Get well, Paul

          Good evening, 919 Gang. If you ever did page layout at the U-T you probably knew Paul Burns. He was the U-T advertising makeup editor. He dummied the ads, then handed you the dummies so you could fill with news.

          Paul was a great friend to the newsroom, trying to give us the space where we needed it. When I was in sports I might call and say, “Paul, we have big package going tomorrow with lots of photos. I really need a huge jump hole on page 2.” And I always got it, even though some advertiser might squeal about being pushed farther back in the section.

          Paul is home now after cancer surgery at Kaiser San Diego. A Facebook post tells us the doctors have given him reason to feel the cancer is gone. I hope so.

          If you didn’t do page makeup you might know Paul from the huge company-wide football pool he ran. The U-T eventually banned the pools. Drat.

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ALAN MILLER: writes:

Your Auschwitz item resonates with me because my wife and I visited that horrific death camp several years ago while staying with our son and daughter-in-law who were on Fulbright Scholarships in Poland. During our train travels I imagined those very rails transporting boxcars full of victims for days with no food and water and a bucket in which to relieve themselves. I still have nightmares about what it must have been like for millions of innocent victims.

          REBER: Sometimes in Prague and very often in Warsaw I would be approached by men with their hand out. That let them ask for money and show me the number tattooed on their arm. I really didn’t believe they were Holocaust survivors… but what if they were? How could I say no?

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SHARON REEVES writes:

          I have no inside info on this, but it would not surprise me if Lexus corporate has a subscription to USA Today for all or most of their dealerships in much the same way that some hotel chains have them. Just a thought....

          REBER: That makes a lot of sense. So, instead of dealing with 100 different papers around the country, the corporate folks write one check a year and the matter is taken care of.

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BRIAN CLARK writes:

 Unless I’ve missed it, I don’t think Editor Jack has opined on Sunday’s Super Bowl game. Surely, as a former Kansas Citian, you must have some thoughts.

          REBER: Brian, I expect Kansas City to win, and they could win big. I saw the 49ers one time this year and was not impressed. HOWEVER, I will be rooting for the 49ers. I never root for a team that is in the same division as the Chargers.

          The Chiefs are very slight favorites, according to the Las Vegas folks, and the point total is predicted to be 54 or 55. A man placed a $1 million bet on the 49ers at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this week. From what I have read, the bookies need the Chiefs to win and the point total to break 55.

          Wait until legalized sports betting spreads through the country. Americans’ appetite for gambling continually amazes me.

Jack J. Reber

P.O. Box 2239

Ramona, CA 92065-0938

United States

Remembering Rex

          Good evening, 919 Gang. Here’s one to mark in your calendar:

LYNN SALMON writes:

Hi Jack,

Thanks for keeping us all updated with the 919ers, I’m still reading them because I know so many who are there.

I wanted to let everyone know that Rex’s Celebration of Life will be Sunday, February 9 at 2 p.m.

It will be at Liberty Academy at 698 W. Main Street, El Cajon, 92020. Our church has been using the facilities, it’s very easy to get to off of Hwy 8.

I’m hoping this will be a time of celebrating Rex’s life. We would really like to ask everyone to wear his favorite colors of Red (Go Huskers!) and Blue. Actually, any color of the rainbow will be just fine. We plan on letting those who would like to share any stories of Rex do so.

If those who will be able to come can send me a heads up at Rex’s email of exrayfish@cox.net that will help us plan to make sure we have enough seating.

Thanks to those who have sent pictures, they will be cherished and shared. If anyone finds anymore please don’t hesitate to share.

Love you all.

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          REBER: Gina Lubrano relayed the news of Bill Birch’s death. Bill’s daughter, Lorrie, wrote “Thanks so much, Gina. I appreciate your help. It was very heartwarming to read some of the items about dad.”

   ROB HANLEY writes,

          Very sad to hear about Bill's passing away. When I went to the copydesk, I was made Bill's understudy as Late Makeup editor. Bill was exacting in executing his duties and expected the same of me. I worked hard to learn the job Bill's way and was considerably pleased when I could earn his approval (and that of Lois Misliwy, who was no slouch herself). My happiest days at the Union and Union-Tribune were those working on the copydesk. Bill Birch was a hell of a coach and mentor during that time, and I remember him fondly. RIP.

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JAMES GRIMALDI writes:

   Some follow-ups on previously discussed and unrelated items:

• The deleted U-T story on the ballot measure endorsement has been reposted and the U-T reader's representative has written an explanation. A knowledgeable source tells me that the departures of editors Ricky Young and Mark Platte had "nothing to do with this silly little flub."
• Mark Monday shared some thoughtful discussion from Erik Wemple on the controversial Kobe Bryant tweet. Links to that article and several other interesting ones are included in this insightful CJR piece, "Felicia Sonmez and the tyranny of the social-media policy."
•  Regarding Jack's Lexus shopping trip: USA Today? How low-brow. You'd think a Lexus owner would want to read The Wall Street Journal.
• Our oldest son has an offer to work for a defense contractor at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground in the middle of nowhere Utah. I think that's the postal address -- In The Middle of Nowhere, Utah. The closest town is Tooele, Utah, pop. 22,000, an hour away. If anyone by chance knows of any affordable housing in the area, please email me at jamesvgrimaldi@gmail.com. Thanks.

REBER: It had been a long time since I last saw a USA Today. I was disappointed by how thin it was. Yes, WSJ would have been better.

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ALAN MILLER writes:

Agree with Jim Gogek on the Kobe controversy. I recall his tearful press conference and the predictable result of his beating the rap after paying off the victim. Perhaps he found God thereafter and far became a better person. But his behavior in that Colorado hotel room and sense of entitlement as a superstar is altogether commonplace in our celebrity saturated society. That the reporter received plenty of abuse, including death threats, suggests nothing much is changing.

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MICHELE DAVIS writes:

       Regarding your question as to why a dealership did not have copies of the U-T in sight. Maybe they do not care for the U-T. Just because it is a local paper does not mean we have to engage in blind idolatry. Personally, if I had a choice of the two I would reach for the other paper simply because I read enough local news and would like a change.

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TOM GABLE writes:

Buffet Sells Papers to Lee Enterprises. 30 dailies, 47 weeklies. Berkshire Hathaway finances the sale. Story notes that “Berkshire's sale comes as private-equity firms and hedge funds are buying up local newspapers and slashing costs.”

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/346396/warren-buffett-unloads-his-newspaper-business.html

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REBER: As we close out January, let’s wish a Happy Birthday, Jan. 31, to Nancee Lewis.

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          REBER: A couple of things I want to share with you. We are marking the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The Smithsonian did a story I found interesting. Part of the story is about former Auschwitz prisoners who returned after being freed. It was a Nie Vergessen move on their part. They didn’t want the place bulldozed; they wanted a physical reminder of what happened to be permanent.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-happened-after-liberation-auschwitz-180974051/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

          I enjoy the From The Archives feature Merrie Monteagudo does for the U-T. There is a photo of a U-T front page and then an explanation of the news behind the photo and the giant headline.

          The Kansas City Star teams with the K.C. public library to do something similar. The public is invited to suggest topics, and the library and Star reporters go to work, creating a package – usually with lots of photos – about some person, place or thing that was important in the town’s history.

          I can’t imagine any of you are interested in the subject matter, but I think the format is interesting.

https://kclibrary.org/blog/kc-q-explores-westport%E2%80%99s-transformation-sleepy-neighborhood-social-hub

Jack J. Reber

P.O. Box 2239

Ramona, CA 92065-0938

United States