The men of the composing room!

The Leader-Herald will continue to celebrate our 125th Anniversary, reached on August 30th, for the remainder of the year.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that I am honored to think that when someone is looking back to 2012, I will have a spot in the history of The Leader-Herald.

What I have found myself doing a lot of, while going back in time reading such interesting editions of the paper, is thinking about the great people who had direct or indirect influence on my short 22-year tenure at The Leader-Herald.

On my first day, as advertising director, I walked up to the second floor composing room, simply put – petrified. This room, was filled with men that together probably had over 400 years of service (no joke!) and knowledge, run like the finest well oiled machine by a no nonsense man, John Tierney. Have to say, it was a blue ribbon day for me when I was introduced to the warmness and compassion side of this man.

Without going into a great amount of details – I took so much away from my day to day working with this group of employees and learned the right ways, first hand.

My gratitude to John, Harlon Hall, Joe and Frank LaPorta, Bob Oaksford, Jon Glover, Dick Fonda, Dick Roberts, Ed Hickey and last, but not least Steve Tierney. These guys, men, individuals, composers (not sure what the acceptable title in today’s world) were the living example of a Benjamin Franklin quote - “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

I have a feeling I will take a few trips back over memory lane in the next few weeks. I love and respect this newspaper and all it stands for. And agree with yet another quote contributed to dear old Ben - "A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district - all studied and appreciated as they merit - are the principal support of virtue, morality, and civil liberty."

That's my point for today.