'I am going to die'

 

          Good evening, 919 Gang.

 

CARL LARSEN writes:

We all know the names of the great San Diego columnists who hung their hats at the U-T over the years.

But how many here know the name Forrest Warren, who worked on The Union and the San Diego Journal?

Back in his day he was called San Diego’s best-known newsman for his homespun columns focusing on people he thought we should know, and collecting money for local charities.

In May 1949, he shook the journalistic world here and across the country by writing “I have cancer and I am going to die of it.”

He told readers he already had arranged for his service and if they wanted to pay their respects, they could contribute to cancer research, an appeal that raised $32,000.

A few months later he was gone but not after writing a final column for The Journal marked Hold for Release.

On his death, the paper published this last column on Page 1. Days later, 2.000 people showed up at Balboa Park for his funeral.

He rated a story and photo in The New York Times and this story linked below in Time headlined “Exit Smiling.”

https://time.com/archive/6785754/the-press-exit-smiling/

Elements of this story bring to mind the brain cancer battle waged by U-T reporter Drew Silvern, who died in 1997 at age 37. He, too, wrote about his fight in the newspaper. A scholarship program in his name was set up for migrant students. Like that of Forrest Warren, Drew’s service also was held in Balboa Park.

 

REBER: Reporter Drew Silvern was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1994. He underwent surgery, radiation and nearly a year of chemotherapy. He thought it was gone, but in December 1995 the cancer returned.

Drew wrote a series of articles for the U-T in which he chronicled the way his body failed, one part at a time, until his death.

The U-T published a book that collected his stories. Here is the cover of the book and the back page.

I doubt you can read the small type on the back page. It says “Drew Silvern interviews first-grader Brittany Donley as part of his Life in the First Grade series in 1995.”

 

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BOB WITTY writes:

As a reporter/editor in Dallas at the dawning of my career, I was much interested in the story of the Dallas Morning News forwarded to us by Carl Larsen. I worked for the Times Herald, but my two roommates worked for the News: one of them, Bill Evans, became the managing editor and something of a legend in that job.

It’s inspiring when owners of a newspaper spurn the Aldens of this world because they value their work more than money. Strong family control like that has been vital, but alas, it didn’t save the Washington Post from being sold nor the Dallas paper, which becomes the property of Hearst this fall. It makes you wonder how many publishers of smaller papers sold to Alden miss having their papers.

 

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BRIAN CLARK writes:

       Bounty from my garden. Gotta love that purple hue. 

 

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          REBER: We kick off a new month of birthdays by wishing Happy Birthday to Bobbi Ignelzi and Don Kohlbauer on August 1.

 

Hannah's chase

 

          Good evening, 919 Gang. I had some pretty weird jobs in younger days, but nothing like our older granddaughter’s gig. She’s a babysitter. No, not the babysitter you hire to watch your toddles while you go to a movie. A college student, she sits with mental patients who are hospitalized, and her latest adventures prove these can be minimum security lockups.

          She doesn’t work in a ward – she is one-on-one with her charge. A few days ago the woman she was watching decided to make a break for it. Hannah chased the woman down the hall, down the stairs and into the street.

          The woman actually ran into the street. Hannah couldn’t tell if the woman was dodging cars are daring them to hit her. From there, the woman ran into an alley, with Hannah close behind. There was no thought of tackling the fugitive. Evidently there is a rule that Hannah and her co-workers can’t grab these people unless they are a violent threat to another person. Hannah had to try to verbally convince the woman to go back into the hospital.

          The woman ducked into the back of a restaurant and grabbed some utensils. She threatened Hannah with a plastic knife then ran out the front of the restaurant and back into the street. From there she ducked into a 99-cent store and grabbed a large butcher knife.

          She was threatening Hannah with that when the police arrived. The patient sliced her own arms before the police got her until control.

 

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CARL LARSEN writes:

You don’t forget a name like Dexter La Pierre, who rose over a long career from messenger to senior jobs in the U-T’s Advertising department. He suffered for many years the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. Here’s the obituary from last Sunday.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/obituaries/dexter-carlton-la-pierre-la-jolla-ca/

 

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RICK SHAUGHNESSY writes:

In my message yesterday about the Monarch School poetry project, I should have mentioned that former U-T staffer Martina Schimitschek has been a key part of this effort for several years. She is responsible for the book’s design and print production. She is also very patient with her editor’s many revisions after the files have been completed. She plans to attend the book signing event on the 14th.

The photo shows covers of the first seven volumes of odes. The boxes containing volume eight are in my garage but I am in Croatia and unable to snap an updated photo.

 

REBER: Rick has invited everyone to the event at 10 a.m. Aug. 14 at the downtown library. Rick said “Please let me know if you will be able to make it. I’m at rfshaugh@gmail.com.”

 

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KEN STONE writes:

I second Tom Gable's emotion hailing National Catholic Reporter and its new chief editor — our old Trib colleague James Grimaldi.

          James has been kind to me of late — assigning me to cover the San Diego diocese's comings and goings. I now have five stories in my NCR archive:

https://www.ncronline.org/authors/ken-stone

          Not bad for a nonobservant Jew with male-pattern baldness.

 

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CARL LARSEN writes:

U-T owner Alden Global Capital is prevented at the last minute from snaring the storied Dallas Morning News.

https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/alden-global-capital-fails-in-its-attempt-to-get-its-tentacles-on-the-dallas-morning-news/

 

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          MARK MONDAY writes:

In Port Angeles, Wash., we are ranging from the high 50s at night to the low 70s in daytime, but the humidity is up there. The heating kicks on automatically at night. But no rain! So where are all the warnings I heard about gloomy, cloudy days that make people pine for Arizona and SoCal?

          The lack of rain means the mountain grass is drying and dying -- and that is a good thing even though I enjoy rain. It's really tough to cut mountain grass with a lawnmower when you let it get this high.

 

Homeless poets

 

          Good evening, 919 Gang.

 

RICK SHAUGHNESSY writes:

In retirement, I have doubled down on a volunteer commitment I began in my final working years, and I hope some 919 Gang members will help support me with it.

          For the past eight years, I have been a classroom volunteer at the Monarch School of San Diego, which is dedicated exclusively to serving our region’s homeless children. Each year, my seventh-grade class has written and self-published a book of poems based on the odes of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. We are having a book launch party for More Odes to Common Things, Volume VIII at 10 a.m. on August 14 at the Central Library downtown. The event is open to the public.

          Every attendee will receive a free copy of the book. Many of the book’s contributing poets will be on hand to read their works aloud, answer questions and sign copies. There will be coffee, tea, cake and secure free parking. You should come. It’ll be fun.

          Please let me know if you will be able to make it. I’m at rfshaugh@gmail.com

 

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          TOM GABLE writes:

Jim Grimaldi covers the award-winning efforts of his team at National Catholic Reporter.

https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-voices/ncr-wins-awards-welcomes-new-vatican-reporter

 

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BRIAN CLARK writes:

This is A sunflower from my garden that’s about to open. In other news, cool temperatures in the 70s are forecast for the Midwest. Whew.

 

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          REBER: Joe Holly and Kelly Murphy are fine chaps who certainly deserve a Happy Birthday on July 30.