Regina Brett interviewed former BJ reporter Thrity Umrigar in Regina’s podcast, Little Detours.

For 35 minutes Thrity tells how her love of books led her from her native India to America.

She grew in upper-middle class in India, but observed the overwhelming poverty there.

The disparity then is the same as the disparity in America today, only in America it is “race” rather than “class.”

Thrity’s immense love for her businessman father comes through louder than a rock band concert.

Papa loved roaming around in Home Depot and always bought three Kit-Kats, one candy bar for each of the two children and the third he handed to the cashier.

It is a journey through Thrity’s mind and soul.

Both Brett and Thrity worked together at the Lorain Journal and the BJ.

Thrity has written 11 novels, many set in her native India. Till it became considered too sexist I called her The Babe From Bombay, mostly because it was a B-B shot and not in a sexist mindset at all but I decided the world no longer would see it that way so I stopped that tribute to Thrity.

Thrity oozes a tribute to author Toni Morrison for inspiring Thrity's journey into novels.

The only thing that disturbed me is that Thrity no longer drinks Pepsi, the drink that speaks to my spirit and body EVERY day!

I am a proud Pepsiholic!

To listen to Thrity and Reginia, click on the blue

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVnaW5hYnJldHQuY29tL3BvZGNhc3Q_Zm9ybWF0PXJzcw/episode/NWU0ZGIxNGM0MDBiOGEzM2QzMDcwM2FhOjVlNTAzYmYzNThkODJiNmZiNTlmZmY3Yzo1ZWY5ZTM1Y2FhMjU3MDEzOTQ2Y2E4YTM?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwj8jf7426nqAhXSYDUKHXuSCt8QieUEegQICxAE&ep=6&fbclid=IwAR0M5fSddfH-sztwFJ_XcOp7djEoam7s_UVFI2hZ1ZiWwvFzOMbCtZgYDHk

How Newhouse turned

newspapers into outhouses

for its reporters and editors

It’s old news to those reading this BJ Alums blog from the PD perspective but Prospect.org does an excellent job of detailing how the Newhouse family’s Advance Publications nationally created a union-busting template for media conglomerates.

At least 36,000 journalists and support staff have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic in America.

Newhouse's Advance eliminated every union job at Local 1 of the American Newspaper Guild!

The PD went from more than 700 total members to NO Guild members. The work was transferred to the scab Cleveland.com .

The Newhouse family brought in hired guns – some with actual weapons -- to beat down union members at its newspapers all over America, much like coal mine operators in West Virginia hired Pinkerton goons to beat up, shoot and intimate United Mine Workers Union members in the 20^th century.

Newhouse is #1 in putting out the most newspaper people out of work than any publisher in history.

When it comes to morality, John Knight had more on a pimple on his ass than the entire Newhouse family.

JSK was a good businessman, but he was a great owner and editor first.

This article has a lot of details about the horrid history of Newhouse and its mistreatment of its editors and reporters.

Click on the blue https://prospect.org/labor/busting-the-guild-in-cleveland/?fbclid=IwAR3Stv7uFbnzO5hS_Xi6wpai8QUSOkJ5Yc1OGXRj4b7UWqby7scq4lcWP00 to read it.

Be sure you have a vomit bucket handy.

 

Former BJ reporter Dennis McEaneney passed away Sunday, June 21.

Dennis handled Portage County coverage for several years and then took over the Summit County Courthouse beat.

He was a 1963 graduate of Youngstown Cardinal Mooney High School and that summer joined the Army and served in Vietnam a few years after high school.

He wrote a chilling review of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apopalypse Now” movie for the BJ that included this sentence, based on Dennis’ personal experience in Vietnam:

“Once you’ve seen your first 6-year-old boy or 60-year-old woman throw a grenade you don’t give much slack to the next boy or old woman who makes a sudden move.”

And he also wrote: “Vietnam was what Coppola said it was in ‘Apocalapse’:  The horror, the horror.”

War does that to people. And it never leaves them. No matter how long they live. Even after they are discharged they are battling their demons.

He also provided a veteran's view of "Platoon," another war movie.

Former Metro Editor Tim Smith had a great story about Dennis:

·         “Dennis was one of the reporters I sent out the night the sewers blew up in Akron. I forget how many I dispatched, but there were at least half a dozen.

·

·         “I don’t remember the year, but it was before we had radios, let alone cellphones. Communication with the office was by pay phone and there were precious few to be found in residential neighborhoods. But Denny called in regularly with updates on people he had interviewed, who were also hard to find since police had evacuated much of the area, fearing more blasts.

·    

·         “A few days after the dust settled, I was talking to some of the reporters who covered the story. I praised Denny for being so good at calling in and asked him he managed it.

·      

·         “A lot of the houses were empty,” he explained with a straight face, “so I just went in and used the phone.”

·  

·         "Man was a force of nature."

After Vietnam, dodging exploding sewers was a piece of cake.

When reporter Russ Mussara was working on an article about the incredible Country Maid ice cream store on U.S. 303 I told him about a chow dog that we had who started barking after her trip to her eye doctor in Richfield at the bottom of the hill BEFORE she could even see the Country Maid building up the hill because she knew she would get to finish off my ice cream cone.

Her name was Ti-Ti. When Dennis saw the article he came up to me and said, “Did you serve in Vietnam?” because Ti-Ti was a common name used in that country.

Not hardly. I was 4-F. But I came came up with the name as a short version of petite, which our chow was before we fattened her up over the years.
 
Chasm, aka Chuck Montague, gave this on-point assessment of Dennis:

·      “I worked with a lot of reporters in 42 years, almost 40 BJ. Never saw any like Denny whose eyes could bore into a person opposite him like Denny’s. Once saw a scary tough guy just crumple when D gave him The Stare.

AAlso, like the late great Bill Canterbury, never heard Denny raise his voice. He told me: These a—hole big-mouth crooks and politicians just hate it when you won’t shout with them. RIP, Denny.”

1984-2001 BJ reporter and editor and University of Akron faculty instructor Jim Quinn, who lives in North Carolina, has this take on Dennis:

“Before joining the ABJ, Dennis was an editor at the weekly Holmes County Farmer Hub. The BJ hired him to be a part-time education reporter; I replaced Dennis as Hub editor.

“One of his early stories was a look at the punk rock scene in Akron; it ran in Beacon Magazine, and played a role in the decision to hire Dennis as a full-time staffer.”

In 1999 Dennis was approved to serve on a jury judging a prostitution ring because attorneys on both sides trusted him to do the right thing.

When I was questioned at a different time and they found out I was the editor who oversaw the articles written by BJ articles about the case I was dismissed in a heartbeat.

Dennis also covered the 1998 murder trial of Akron Police Captain Douglas Prade, convicted of murdering his wife, Margo Prade.

After his 1967 discharge Dennis enrolled at Youngstown State University and got his degree in 1974 in English.

By the time Dennis showed up at the BJ in 1976 he had been a print shop press operator, worked for the Sierra Club in San Francisco, joined the Merchant Marine and owned a truck stop.

When Dennis married Mollie Baker-McEaneney in 1979 he had a daughter, Mary McEaneney, 6 years old at the time, and she had a daughter, Denise Tillman Bakerf, who was 4 years old at the time.

Later, a son, Cullen McEaneney, was born to Dennis and Mollie. According to Cullen’s Facebook page he is a bartender/server at Johnny J’s Pub in Springfield Township. He is single and lives in Akron.

After his BJ retirement Dennis was hired in 2005 as the leg man for AkronWatch.org, retired steel fabricator Larry L. Parker’s websidte, which described itself as bird-dogging the City of Akron’s spending habits. Parker claimed the city “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 targeted city debt which exceeded $500 million for work on Canal Park, the expressway, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the John S. Knight Center.

Then-Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic called Parker a liar who was wasting his money rehashing old issues.

The Vietnam War finally is over for Dennis McEaneney. RIP, soldier.

As usually happened during my BJ days this was a team effort. I got help from former co-workers, most of all Roger Mezger, and Tim Smith, Jim Quinn, Mizell Stewart, Chuck Montague and Jim Carney. And Dennis' former wife, Mollie. And Google.

Tom Moore calling hours Tuesday

Tom Moore

There will a memorial visitation for BJ newsroom retiree Tom Moore at 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, June 16 at Adams Funeral Home, 791 E Market St., Akron, with final farewell comments from family 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

 

Tom, famed for his goddammits that punctuated his workday at the BJ, passed away Wednesday, June 10.

The family issued a special thanks to BJ Advertising retiree Mike Williams for his long and deep friendship with Tom.

Tom was born Ernest Thomas Francesco and raised by the Spotswood Moore family but never formally adopted till 1999.

Tom’s obituary:

Thomas C Moore passed away on 6/ 10/2020 at 89 years old. He was preceded in death by his son, Thomas A Moore. He is survived by his only grandchild, Amanda Moore; three daughters, Caroline Krack (John), Katherine Moore, Amy Moore and his wife of 69 years, Dorothy.

Dad suffered little in the final days. The congestive heart failure, kidney failure and, 3 days ago, the stroke that took him could not be predicted from his family history.

Tom found out at the age of 21 that he was adopted. He was born in Richmond, VA., legally named Ernest Thomas Francisco and raised in Bluefield W. VA by Spotswood Anderson and Virginia Caroline Moore. In the middle of the Great Depression, the Moore’s raised this neglected child into a strong, hard-working young man who didn’t care that he wasn’t their blood...he loved them even more.

The legal paperwork was never completed. Dad would later make the adoption official in 1999.

In 1948, he enlisted and served 3 years for The United States Airforce during the Korean War. Here is where his journalism and passion for a great story was developed. Forty-one years of newspaper jobs followed: Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Zanesville News, Lorain Journal, Columbus Citizen Journal and finally after 29 years retiring as Deputy Newsdesk Editor with the Akron Beacon Journal. He was very proud of his newspaper career.

“A newsman doesn’t re tire...he just writes away” was his motto. After retirement, he blogged, journaled and continued to openly “critique” the ABJ (Akron Beacon Journal).

Other hobbies he had were those that told a story that he didn’t write. First was photography. Dad owned every new still and/or video camera that came onto the market. Second, he was a movie/music collector. He had a cassette, VHS, DVR, and Blu Ray collection that would put Netflix to shame. Lastly, he was an electronics junkie. From Nintendo and Commodore 64 to PC and Apple. If there was a new electronic gadget out, he had it. He may not have known how to use it, but he had it.

Thanks to Tom Giffen for giving Dad a new purpose; that of reporting human interest stories of players and helping where needed for The Roy Hobbs Softball Hall of Fame Tournaments. He lived for these five weeks every year. He was back in his element of getting a story and making sure people knew it.

Dad also discovered volunteerism, which led him to provide over 2000 volunteer hours to both the National Park Service and The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad(CVSR). In this role, he was a rail rover, a trainman and an elf on the Polar Express.

There was always a story here, as well as a new ear to hear his. He never met a stranger and anyone that met him knew what a great man he was. His writing may be over, but his legacy will live through his granddaughter and his daughters. Therefore, his motto has changed, “A newsman doesn’t die...he just writes away.”

The family would like to recognize Summa Hospice for not only caring for dad but for providing support for the family. Special thanks to Dr. Mark Meyer and the Pioneer M di l G B Medical Group. Because of their diligence, proactive medicine and love, we kept our father around for years.

Finally, thank you to Mike Williams for his friendship to dad and becoming a close family friend.

A memorial visitation will be held Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at Adams Funeral Home, 791 E Market St., Akron, OH 44305 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with final farewell comments from family 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. To help protect the health of our mother, we are asking anyone visiting to wear a mask. In lieu of flowers the family is requesting donations be made to Faithful Servants Care Center, Dr. Meyer’s nonprofit health care organization, 65 Community Road, Ste F, Tallmadge, OH 44278.

Bluefield Boys Tom Moore and John Knight cross paths again for eternity !!!!

Goddammit!

Tom Moore passed away.

Those who worked with Tom Moore understand why that is a tribute to Tom. You could tell what kind of day Tom was having at the BJ by the number of goddammits he shouted out.

Richmond, Virginia native Tom Moore, BJ newsroom retiree who shared a history with John S. Knight that few of us had, went into home-based hospice earlier this week.

Heart and kidney failure got him.

His wife for 69 years has been Dot Moore.

Their daughters are Kathy, Amy and Carol, all former BJ copygirls. Their son, Tom, Jr., predeceased Tom.

Caroline Jean Moore Krack is a retired teacher’s aide living in Minnesota. She married John Krack. Caroline survived a coma years ago.

Katherine Ann Moore, who lives in Cuyahoga Falls, retired from the Environmental Protection Agency after 34 years.

Tom and Minnesotan Dot were married 69 years ago in the naval communications chapel in Washington, D.C. Tom was in the Air Force at Bolling Air Force Base in D.C. and editor of the base newspaper.

Tom was adopted as a child by Spotswood and Virgina Moore in Tazewell, Virginia, which is just across the border from Bluefield, West Virginia. “I didn’t know I was adopted till I was 21,” Tom once told me.

Doris Day once sang to Tom, Sr. and his Air Force buddies. Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff, Doris Day’s birth name, will greet Tom again personally with “Sentimental Journey.” Doris passed away last year.

Tom’s connection to JSK that few of us had? He worked at the Bluefield Daily Telegraph in West Virginia. John Knight was born in Bluefield but left that as a toddler when his family came to Akron where his father ran a newspaper that became the Akron Beacon Journal.

Tom's 41-year newspaper career was on the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Zanesville News (now defunct), Lorain Journal, Columbus Citizen-Columbus Citizen Journal (both defunct) and the BJ. Plus four years part-time in the Ohio State Patrol headquarters in Columbus, editing the patrol's magazine,The Flying Wheel.

He got his GED degree in journalism while in the Air Force.

Retired BJ reporter Charlene Nevada recalled how Tom set up her primitive computer, by today’s standards, so that she could transmit her article from her home to the BJ. It seemed like a miracle way back then.

Tom also worked for years with former BJ sports editor Tom Giffen’s Roy wintertime Hobbs baseball tournament for seniors in Florida, beginning in 2003, and was a conductor on the Cuyahoga Valley National Park scenic railway. Dot would put together treats for Tom to hand out to the passengers. One of Tom’s co-railway volunteers was Steve Feldstein, brother of former BJ business reporter Stu Feldstein.

Giffen in 1990 formed a four-team league of adult men playing out of Akron. The next year the league grew to 11 teams and joined Roy Hobbs Baseball, which was owned by Ron Monks of California. In 1992 Monks sold Roy Hobbs Baseball to Giffen and his wife, Ellen.

For several years, Giffen ran Roy Hobbs Baseball out of his basement and continued to work at the Beacon Journal. In the mid-1990s, as the organization brought in more and more teams, Giffen resigned from the BJ to work full-time at his business.

Roy Hobbs is the fictional hero of Bernard Malamud's novel, “The Natural,” and the movie starring Robert Redford as Hobbs.

Tom and BJ Advertising Department retiree Mike Williams, who helped Johnny Grimm lay out the ads during the Ol’ Blue Walls days for both, had a long and close relationship.

Here’s the post from Mike, who tipped me off about Tom’s situation before he passed away:

“John,

“I know you'd want to know.  Tom went into home-based hospice about 4
days ago and his daughter Kathy messaged me this morning that he's near
death.  His heart and kidneys are failing. Daughter Carol was in from
Minnesota to see him last week, and daughters Kathy and Amy are close by
with his wife Dot.

“He has been a good friend to me above and beyond our mutual interest in
home computing.  He has served as an open window into the past, from his
hardscrabble childhood in the Southern mountains through his long
newspaper career. 

“Two years running, we shared a motel room for five weeks during the Roy Hobbs World Series of Baseball in Fort Myers FL. 
He had so many stories about the people he worked with and reported on
over the years as he knocked about from one paper to another.

“I will miss him.”

So will I, Mike. Particularly if I hear someone say “Goddammit!” I figure it will be Tom speaking through them.

Saint Peter better get used to hearing "Goddammit!" rattling off the Pearly Gates.