Newspaper daze in Magnolia

 

A "two-fer" from the local newspaper business

Episodes 2 and 3 of the podcast will feature interviews with a couple of folks related to our local newspaper, the Banner-News. Ronnie Daniels, as far as I was able to determine, is the last surviving member of the "backshop crew" when the newspaper was printed locally.  And Chris Gilliam is approaching 40 years of employment there doing everything from general reporter to sports writer to page makeup.  Ronnie's interview will be published this Monday, Feb. 20 while we will hear from Chris on Monday, Feb. 27. I had the rare privilege of introducing the two earlier this week. While Ronnie was a linotype operator who composed the hot lead lines of type for publication, Chris literally uses a computer to do all that the linotype operators did and so much more!

I did some research down at the Columbia County Library earlier this week. They have back editions of the Banner-News in both microfilm and some of the bound print editions. It was a walk down memory lane for me and I need to visit again. We are fortunate to have an outstanding local library that provides so many services for our community, especially in the area of local history and genealogy. If you haven't been there lately, you should plan a visit. All of the employees are so helpful and friendly on top of that!

But back to my research! I wanted to be a writer as far back as junior high days, but the only paying venue in Magnolia at the time was writing for the local newspaper. I count myself fortunate for having been hired as a part-time reporter while still in high school. I learned so much from Peggy Bailey, news editor, and Rose Anne Fincher, reporter and women's page editor. More on that in a future post!

The Banner-News was printed in-house up until June 11, 1973. I was still a reporter and photographer at the time, but I remember the excitement of the change, at least for the front-office staff. It wasn't as exciting for those in the print shop, several of whom lost their jobs.

Bobby Gurley, who had been shop foreman, moved over to commercial printing and continued to work in printing, alongside James and Dorothy Randolph, a.k.a. "Country Printer" and "Honey Bee". Those were the C.B. radio handles they had adopted and which eventually replaced their real names in everyday use.

I don't remember the names of everyone who worked in the printing department. Curtis McLaughlin was also a linotype operator. Curtis passed away not too long ago but I ran into his wife Janice this week. She told me that working at the Banner-News had allowed Curtis to complete his education at Southern State College, as his hours were pretty flexible. Larry Neill worked in page make-up and he and I became friends, going fishing and enjoying one another's company.  Edward "Tiny" Collins ran the press. Tiny's name was an exaggeration, as he was a giant of a man, capable of picking up the heavy lead forms and carrying them back to the press. Ronnie does a great job of telling what it was like to operate the big machine, which shook the whole building when it was running.  Tiny transferred to El Dorado and continued to be a pressman until he retired. His obituary mentions that he was ordained as a deacon. 

During my limited tenure with the Banner-News, there was a friendly camaraderie in the back shop. I usually parked out back and walked through the shop on my way to the office. The sights and smells back there were unforgettable. A small room in the back was referred to as "hell" and it was there they melted the lead and poured it into ingots to feed the hungry linotype machines. Bobby showed me the lead pot one time and tossed a nickel into it, which floated to the top. Nickle has a higher melting point than lead so it floated rather than sank.

The big old press sat in the back of the building. I was always fascinated how paper from a huge roll could be fed through the big machine, across the lead printing forms, printed front and back , folded and fed out the rear. Someone from circulation would count the papers as they came off, bundling and labeling them into the correct number for each newspaper carrier. It was exciting to watch, especially if the press got to running too fast! When it was shut down, management decided to remove it from the building. This was accomplished by cutting it in smaller pieces with welding torches, as it was too big and heavy to take out in one piece.  In the process of cutting it up, sparks fell down into the maintenance pit underneath it, where years of inky newspaper lint had accumulated. It threatened to burn down the building, so the fire department was called in to keep the situation under control.

I have so many more memories I could share of my brief stint in local newspaper, but I will have to save some for future editions. In the meantime, I encourage you to come back on Monday when we released the "Life in LA" podcast with Ronnie Daniels. He will make you feel like you worked in the back shop, as well as sharing a laugh or two. I enjoyed catching up with Ronnie and making a new friend. That's a big part of the advantage of living in our LA--there's always a new friend out there you just haven't met yet!

--Steve Ford