Frederick was born in Barberton, Ohio to James and Kathernie. He grew up in Norton, Ohio. During his childhood Frederick wanted to find a steady career. He fell in love with the printing industry. Frederick worked for the Akron Beacon for 35 years as a printer. During his years he loved to travel. He visited most of the 50 states, Canada, and Mexico. He enjoyed a game of Chess and Pinochle, tasting new hot sauces, and would dare you to eat a hot pepper at any family holiday get together. While in his late teens and early twenties he was in a Polka band. He was very talented and could play the Oboe, Clarinet, and the Saxophone in alto and tenor. Frederick was a member of Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Largo, FL.

Frederick is survived by children; Timothy F. Pollack, Diana R. Russo, Cynthia K. Grayson, and Marlene G. Sias; 8 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, and sister; Nancy M. Lee.

A memorial service will be held in Frederick’s honor at 11am on Saturday, February 23rd 2019 at Serenity Funeral Home, 13401 Indian Rocks Rd, Largo, FL 33774.

·   FAMILY

·       James Pollack, Father

·       Kathernie Pollack, Mother

·       Timothy F. Pollack, Son

·       Diana R. Russo, Daughter

·       Cynthia K. Grayson, Daughter

·       Marlene G. Sias, Daughter

·       Nancy M. Lee, Sister

Eight Grandchildren

Seven Great-Grandchildren

Philly Guild riled over publisher Egger

The Philadelphia Inquirer Guild is pissed at publisher Terry Egger.

No wonder.

After 11 years without a pay raise he promised them one, but reneged.

Then caved to the Teamsters and gave them a pay raise, a signing bonus and contributions to their pension fund. All things denied the Guild.

Egger was PD publisher from 2006 till 2013.

He was named Editor & Publisher’s Publisher of the Year in November.  Obviously , the Inquirer Guild disagrees.

To read the article, click on

http://www.bigtrial.net/2019/02/inky-staffers-declare-no-confidence-in.html

Winges retires from BJ

Bruce Winges, at the BJ for 37 years including 11 as editor, is retiring from Ol’ Blue Walls.

Michael Shearer, editor and manager of The Record-Courier in Kent and northeastern Ohio regional editor for GateHouse Media, which purchased the Beacon Journal from Black Press last year, will add the BJ editor title to his job description.

Bruce succeeded Mizell Stewart as BJ editor. He is married to Bonnie Bolden, a former BJ department editor who, like me, is a WVU School of Journalism graduate.

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  John & Carolyn today and on their wedding day
  

   

   

  30^th anniversary for Carolyn and John Kovatch

   

  John Kovatch, retired Knight-Ridder vice president/finance and administration, and Carolyn Pope Kovatch are celebrating their 30^th wedding anniversary.

   

  John posted:

   

  “Thirty years ago Carolyn and I walked down the aisle and exchanged our vows. It has been a wonderful life together so far, and I look forward to many more years of happiness. Thanks be to God for bringing this wonderful woman into my life.”

   

   

   

  The Kovatches have homes in The Villages, Florida, where Paula and I spend our winters away from Ohio’s blustery months, and in North Canton.

   

  One winter we saw John and Carolyn dancing in The Villages’ Spanish Springs, one of four squares in The Villages which have free live music and dancing every night of the year.

   

   

   

  John’s career included University of Akron associate vice president/controller, Knight-Ridder vice president finance and administration, Ernest & Young CPA and JEK Accounting Service before his Kent State and Euclid High days.

   

   

   

  He’s from Massillon, where Paul Brown began his fabulous coaching career.

  John can email congratulations to johnekovatch@aol.com

   

   

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Russ Musarra’s sister passes away

Angela Musarra Baker, sister of BJ newsroom retiree Rosario “Russ” Musarra, passed away Monday, January 14.

Angela Musarra Baker

Angela was the widow of Barry Baker, an ordained Trinity Bible College graduate who was a whiz at building Southwest furniture and served in law enforcement, retiring in 1998 as a Boston Heights Police Department sergeant. Barry passed away in 2017.

Russ retired from the BJ after 30 years at 44 E. Exchange Street. Russ was a BJ City Desk reporter and succeeded the late Polly Paffilas as the BJ's About Town columnist. He retired in 2000. Russ came to Ol’ Blue Walls from the Press and the PD.

Russ and Beverly will be married 60 years on April 4. They moved to Streetsboro in 2003 after 15 years in Northfield Center and 22 years in Macedonia.

They have 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Angela’s obituary:

Obituary of Angela Baker

Angela C. Baker (nee Musarra), 72, went to be with the Lord on January 14, 2019.

Angela was born in Cleveland, OH; grew up in Maple Heights, then went on to live across the country, making many friends and touching even more lives. She enjoyed singing, writing poetry, and had a heart for ministry.

Angela is preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Barry; parents, Anthony and Anna; and brother, Anthony. She is survived by her three daughters, Lea (Mike), Candice (Charles), and Joanna (Michael); brother, Rosario (Beverly); and seven grandchildren, Jesse, CJ, Sara, Alyssa, Lauren, Annie, and Zoe.

Calling hours will be from 1 to 3 PM on Saturday, January 19, 2019, with a memorial service immediately following at River of Life Church, 5649 Stow Road, Hudson, OH 44236.

BJ trip with Jane

Down memory lane

Jane Snow, the best food writer in BJ history, emailed me this photo of the BJ Features Department.

There are a LOT of memories in that photo!

Denny Gordon in his Mickey Mouse shirt probably is the best bicycle rider in BJ history. When he wasn’t being a photographer he would ride his bike to Columbus and back on the same day (using country roads, of course, not I-71)! He also ran in the Road Runner Akron Marathon.

I ran into Denny and his wife, Bonnie, when they displayed their work at Hudson’s annual Art on the Green. Bonnie does sculptures.

Denny was in the Photo Department with chief photographer Bill Hunter, Paul Tople, Ott Gangl, Ron Kuner, Marcia Nighswander, Don Roese, Lew Stamp, Bill Wade and Ted Walls.

The late Craig Wilson, chief librarian before becoming the wizard of Action Line during his 40 years at Ol’ Blue Walls, trained so many people who later became excellent BJ reporters.

Craig was eccentric and drove some people a little wild, but efficient. He could find a needle in a haystack for a reader.

Craig’s daughter, CPA Dawn Wilson, worked for Portage Newspaper Supply from 1977 to 1982 and Fort Wayne Newspapers in 1982- 1987.  In Fort Wayne Dawn accidentally met Lou Albert’s daughter, Jen Albert Dillon, and they became friends.

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

Another daughter is Andrea Wilson Korow of Cedaredge, Colorado.

Craig married Ella Leonard Wilson, who passed away in 1992, and Elizabeth Bendall Wilson. Craig and Elizabeth Wilson were named Outstanding Citizens by the Barberton Community Foundation in 2004.

 

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

 

A Cleveland Indians fan, Craig named his dog Omar Vizquel Wilson for the legendary Indians shortstop. The canine was listed as one of his survivors in Craig's 2007 obituary.

Jewell Cardwell was a columnist. Jewell’s uncle and aunt once lived in Cinderella, West Virginia, a Sycamore company coal camp where I met my late wife, Monnie Elizabeth Turkette Olesky.

Jewell’s BJ farewell came with the 2014 buyout binge, when Kim Hone-McMahan succeeded her. Kim retired from the BJ herself in 2016. Jim Carney, Dave Scott, Olga Reswow, Laura Ofobike and Bill Lilley walked out the door the same time as Jewell.

Jewell subbed for the legendary columnist Fran Murphey while Fran was on an 8-week journey in a variety of countries. On her final day as a stand-in for Fran, Jewell showed up in Jewell’s version of Fran’s traditional bib overalls.

Betsy Lammerding was a home furnishings expert who went to North Carolina a lot for the dog and pony shows companies put on there.

Betsy is one of five children of Mary Frances Buysse Lammerding and Edwin F. Lammerding, Sr. Betsy’s brothers were Edwin F. Lammerding, Jr., William, Paul and David.

The late Joan Rice was my best friend in the Features Department, someone to vent to when management did stupid things.

Joan and her husband, former Summit County Sheriff’s Deputy Capt. Larry Momchilov, passed away 12 days apart in 2016. They were married 36 years.

Joan’s identical twin, Marie, was a media person, too, in television. Their other siblings were John Rice, Jr. and Nancy Rice Crouch. All four had property on the family’s 150-acre farm in Rootstown.

Joan worked at the Beacon from 1966 to 2001, when she took a buyout to care for her mother who had heart problems. Her mom, Nancy, passed away in 2004; her father, John, in 1979.

Jane Snow, of course, was such a great food writer that my daughter, LaQuita, cooks from Jane’s recipes to this day.

Glenna Snow was a legendary BJ food writer who retired in 1944. Years later, readers still were confusing Glenna with Jane.

 

“Glenna Snow’s son called me once from his home in Biloxi, Mississippi,” Jane once said. “He wanted to know why the BJ was still using his mother’s name.

“In my younger days, readers often called to tell me they remembered my ‘grandmother.’ By the time I retired, they were remembering my ‘mother.’ “

Jane still has a janesnowtoday.com web site about cooking that former BJ Advertising whiz Mitchell Allen publishes and sells advertising for it. Her book, “Jane Snow Cooks,” has had at least five printings by University of Akron Press.

Jane is married to superb sushi chef Tony Kawaguchi, a native of Japan. He worked at five-star restaurants in Hawaii and New York City before coming to Akron at the request of Hibachi Japan, whose customers (Japanese executives from Bridgestone/Firestone) were looking for high-quality sushi.

Jane was born in Liverpool, Ohio and came to Akron to work for the Beacon Journal. Her research for a sushi story brought her to Tony’s restaurant.

 

Coincidentally, Tony’s dad owned an American restaurant in Japan right outside the gate of the Air Force Base where Jane’s dad was stationed in World War II.

Jane was the food writer for 25 of her 28 years at Ol’ Blue Walls and earned national awards, usually with James Beard’s name on it (that’s the Oscar of food writing). Jane and 362 years of BJ experience left on the same day in 2006, including Debby Stock Kiefer, Diane Paparone Evans, Mike Needs, Sarah Vradenburg, Gloria Irwin, Mary Ethridge, Dave Hertz and Tim Good.

The late Michelle LeComte was in charge of the Features Department at this time. In my 16 years in Features, my department heads were Mike Needs, Doug Oplinger, Stuart Warner, Jim Nolan (the guy who never used a vowel in his memos) and Bob Jodon.

Michelle passed away in 2010 at the age of 58 after being at Ol’ Blue Walls in the 1990s and at Maryland newspapers for decades.

When Michelle took a vacation cruise we had photographer Ott Gangl take a photo of her Features staff in “vacation” mode (beach clothing, etc.). In the when-the-boss-is-away-the-mice-will-play photo were pop culture critic Mark Dawidziak, reporter Andrea Louie, who saw the 9/11 Twin Towers come down from her Brooklyn apartment, Betty Lammerding, Joan Rice, Jewell Cardwell, Bob Dyer, Connie Bloom, Elaine Guregian, Jane Snow, columnist Bob Dyer and me, John Olesky.

Bob Dyer came from the Wooster Daily Record in 1984 to brighten Ol’ Blue Walls. He won’t leave despite massive departures by others.

Dyer has more than 50 regional and national writing awards. In 2008, he was voted Best Columnist in the Nation and in 2013 he was voted Best Humor Columnist in the nation by the National Society of Professional Journalists. He’s been Best Columnist in Ohio for about a decade.

Bob’s mother was no slouch either. Jane Schellentrager was a figure skater who competed at the national level. She was still dazzling on the ice in the Mid-Western senior pairs with Riki Bliss on a day when Hayes Alan Jenkins was winning the 1947 junior men’s title. Jane and Riki won a silver medal.

Bob and I spent nearly two decades eating Blue Room food. I’m 86 so I guess it didn’t kill me.

Bernie Coudriet passes away

The late Bob Coudriet was BJ Circulation department manager during his 45 years at 44 E. Exchange Street and supervised my children when they ran a BJ delivery route just off Hudson Drive in The Falls.

Bernie Coudriet

When my younger daughter, Monnie Ann, who succeeded her siblings LaQuita and John Larry as the paper route was handed down when the older child moved on beyond high school, was stiffed by a customer who wasn’t paying for her paper, Monnie Ann withheld delivery of the papers.

Outraged, the woman called Bob Coudriet to complain. “Madam, he said, the young girl had to pay for your newspaper and, if you don’t pay her she loses money, so why should she give you your newspaper?” I know because Bob told me about it.

The woman paid Monnie Ann up to date, and my daughter handed her the back BJs with a smile.

It was the springboard to Monnie Ann’s career as a CPA. I think Monnie Ann was about 12 years old then but ran a tight, financial ship and faithfully delivered the BJ on time every day . . . as long as customers paid her for the BJ.

Bob Coudriet passed away in 2010.

Bob Coudriet

Bernie Coudriet, Bob’s brother, once in BJ Circulation before he became a farmer and co-owner of Kingdig-Coudriet Nursery in Medina County, passed away Friday, Janary 4.

Now Bernie and Bob can discuss the BJ again inside the Pearly Gates.

Bernie’s obituary:

Bernard L. Coudriet

Bernard L. Coudriet, age 91, passed away January 4, 2019. Bernie was born in 1927 as one of five children to the late Paul and Edith (Wallin) Coudriet.

He graduated from St. Paul’s grade school, St. Vincent High School, and attended Akron University.

After his honorable service in the U.S. Army he began working at the Akron Beacon Journal.

In August of 1952 he married Joanne Kindig and they raised five children. In 1959 the family moved to a farm in Medina County and with his father-in-law and friend C.B. Kindig, they started Kindig-Coudriet Nursery, which is now run by two of his sons.

In 1959 the family joined St. Francis Xavier Church. Bernie and C.B. helped build the new church, donating time and material to landscape the church and school. Bernie became an usher and a member of the Knights of Columbus.

 

Above all Bernie will be remembered as a gentleman.

He will be dearly missed. Bernie is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Joanne; children, Phil (Pam) Coudriet of Crossville, Tenn., Marty (Cindy) Coudriet of Wadsworth, Matt (Leigh Ann) Coudriet of Seville and Paula (Kevin) Coombes of Westfield Center; son-in-law, Tim Morrissey of Medina; 12 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; sisters, Betty Pavlin and Marcella (Tom) Judy; and sister-inlaw, Betty Coudriet and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sue Morrissey; brother, Robert Coudriet; sister, Jewel (Ed) Frese; and brother-in-law, Dick Pavlin.

A Memorial Mass will be held Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 11 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church, 606 E. Washington St., Medina. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s or All Caring Hospice, 5000 Rockside Rd., Suite 100, Independence, OH 44131. Online condolences may be left at waitefuneralhome.com

899,748 !

 

Pageviews on this BJ Alums blog!!! Ol’ Blue Walls expatriots all over America check this web site to see how their former co-workers are doing.

 

We’re all in this together.

 

If you have information you would like to share with other BJ folks, past and present, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com .

 

 

And, please, add jpeg photos in the email of your travels, special family events, wedding anniversaries, deaths of former BJ workers. With full identifications, of course.

 

Thank you.

 

John Olesky

 

BJ 1969-96

 

Assistant State Desk Editor

Makeup Man

Newsroom Electronics Coordinator
Television Editor

To all my friends who
prowled Ol' Blue Walls

We had a ball!!!

 
May 2019 be one of the greatest years in your life, you-all!

John Olesky

BJ 1969-96

 

World traveler, WVU sports fan, Florida winterizer