John Wayne co-star quieted

Maureen O’Hara, the fiery redhead who tamed John Wayne in “The Quiet Man,” passed away at the age of 95 in her Boise, Idaho home.

The family statement said she was listening to music from that film surrounded by her family when she died.

She was born in Dublin, Ireland on August 17, 1920.

She also was with Wayne in “McLintock” and in the Christmas classic, “Miracle on 34^th Street.” Her first movie was “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” The Wayne/O’Hara kiss in “The Quiet Man” is a movie classic, too.

O’Hara starred with Henry Fonda in “Spencer’s Mountain,” which became “The Waltons” TV series, and with Walter Pidgeon in “How Green Was My Valley,” another classic.

In real life, she married three times.

A pair of escapees from Ol’ Blue Walls, Beth Thomas Hertz and David Hertz, are observing their 22^nd wedding anniversary today – Friday, Oct. 23. Dave left the BJ, as the business editor, after 15 years to become a vice president in the media relations department of Dix & Eaton, a firm in Cleveland.

He came to the BJ after five years at another Knight newspaper in Boca Raton, Florida. At the BJ he was night metro editor, deputy business editor, region editor, business editor, metro editor, enterprise editor and then business editor again.

There was a crowd from the BJ when Beth Angela Thomas and David Ralph Hertz were married on Saturday, October 23, 1993 in the Akron Civic Theater.

Beth was at the newspaper from February 1991 to November 1995 in several jobs including page layout and design. She became managing editor in the Communications Department at the Cleveland Clinic. After six years, she left to be a full-time freelance writer. She has recovered from her July 2015 surgery.

Writes Beth about #22: “We will be celebrating by helping at the concession stand at the Copley High School football game, because that's our life. And we're OK with it. Right, honey?” They live in Copley, where Alyssa and Josh attend school.

Writes Dave: “I married this cute redhead copy editor from the Akron Beacon Journal. Not much has changed, except we have two kids, two cats, sit through band competitions, attend Boy Scout campouts, swim meets, social media escapades, oh, and someone gets foot rubs on a semi-regular basis. I won't say who. Yeah, not much has changed, and I wouldn't have it any other way.”

As for the 1994 photo in the montage above taken the night the Beacon Journal won the Pulitzer prize in 1994, which Dave had a major hand in, only two in the photo are still at the BJ -- editor Bruce Winges and entertainment writer Kerry Clawson. Another reminder of all the firepower that left the building – somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 years of newspaper experience. The newsroom population plummeted from 250 to about 60.

Sitting around the table at Larry’s Bar, starting with Winges (hand raised) and moving clockwise is Michelle LeCompte (deceased), Joette Riley, Steve Berta, Debby Stock Kiefer, Jim Kavanagh, Fred Gerlich (deceased), Phil Glende, David and Beth Hertz, Kerry, and Athena Forrest.

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You probably didn’t recognize the name of Henry Bishop in his Akron Beacon Journal obituary.

But if you attended stage plays in Summit, Wayne and Medina counties in the past three decades, you probably saw Bishop perform.

In chess move terms, as Tal Shaked did to Alexander Morozevich in the penultimate round of the 1997 World Junior Chess Championship: Bishop to King of the Akron area thespians, particularly the classics, and even more specifically, Shakespeare.

Bishop, 73, acted at Stan Hywet, at the Goodyear Community Theatre, at Coach House, with the Players’ Guild in Canton, the Magical Theatre Company, the Wayne County Performing Arts Council, Stage Partners of Wayne County and in the Ohio Shakespeare Festival.

To quote Shakespeare, "the game is up" for Cincinnati native and Creston resident Henry, as of Thursday, Oct. 15, when he passed away in Wooster.

Tributes on Henry Bishop’s Facebook page bring to mind another Shakespeare quote: "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.”

"A Celebration of Henry," honoring his life, will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015 at Genesis Party Center, 10265 Wooster Pike, Creston. Special presentations will begin at 2:30 p.m.

"Why, then the world's mine oyster" for Henry when he married Karen Wood decades ago and knew "I bear a charmed life.”

Henry was a graduate of The University of Akron and Versailles High School in Indiana and attended Hanover College and Indiana University.

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts." In Henry’s case, that would be actor and singer, radio personality, television weatherman, entrepreneur and game room owner and operator, jeweler, director and teacher.

At Weathervane Playhouse, he won nine Chanticleer Awards; and, at Coach House Theater, two Royal Coach House Awards.

Retired Stow-Munroe Falls High drama and English teacher Tom Stephan, who appeared in shows with PD and former BJ entertainment critic Mark Dawidziak and Mark’s wife, Sara Showman, was among those who paid tribute to Henry.

Stephan wrote:

“Going back to Henry's Watson to my Sherlock Holmes, through any number of Murder Mysteries by Moushey, to our shared scenes in ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,’ to Ohio Shakespeare Festival productions, we simply clicked. We were friends who enjoyed the best in each other, always making each other even better."

Linda Ryan, a fellow actor from England's Halifax, West Yorkshire who lives in Akron with husband Steve Ryan, remembers when Henry starred when there was no spotlight on his performance.

Writes Linda:

“I remember how kind Henry was after I lost my daughter. I showed up to a rehearsal one night and was having a bad time when sudden memories of her crowded in. He somehow recognized what I was going through and hugged me and held me for long enough to pull myself together. That's the kind of guy he was.”

Indeed, Linda, a man for all seasons. 

Marci Paolucci of Cuyahoga Falls, whose thespian work includes the Actors Summit, Sandefur Theatre and Weathervane, wrote:

“I first met Henry Bishop and his beautiful wife, Karen Wood, when they were both in ‘She Loves Me’ at Weathervane. I think it was about 1985 or '86 I was working backstage on props and costume changes. They were both very nice to me--I hadn't done much backstage work before that show.   “Over the years, Henry was always so kind and encouraging to me in all my theatrical endeavors. We were in a few shows together. My favorite was ‘Oedipus’ at The University of Akron's Sandefur Theatre in 1996. Henry was Oedipus and I was Iocosta. It was a thrilling experience for me.   “Henry was very generous as an actor to his fellow performers and that carried over to his interaction with one offstage. I always knew that, if Henry (and/or Karen) were in a show I would always enjoy myself as an audience member. He was marvelous to watch. He had a wicked sense of humor and a twinkle in his eye. I learned a lot from him. I miss him very much. His star is shining brightly in the heavens.”

 

Another fellow actor, James Elliott Fippin, who lives in Wadsworth and spent time on the Coach House Theatre stage, wrote:

“Henry was a gifted actor, and a pleasure to work with, because he made you feel like you had a friend and an ally. We were lucky to have him in our lives and on our stages.”

Henry is survived by his sister, Barb Ritz of Belhaven, North Carolina.

Contributions in his memory may be made to LifeCare Hospice, 1900 Akron Rd., Wooster, OH 44691 or to a drama or music boosters' organization at any local school.

Murray Funeral Home in Creston is handling arrangements.

"Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.” RIP, Henry.

New owner for Village Voice

Pennsylvanian Peter D. Barbey, who inherited a clothing and textile fortune, had bought The Village Voice, founded by author Norman Mailer and others in 1955. It was meant to stand as an outrage rather than a success, to “give a little speed to that sexual and moral revolution which is yet to come upon us,” Mailer said.

It was infused with a passion for argument that animated so much of intellectual life in New York at the time.

The New York Times article concluded:

“If it can recreate the formula of turning lively, brilliant, chaotic minds upon the subjects that fascinate them, and give those writers the time to produce pieces that the dictates of web journalism can’t provide, then it may be well suited to a digital-era renaissance.”

To read the article, click on http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/nyregion/sale-raises-hopes-for-reviving-the-village-voice.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

 

Dawidziak sure keeps busy

I don’t know when Mark Dawidziak, PD and former BJ entertainment critic, finds time to sleep.

He pumps out books by the barrelful.

He performs shows at the drop of the hat.

Sometimes, he even works at the PD, writing his outstanding articles and reviews.

For example, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 in the G.A.R. Hall in Peninsula, he will join wife Sara Showman in another performance of their Civil War mixture of stories and songs, “Shades of Blue.” At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 Mark and Sara will do Edgar Allen Poe poems and stories at the Barberton Public Library.

Mark Twain and Charles Dickens also are in Dawidziak’s busy repertoire.

Dyer to moderate forum on religions

BJ columnist Bob Dyer, far more renown for his Mark Twain-ish humor, will moderate an Akron Area Interfaith Council forum with a panel of young people of different faiths discussing the acceptance of religious differences.

Food for thought instead of yucks and outstanding writing will be on the menu at 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at First Congregational Church, 292 East Market Street in Akron.

It’s free. No reservations are required.

This article appeared in the February 2011 issue of AkronLife magazine, but I just came across it and thought it was worth publishing again.

It’s a love story. The best food writer in Akron Beacon Journal history, Jane Snow, walked into this Merriman Valley sushi restaurant and Japan native Tony Kawaguchi swept her off her feet – literally and figuratively.

Let Jane explain it, courtesy of AkronLife magazine:

 “There’s some ineffable thing that makes us click,” says food writer Jane Snow, about her four-year marriage to Tony Kawaguchi, owner of Sushi Katsu in Merriman Valley.

When she walked into his restaurant for the first time, he came out from behind the counter and hugged her so enthusiastically that he lifted her feet off the ground. “You could have felt electricity in that room,” Jane remembers. “You’re going to be my girlfriend,” Tony announced. Two weeks later, they were engaged.

The next year, they were married in Vegas.

Tony was born in Japan, where he apprenticed for a sushi master before moving to the U.S. in 1982. He worked at five-star restaurants in places like 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 here.

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.

Tony likes Bob Evans and Alexandri’s; Jane prefers the Sweet Pea Café. She likes dogs; he has a cat. Tony loves tractors, ATVs and bow hunting. Jane prefers the arts. They go to different movies together — she slips into the chick flick while he heads into the action film.

”He’s more American than I am,” Jane jokes.

They love skiing; biking; going to fancy restaurants, flea markets and county fairs; and spending time with Tony’s 16-year-old son.

 “We’re two very alpha people, but we each have our own areas that we allow the other to lead,” says Jane. A sign Tony hung in their bedroom reads: “Forever. For Always. And No Matter What.”

Tony ordered their wedding on the internet at Cupid's Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas and they had their first meal -- chorizo sausage and melted cheese sandwich on Cuban bread for Jane and chicken and rice for Tony -- as husband and wife at a hole-in-the wall Cuban restaurant in Vegas.

You can check out Jane’s fabulous recipes at her janesnowtoday.com web site with her weekly See Jane Cook newsletter on the Internet.

The Sapporo, Japan native’s restaurant, Sushi Katsu is at 1446 North Portage Path in the Merriman Valley. Not all that far from their love nest they call home, either.

Tierney in Vietnam; Cambodia next

Cathy enjoy Vietnam street
food vendor's cooking

Former BJ  Reference Library chief Cathy Tierney, who “fully retired” in 2013, doesn’t let much grass grow under her feet.

Her latest habitat is Vietnam with Cambodia next in line.

Writes Cathy of her travels:

“My first was an Amtrak trip to DC, then Japan in Cherry Blossom season, a riverboat trip from St. Petersburg to Moscow, covering 2,000 miles of Russia, and I've already made plans for a long trip to Morocco next year, for sure . . . the trips have been wonderful.”

As someone who has been to 53 countries and 43 states since my 1996 retirement from Ol’ Blue Walls, I second that emotion, Cathy.

Thailand is my favorite country that I visited. Paula and I also took in Cambodia, as Cathy will, and Laos, but not Vietnam.

Dawidziak at Cincy book fair



Mark Dawidziak

Former BJ and current PD entertainment critic Mark Dawidziak of Cuyahoga Falls is heading for Saturday’s Books by the Banks Fair to hawk his latest works.

That would be “Mark Twain’s Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health and Happiness” and “Mark Twain’s Ohio.” Dawidziak has been playing Mark Twain in shows since he was 22 years old. That sounds pretty close to four decades. He no longer has to powder his hair much to match Twain’s gray.

The fair will take place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 in the Duke Energy Convention Center.

More than 100 authors will be there, including long-time Dayton Journal Herald sportswriter Hal McCoy, once my competition when I was in the same role for the Dayton Daily News before by 26 years inside Ol’ Blue Walls.



Dan Skinner

WKSU GM returns to Kansas roots

WKSU radio executive director and general manager Dan Skinner will become general manager of Kansas Public Radio and the Audio-Reader Network, starting Nov. 9.

Skinner grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas. Kansas Public Radio is based in Lawrence, Kansas, home of Kansas University.

The Wichita State University graduate’s other stops were as president and general manager for Texas Public Radio in San Antonio, and in administrative roles at WBAA AM and FM, affiliated with Purdue University, and WBST, affiliated with Ball State University.

Skinner replaces former KPR general manager and Audio-Reader director Janet Campbell, who retired in 2014 after 26 years in the position.

Washington Times makes first profit . . . after 33 years!

Newspapers are having financial problems all over this nation. But the conservative Washington Times, competing against the heralded Washington Post, ended the worse one of all.

After 33 years and far beyond $1 billion in losses, the Times posted its first profitable month EVER in September. The Times credits a leaner multimedia company with diverse revenue streams and a growing national audience.

No one was happier than President and CEO Larry Beasley who popped the champagne in the company ballroom. Under his watch, the Times went from losing more than $2 million a month at the end of 2012 to profitability in less than three years, while more than doubling its Web audience to become the 17th largest newspaper online, according to the Pew Research Center.

Cutbacks, job losses and “newspaper death watches” have been the norm since 2009 as the Internet became a profound game-changer in the news business.

Operations Holdings is the newspaper’s parent company.

     Thursday & Friday

 Retired BJ reporter Jim Carney returns to his earlier love again Thursday, Oct. 15, and Friday: Radio.

Writes Jim:

“On WAKR 1590 News Talk Sports 10 am to 2 pm tomorrow and Friday. Filling in for Jasen Sokol. A full dance card. Corn Maze. Devil Strip. Iraq vet's story from Mount Union to Purple Heart. Giant pumpkin grower! New editor of Canton Rep. Fall leaves in national Park. Singer/songwriter Daniel Rylander. UA football coach. Eyewitness to concerts in NEO for 40 years!! Plus much more fun! Stay tune. Film at 10!!”

In case you wanted to tune in to hear how Jim sounds when he’s not roaming Ol’ Blue Walls any more.

Retired BJ photographer Tom Marvin and his only sister, Marty Marvin Stiner of Canton (Tom's hometown, too), have another reunion down on his farm. Since Canton is only 52 miles from Kimbolton, the nearest town to Tom and Kay’s farm, it isn’t that tough.

Quips Tom about Marty: “She is WONDERFUL!”

Tom and Kay have put in thousands of miles through Canada, Mexico and the United States. Tom has been strumming his guitar for more than six decades. He builds barns on his farm near Salt Fork State Park. And whips up a tasty “low country boil” of shrimp, andouille sausage, red potatoes, corn on the cob, old bay seasoning and shrimp boil seasoning.

 

Tom and wife Kay Ann Shaffer Marvin of Coshocton live on a farm in Guernsey County, just north of Salt Fork State Park, near I-77 and north of Cambridge, and is a former Monroe Township trustee.
 
They met when Tom was transportation supervisor and Kay was a school secretary for the same school district. They celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary Oct. 1. Tom’s first wife was former BJ reporter Pam McCarthy, a legendary teacher at Hoover High School in North Canton who “retired” from teaching for another business.

Tom and Kay have seven children between them.

 

His are Steve Marvin, a bank assistant vice president who lives in Cambridge; Brian Marvin, who lives in Worthington and is a Reynoldsburg police detective; Misty Bellon, a registered nurse living in Eunice, Louisiana, who is married with a son, Nick; and Beth Marvin Stevens, a Los Angeles attorney, from Tom’s marriage to teacher, with a son, Jackson Marvin Stevens.

Kay’s children are Tim Wilson, an electric company forester in Florida; Debi Geese, who lives in Fresno, Ohio and is married with two children; and Brett Wilson, a contractor in Coshocton.

Tom and Kay have 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Their neighbor is Mark Kovack, who once handled computers for the BJ. Writes Tom:  “They bought the land next to our farm 3 have lived here full-time” for a half-decade.

Tom’s email address is tmarvin7471@gmail.com

His mailing address is  

74321 Birch Rd
Kimbolton,Oh 43749

His phone number is (740) 498-7471.

Former BJ and current PD entertainment critic Mark Dawidziak and wife Sara Showman first met as co-stars in 1981 rehearsals for Neil Simon’s “The Good Doctor.”

 

That led to their 1982 marriage, 33 years ago as of Oct. 9, and living happily ever after in Cuyahoga Falls.

 

Writes Mark:

“We're still billed as co-stars, in life and on stage.”

Sharing the limelight is Becky, their daughter.

Mark is a New York City (Long Island) guy living in Cuyahoga Falls after a stint in Tennessee journalism who impersonates Mark Twain better than Samuel Langhorne Clemens, does a wickedly terrifying Edgar Allan Poe show, regurgitates Charles Dickens like the dickens, should wear a rumpled raincoat for his work on his “Columbo” book that Peter Falk loved; and has reincarnated the Civil War in his productions with Sara.

 

He has performed his show at the Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut and the famous Barter Theatre in Virginia (admission was groceries, including ham for the hams). And teaches a class at Kent State.

 

Mark’s writings include 12 books and insightful entertainment columns in the PD. Losing Mark and Terry Pluto may have been the BJ’s greatest losses to the PD.

 

Mark is justifiably in the Cleveland Press Club’s Journalism Hall of Fame.

Mark lengthy authorship includes “Mark Twain’s Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Romance, Health and Happiness,”  “Mark Twain’s Ohio,” “Mark My Words,”  “Mark Twain on Writing,” the 1994 horror novel, “Grave Secrets”; two histories of landmark TV series, “The Columbo Phile: A Casebook” and “The Night Stalker Companion”; and “The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Dracula.”

Mark and Sara formed the Largely Literary Company and have done Twain, Dickens, Poe and the Civil War, together and separately, in libraries and at the Barter Theatre and Twain House & Museum.

Congratulations, Mark and Sara. You’ve had a longer run than “Oklahoma!”