To bring an era to an end, the paper turned to Ann Ferguson a long time employee in the composing department who chronicled those that offered up their talents and their work for the city's paper. Having lived through the ups and the downs of the city's paper, she provided the roster of many of the paper's employees from the years past.
A listing of names that while missing a few we imagine, captures some of the past and present personalities who brought this city its news on a daily basis.
For our final bit of review from the final edition, we offer up for the archives, her fitting tribute to the coworkers that came and went from Prince Rupert's Daily News.
Ann Ferguson
Composing
1971-2009
I started working for the Daily News in 1971 just after I graduated and stayed there until just a few years ago.
I did have some time off but it was to have children and then it was back to work. When I was in the hospital having my first child in 1974 Iris Christison the publisher at the time, called up to the hospital and sent me a message to hurry up because I was supposed to be at work that day.
And that is how it went in those days. We worked at the paper like it was our paper and we took pride in its content and composition. The town also felt an ownership to the paper because it was so much a part of the community. Those were the days when the town and the paper thrived. We were all proud to be a part of the Daily News.
But now the last call for Page One has come for the Prince Rupert Daily News, it has been a good run, that is for sure. Owners have come and gone and so have all the good people who worked at the paper with great dedication over the years. There was never a dull moment for me and that was because of the people I worked with.
Some of those people who I will always remember and so will the community are:
PUBLISHERS
David Radler
Ed Van Der Lilly
Iris Christison
Rob Ritchie
Les Yates
Linda LaFleur
Chad Graham
COMPOSING AND PRESS ROOM
Len Hadland
John Geddes
Wanda Deverson
Lorraine Brash
Marlene Burry
Trevor Kayzer
Darren Muir
Joyce Rochon
Bill Musson
Jerry Gauthreau
Irene Gauthreau
Gordon Mah
Rose Thompson
Doug Standring
Charlene Rilcoff
Dave Jones
Shelly Hallock
Cathry Wright
Fred Miner
Blaze Dodlin
Maurice Bullied
Virginia Joanason
Paula McKay
Darryl Omeasoo
Terry Hyde
FRONT OFFICE
Donna Eisele
Loretta Green
Val Campbell
Dayle Alexcee
Bev Pilfold
Jackie Loendorf
Claudia Chittaro
Elaine Hidber
Bernie Miners
Blanche Emes
Jean Nixon
Lenore Heal
Karen Goode
Judy Derry
Diane Rico
Carman de la Nuez
Amy Kelsey
ADVERTISING
Jim Kirk
Chris Keehn
Heidi Frank
Penny Brown
Ed Evans
Barb Burton
Mike Slubowski
Leona Astoria
Bhupinder Parwar
Nicle Silab
Coral Carr
Lisa Denluck
Maynard Angus
Donna Mintenko
Kathy Butterfield
Kathy Norton
Emilia Ruperto
Nancy Green
EDITORIAL
Phylis Bowman
Gladys Blyth
Len Harrington
Tony Athterton
Al Price
Chris Ladd
Maurice Potvin
John Farrell
Ellen Marsh
Jeremy Hainsworth
Jean Rysstad
Avis Hopkins
Shelly Brown
Peter Van Der Lilly
Doug Gilmour
Serge Rattan
Theresa McKeown
Earle Gale
Chris Yates
Jay Kates
Scott Crowson
Rudy Kelly
Alan Metrick
Wendy Webb
Iain Lawrence
Patrick Witwicki
Rod McNish
Kim Pemberton
Natalie DeBoo
James Vassallo
Leanne Ritchie
Kris Schumacher
Heather Colpitts
Pat Krupa
Rodney Venis
Don Smith
George T. Baker
Monica Lamb-Yorski
CIRCULATION
Margaret Bob
Barb Christenson
Libby Harding
Sarah Hardy
Margaret Bunkowski
Kay Deinstadt
Vinette Macarenko
Antoinette Remple
Bernice Prier
Nona Allan
Debbie Hill
Gayann McKay
Betty Hadland
Emmet Stokes
Judi Clark
Pam Morrison
Olivia Morrison
And hundreds of carriers and delivery personnel and probably dozens of others I have missed on the list. We will remember each other and laugh at all the good times and all the not so good times that we had.
Stop the press and turn off the lights.
6 comments:
And thanks to you too, Ann, for all your hard work as Shop Stewart.
One name I see missing from the Advertising Department is Lynn Hill.
Also Doug Collie from the reporting staff in the eighties.
I worked as a reporter in the mid-1970s and wanted to add my colleagues in the newsroom from those days: Al Price, editor; Reed Clarke; Lynn Salter; Vince Morash; John Foster; and Trish Woods.
I worked at the Prince Rupert Daily News for almost two years in 1967-68. At that time, it had an editorial staff of seven, large for a paper of its size. Circulation was just over 4,000. Leslie Drew was editor. She, her husband Frank and their cat Corky lived in an apartment above the paper. Leslie later worked as city editor of the Times-Colonist in Victoria. Len Harrington was sports editor and became news editor when an old guy named Sandy McPherson, who'd worked at the Calgary Herald, left. Len also broadcast basketball games on radio. Dave Hankinson, who was killed in a vehicle accident about a year ago, was the photograper. Dave left to do radio and was replaced by Brian Baldwin. Others on the news staff included Gordon Horne, Phyllis Bowman, Alan Price, and Ellen Wardrop as proof reader. Publisher was Charlie Giordano. Jean Nixon was office manager, and Bruce Eckleston (I think), and Iris Christison were ad managers. Lundie Lyall was circulation manager, while Alvin Thompson ran the composing and press rooms.
When I was there, a weekly tabloid called the Queen Charlotte Islands News-Advertiser was started. It contained only eight pages and didn't last more than a couple of years because of insufficient advertising. A monthly magazine was also printed for Alaska, although the name escapes me. At the time, the Daily News offices were on Third Avenue.
I loved Rupert. It was a weird, wacky and wild town and it rained almost every day.
Even then, Pete Lester was mayor.
He gave me the nickname "Weasel" and I'll leave it at that.
The last comment could only be from my colleage James "Weasel" MCCreedie, who was a laugh a minute and tormented Len Harrington mercilessly. One day Jim was bugging Len about something, and Len threatened to cut Jim's tie off. Jim proclaimed that Len would never do that, at which point Len stood up, grabbed Jim's tie, along with a pair of scissors, cut off the tie, and calmly walked over and pinned it to the bulletin board.
A few days later Pete Lester walked in with a huge box of new ties for Jim, likely collected from friends and the thrift store. Charlie Giordano was publisher, Judy Moore worked in the front office, and we did have a lot of fun times.
Al Price
Also add to the Editorial list: Craig Campbell
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