Sue Reynolds retires after decades at BJ

Sue Reynolds, newsroom administrative assistant for decades, has retired from the Beacon Journal.

BJ Photo Editor Bob DeMay said that Sue "most recently held down the message center, keeping the plane in the air for the newsroom. She had also done some time with Ohio.com in her years here."

Retired BJ staffer Charlene Nevada, who with her husband retired chief artist Art Krummel has

vacationed with Sue and her husband, said "Sue was the glue that held the newsroom together for the better part of three decades.

"She and her husband, Roger – a retired history teacher and coach from Green – have two grown kids. Their daughter, Mandy, teaches science at Green. Son Alex lives in Florida.

"Sue heard about the job from another secretary who was working there at the time. Sue was working at a title bureau. The other secretary told Sue there was a Metro Desk clerk job open, and that all she would have to do was read the paper and answer the phone. That was before phone mail.

"I think it was Tim Smith who quickly saw Sue’s organizational abilities, and kept giving her more and more responsibility."

BJ Managing Editor Doug Oplinger, who was barely tall enough to climb onto a John Deere tractor when Sue first began at the Beacon, is effusive in his praise of Sue:

"I'll give you a little, and I'll give you a lot.

"Susan was many things to the newsroom.

"She was of course the person who had all the answers to every administrative

question, among them: How much vacation do I have? What's the mileage rate?

And where are the batteries?

"She was the public's entry point into the newsroom, and she was able to

provide them with the answers they needed.

"She knew everyone in the building. Gotta question about obituaries or the

parking deck? She knew the name and number to call.

"She could see trouble coming a mile away, and let you know it was headed

your way.

"She also was like your mother: She was pretty much your fan, but if you

screwed up, she didn't mind letting you know.

"One of the most enjoyable things about her was that she was a faithful

reader of the Beacon Journal. She carefully reviewed every page every day,

and offered running commentary that was a reality check for those of us who

sometimes lost sight of our constituency. Her thoughts often came in the

form of "OHHH MYYYY GAAAAWD DID YOU READ THIS" outbursts that would stop the newsroom as we awaited her analysis.

"Perhaps what is amazing is that all of these attributes were a constant. You

could always depend on Susan to do all of the above, all of the time. In a

room full of chaos, her corner of the newsroom felt like a safe place -- as

long as you don't screw up the photo copier.

"As a tribute, there was a little roast in the newsroom, for which resident

humorist Jim Carney put together some great lines, all of which had a little

truth and a lot of exaggeration

"You might hear Susan saying the following:

"Oh my gosh, they're having a skunk festival in North Ridgeville. It says:

"Skunks must be on a leash. Not responsible for accidents." The contact

person is Richard Phew. I don't believe it. Do you believe it?

"This letter to the editor I just typed says we're doing a good job covering

the city, but it's signed "Don Plusquellic." That's gotta be a hoax. Do ya

think?

"Don't we read this stuff before we put it in the paper?

"Anybody know anything about stuffed cabbages on the highway in Barberton?

"Into the phone: Oh my God! How many were shot? Right across the street from

the Beacon? Well that's gotta be news to us.

"Howie Chizek just called Bob Dyer a demented buffoon. Does anybody here

care?

"Did someone order 45 tuna sandwiches from Subway? I swear to God a guy is

bringing them up here right now.

"Where is Pat Englehart when we need him?

"Oh my God. Someone just found a moldy old pizza under Carney's desk. It's no

wonder, the guy can't smell anything.

"Is there anybody working here today?"

In keeping with Sue's reference to the late Pat Englehart, a newsroom legend with his DeNobili cigar and passion for getting the news and getting it right, particularly during his State Desk reign, Doug also sent along a photo of Pat and Sue in the Golden Era of the BJ (well, that's what we oldtimers call it now that we're retired and on the outside looking in).

Enjoy the hell out of your retirement, Sue. You earned it. But who's going to keep the BJ running?