140 1878 - 2018
Celebrating 140 years as Clark County’s voice.
140 YEARS OF THE SUN
140 years of local news 2 — THE WINCHESTER SUN
BY FRED PETKE
T
Sun Reporter
his month, The Winchester Sun will marks its 140th anniversary as a newspaper in Clark County. The current Sun evolved through a series of names, owners, sizes and publishing schedules through the decades to its current five-day-a-week schedule, in addition to Winchester Living magazine. The publication known today as The Sun started in September 1878 as The Smooth Coon by James J. Adams. At the time, “coon” was a reference to a member of the Whig Party, forerunner of the current Republican Party. According to The Sun’s archives, The Smooth Coon was likely started as a gag, rather than as serious competition to the established Clark County Democrat. Still, The Smooth Coon proclaimed it had 800 subscribers in the second issue, at the princely sum of 25 cents a year. By November 1878, Adams renamed the newspaper as The Semi-Weekly Sun, which was billed as the first semi-weekly newspaper in the region, outside of Lexington.
The Winchester Sun moved from the former public library in July 1918 to the corner of Court and Wall streets across from city hall. In May 1924, the paper moved to its present location at Wall Street and Cleveland Avenue in the building constructed by veteran newspaperman R.R. Perry in 1908. The production department of the newspaper was initially located on the second floor of the building and the employees posed for this picture shortly after the move.
In that first issue of The Semi-Weekly Sun, the editorial read: “In this ‘Age progressive,’ when news becomes ‘stale, flat and unprofitable’ in a few days, a
community such as ours needs a paper that will catch events as they rise and present them to the public in a readable form at least twice a week — oftener
would be better. We purpose doing this as far as our means will permit, and if sufficiently encouraged, we may at no distant day enlarge our sheet, and issue it three times a week… “We earnestly entreat our friends and our enemies, likewise, if we have any, to co-operate in making the Sun all we desire it to be. This they may do by apprizing us of events of interest when they occur, or as soon thereafter as possible. We can make an item out of anything, so don’t hold back because your information may appear trivial in your own eyes. “With these few words we start The Sun on what we hope may prove a career of profit and usefulness to the community in which it is published.” The Sun was off and running, and it continued to grow. Within three months, it doubled in size from four pages per issue to eight. In February 1879, the newspaper grew to 13 by 19 inches on newsprint; followed 11 months later by another growth to 17 by 23. See HISTORY, page 3
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140 YEARS OF THE SUN THE WINCHESTER SUN — 3
HISTORY
Continued from page 2 The 1880s started two decades of multiple changes in owners and political affiliations at The Sun, as other newspapers came and went in Winchester. In 1903, The Sun merged with the Winchester Sentinel to become the Sun-Sentinel. As the Clark County Democrat continued printing, the Winchester News became the town’s first daily newspaper in October 1908. The News publicly vowed to be politically independent. Less than four years later, in March 1912, the Winchester News became The Winchester Sun with publishers Carl Robbins and Lucien Beckner at the helm. “To-day The News vanishes and The Winchester Sun takes its place,” a news item read. “We are prompted to do this for several reasons, which we have not the space to give, but will explain later. It is merely a change of name and the new paper is bound to carry out all contracts made with The News.” At the time, the newspaper offices were in the former Presbyterian church at 109 and 111 S. Main St., and was home to the newspaper and its presses for about a decade. The Sun moved to its current offices behind the Clark County Courthouse in 1918, but the looming Great Depression hindered all publishing in town. The Clark County Democrat eventually became a daily, but went back to a semi-weekly before folding during the Depression. The Sun itself was auctioned July 20, 1936. Brothers and third-generation newspaper people
James S. and George S. Tatman of Connersville, Indiana, were the successful bidders, adding three local partners to the ownership plan. James S. Tatman became publisher of The Sun Aug. 20, 1936, a position he held until his death in 1988. According to the Sun’s centennial edition published in 1978, the number of employees, carriers and circulation doubled during Tatman’s tenure. Tatman brought a number of upgrades and improvements, some forced by better technology and others to cure long-delayed maintenance. Immediately, the paper had to spend $3,000 to repair its three linotype machines if it was going to continue printing. With the repairs made, The Sun averaged six pages daily, with eight pages on Thursdays and four pages on Saturdays. In the late 1930s, the 30-year-old presses were updated and renovated, with the addition of an automatic job printing press in 1940 which allowed larger headlines. The Sun added its job printing department then to handle other print jobs, including checks for the four banks in Winchester. Following World War II, The Sun added an Associated Press teletype, which provided much faster delivery compared to carbon copies delivered by bus, telegram or typing stories as they were read over an AP “hot line.” Another major leap forward happened in 1956 when The Sun purchased a Scan-O-Graver, which allowed local photos to be added. Prior to that, local photographs were rare, as they had to be sent to Lexington to photo-engravers who made a zinc engraving. Those engravings were shipped on See HISTORY, page 4
A CHRONOLOGY OF WINCHESTER NEWSPAPERS — The Winchester Advertiser, founded Aug. 5, 1814 by William Martin and Nathaniel Patten Jr. — The Winchester Republican, founded July 25, 1829, by Woodson H. Gentry — Christian Evangelist, founded 1831 by Lawrence Graterake — Winchester Review, founded 1853 by Richard Clayton — Winchester Chronicle, founded Dec. 5, 1854, by Robert S. Williams and John Williams — The National Union, founded 1858 by George M. Jackson — Clark County Democrat, founded 1867 by James M. Parris — The Winchester Chronicle, founded 1877 by Joseph G. Toles — The Smooth Coon, founded Sept. 2, 1878, by James J. Adams (would eventually become The Winchester Sun) — Dude, founded 1888 by John King — Winchester Citizen, founded 1889 by Rodney Haggard and Leland Hathaway — The New Independent, founded August 1889 by Bruce N. Rutledge — Alliance’s Independent, founded 1889 by Bruce N. Rutledge — Gate City Journal, founded 1892 by Will Allen — Jeffersonian Democrat, founded by 1896 by O.C. Lisle — Civil Liberty Democrat, founded 1900 by Lucien Beckner — Anti-Saloon League, founded 1900 by John Garner and friends — The Gateway Sentinel, founded Feb. 6, 1901, by R.R. Perry — Ford Index, founded 1902 (founder unknown) — Fair Play, founded 1905 by J.N. Conkwright — A.S. of E. Tobacco News, founded 1909 by Lucien Beckner — Clark County Republican, founded 1916 by Lucien Beckner — Winchester Courier, founded 1916 by T. Sanders Orr — Winchester Messenger, founded 1939 by L.H. Hughes — Clark County Times, founded 1941 by Jimmy Noel — The Winchester News, founded 1957 by Garvin Kincaid
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140 YEARS OF THE SUN 4 — THE WINCHESTER SUN
HISTORY
Continued from page 3 cardboard mats which were used to make lead castings of the photos. Hot lead was the dominant method of printing in that era. Type was set by hand in cases. Pressmen had to learn to read upside down and backwards as they set type, letter by letter, so the printing plate would print properly. Preserving those cases once type was set for an entire page was the key to printing the newspaper on time. According to the Sun’s centennial edition, there was one day in the 1940s when a tragedy with a completed page of type delayed the newspaper for several hours. Type was set on one floor, then sent down to the press room in the basement by elevator. One day, the head pressman finished the front page and pushed it toward the elevator for its ride to the basement. The problem was someone sent the elevator down and did not close the doors. The case with the finished front page then went tumbling, showering little lead letters all over the elevator shaft. The page was rebuilt and the paper was printed, though the delay was substantial. By the 1950s, The Sun purchased Comet linotypes, which could transfer AP dispatches from perforated tape to type at the rate of eight lines a minutes, far faster than humans. The Scan-o-Graver reproduced the image on a plastic plate, which was then inserted into a page of type. The change led to more and more local photos showing up in The Sun.
By 1970, offset presses had replaced using hot lead poured over manually-set type to print the newspaper. In the following decade, computers began to take over by producing cold type, photo-ready text, at the rate of 30 lines per minute. Additional presses and growing technology through the 1970s and 1980s saw the Sun add additional presses and build its current press room behind the Sun offices in the late 1980s. W.C. Caywood Jr. carried over as editor once the Tatmans purchased The Sun, and continued as editor until 1963. He was succeeded by veteran reporter Bill Blakeman, who held the position until he retired in 2006. The Tatmans sold The Sun to Schurz Communications in August 2005. In the last four decades, new technology has brought color photographs, computer-to-plate printing and desktop publishing, where everything is done on computers. Typewriters and perforators gave way to laptop computers and photographic darkrooms were replaced by digital cameras. Most things are done over the internet and stored on servers or on the cloud. Forty years ago, more than 40 people wrote stories, sold advertisements, took photographs, ran the business office and designed advertisements for The Sun. Today, about a dozen perform those functions. In addition to The Sun, which publishes Tuesday through Saturday, the staff publishes more than a dozen special sections each year and the bi-monthly Winchester Living magazine.
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140 YEARS OF THE SUN
Portraits of the past
THE WINCHESTER SUN — 5
(LEFT) James S. Tatman, publisher of The Winchester Sun from August 1936 until his death in February 1988, examines wood type atop a type case in the newsroom of the newspaper. (ABOVE) News carriers and employees pose in front of the Sun’s office located at 20 Court St. in July 1918. (RIGHT) An early issue of The Winchester Sentinel, one of The Sun’s predecessors. James S. Tatman, publisher of The Winchester Sun from August 1936 until his death in February 1988, examines wood type atop a type case in the newsroom of the newspaper.
(ABOVE) Members of The Sun’s production crew in the early 1930s pose for a photo. (LEFT) News carriers and employees of The Winchester News, forerunner of The Winchester Sun and Winchester’s first daily newspaper, strike a pose in front of the old Presbyterian Church building on South Main Street, where the newspaper was located for nearly a decade in the early 1900s.
140 YEARS OF THE SUN 6 — THE WINCHESTER SUN
MEET THE PRESS M I KE C ALDWE LL Publisher
F R E D P ETKE News Reporter
FAN N I E S M ITH Mailroom
WH ITN EY LEGG ET T Editor
L AS HANA HAR N EY News Reporter
M ICH E LLE R I SON Mailroom
L ANA JOH N SON Ad Manager
M IC AH SAT TE R LY Sports Reporter
TE R AH HAT TON Circulation Manager
DIAN NA ROE Marketing Consultant
T YLE R R I SON Mailroom
K AR E N COM BS Customer Service
BRANDON BERRYMAN
Mailroom
R ICKY R E E D Lead Pressman
KE ITH COLWE LL Pressman
DON N I E S P E NCE R Mailroom
TOM WI LSON Mailroom Supervisor
MAR K DAROS ET T Pressman
VAUG H N JOH N SON Mailroom Not pictured: Terry Howard
140 YEARS OF THE SUN THE WINCHESTER SUN — 7
A MILLION THANKS Milestone wouldn’t be possible without you
I
t is impossible to celebrate 140 years of The Winchester Sun without starting with two simple words: thank you. This is a tremendous milestone for our community paper and one that would not be possible without the contributions of so many people. Virtually anyone reading this has played an important part in this achievement in one way or another. Did you once work at The Sun? We have had hundreds of employees over the years who have performed a myriad of jobs. Each and every one contributed to this newspaper and we are forever grateful. Were you a carrier as a child who helped ensure the newspaper got out every day? The newspaper helped countless youth fill their piggy banks
and become part of the fabric of small-town life for so many years. Have you or your business advertised over the years? Helping businesses reach customers remains the foundation of what we do and our strong support from the community is what allows us to thrive still. Aare you a loyal reader of the Sun Mike Caldwell or a long-time subscriber? Simply put, we couldn’t do it without you. If you can answer yes to any of these questions, you should give yourself a round of applause because the
contributions you have made to this newspaper’s longevity are significant. I cannot express my appreciation and gratitude to all those who blazed the trail before me and our team, of whom I am very proud. So many things have changed since The Sun and its predecessor publications first printed in 1878. It is mind-boggling to even think about how the world is different, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the need for informed citizens and a source for relevant news that impacts their lives. The foundation of any newspaper’s mission has always been to gather and disseminate information in a professional and fair way. The Winchester Sun is doing that better than ever, reaching a larger audience than at any other time in the
past 14 decades. The way we reach those readers simply doesn’t look the same as it once did. Change is certainly a constant and The Sun has done its fair share in recent years, all of which helps us achieve our core mission of being the best source of local news for Winchester and Clark County, while at the same time developing a sustainable business model that allows us to keep looking forward rather than back. It has been an amazing journey. Here’s to the next 140 years. Michael Caldwell is publisher of The Winchester Sun and Winchester Living magazine. He can be reached at (859) 759-0095 or by email at mike.caldwell@winchestersun.com.
140 YEARS OF THE SUN 8 — THE WINCHESTER SUN
After 38 years, The Sun is more than a job BY LASHANA HARNEY
F
Sun Reporter
or some, a job is just that — a job. For Karen Combs, starting a new job on May 16, 1981, changed the trajectory of her life forever. Combs, a Winchester native, had worked a few odd jobs and was looking for something new. While sifting through an issue of The Winchester Sun, she saw The Sun was hiring. She applied, got the job and began working in the composing department. It was there she met her future husband, Luther. He trained her for the job and also worked in the composing department. Now, the couple of 36 years have two children, Megan and Dustin; a son-in-law, Anthony, and a 1-year-old grandson, Isaac. Today, Combs has many responsibilities at The Sun. She paginates for several newspapers that use The Sun’s printing press, answers customer calls, designs the comics page and classifieds page, enters paperwork for inserts, completes the balance sheet and so on. “You never know what you’re going to be doing,” she said. Out of the 20 employees working at The Sun, Combs has been employed the longest with 37 years under her belt. “I was the baby when I first started all those years ago,” Combs said. But the tables have turned. Karen Combs began working at The Sun in 1981. Today, she is The Sun’s longest-tenured employee and Combs spent most of her time at The Sun in the
handles various duties including pagination, composing, classifieds, customer service and more. (Photo by
See KAREN, page 9 Lashana Harney)
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140 YEARS OF THE SUN THE WINCHESTER SUN — 9
KAREN
Continued from page 8 composing department, manually putting the paper together before computers revolutionized the process. “That’s what I did most of the time I was here,” Combs said. “Which this was back in the day; you didn’t set it up on a computer.” When she first started in the 1980s, there were nearly 50 people employed at The Sun — including reporters, pressroom staff and all. “One time, years ago, the pressroom had three shifts,” Combs said. “It was just non stop at one point.” Combs said she has seen The Sun undergo significant change — a smaller staff, technology upgrades, new leadership — but the pursuit of truth and the focus on community has not faltered. “You’re always learning,” Combs said. “It’s the newspaper business. It’s always changing. You have to adapt to what’s happening and just kind of go with it.” With the downsizing, Combs said she was worried at times, but she knew The Sun would never go away. It might change, but it will still be here. “Everybody’s always saying newspapers are going to go out,” she said. “I don’t think that’ll ever happen.” She’s changed desks many times, but about three or four years ago, she moved up front. She is the first face many see as they walk through the front door. Combs said when she first started she stayed at The Sun because she enjoyed working alongside her husband. “We worked side by side together for probably over 25 years,” Combs said. “We enjoyed working together.” After he retired, Combs said she has been at The Sun so long it had become her home. She is dedicated. “When you first start working somewhere, you’re just glad to have a job,” Combs said. “But I have always enjoyed the people I’ve worked with, and I’ve always enjoyed what I do.” Combs said it’s hard to imagine working anywhere else. “It’s amazing how just coming in for a little job interview — it just changed my life.”
The people behind the publication
F
or many, the newspaper is all about the finished product. It’s the stack of paper you grab at the grocery store or that is delivered to your home. Maybe it’s the links to local news stories you find while thumbing through Facebook or the online PDF pages you flip through at your desk. There are a lot of ways to read the news these days — hard copy, online, e-edition, social media. But howWhitney Leggett ever you read it, there is a team of dozens of people and about as many steps in the process to publishing a newspaper five days a week. I did a quick count and a recent issue of The Sun contained more than 8,000 words — news stories, obituaries, sports stories, photo captions, editorials, columns from local and regional contributors. There were a dozen photos and as many local advertisements, two pages of classifieds, a full page of comics and more. Each of these components make up an issue of The Sun, and behind each of them are people — many of whom are your neighbors and many others who you may have never met. They are customer service representatives, editors, publishers, reporters, advertising sales people, pressmen and mailroom employees. Additionally, we rely on many others outside our company — like contributing columnists, support
staff at sister newspapers and the postal service — to ensure The Winchester Sun is published each day. While we are a newspaper on the surface, we are most importantly people — real life people working to provide for ourselves and our families. While we are watchdogs and journalists, we are also mothers and fathers aiming to set good examples for our children, but longing to be able to spend adequate time with them. While we are the voice of the community, we are also friends and siblings who missed out on that wedding or the baby shower to be able to cover local news for our community. While we are those holding local government to a higher standard of transparency, we are also your neighbors, the people you meet in the aisle at the grocery store, fellow taxpayers and local volunteers. While we are working third shift to print thousands of copies of the news, we also meet you in the pick-up line at our children’s school, we might coach your child’s sports team, lead a local small group or sit beside you at church. We often say a newspaper can only be as good as its community, but I also believe a newspaper is only as good as those who produce it. I may be biased, but I believe our staff is composed of some of the most dedicated, tough-skinned, hard working, persistent, intelligent, passionate and community-minded people I have ever met. I watch day in and day out as my co-workers devote so much of themselves to this newspaper, and I can’t
help but think of the many thousands of others who have worked here who did the same. Some are still living and many have passed on, but their legacy remains. And each of us here now have taken up the task of being Clark County’s voice. We make mistakes, but we try to own them. We won’t please everyone with what we do. That’s the nature of the business, I’ve learned. But I know we genuinely do this job out of love and commitment to our community. Every issue is published with care and concern. The community sees the end product. But as editor, I get to see the heart that goes into each of those 8,000 words, dozens of advertisements, photos, the ink on the pages, the labels for the mail, the social media posts and more. Many of our staff have dedicated decades of their lives to our newspaper. You’ll read about a few of them here. As we celebrate 140 years of publication, I want to also celebrate the untold number of people who worked tirelessly but passionately to make this possible. They are worth celebrating, recognizing and acknowledging. Thank you, also, to the many thousands of people who read our work, value what we do and continue to make it possible for us to publish The Winchester Sun. I look forward to celebrating many more anniversaries with this incredible staff and community. Whitney Leggett is editor of The Winchester Sun and Winchester Living magazine. She can be reached at whitney.leggett@winchestersun.com or 859-759-0049.
140 YEARS OF THE SUN 10 — THE WINCHESTER SUN
The man behind the camera James Mann recalls nearly four decades of preserving local history BY LASHANA HARNEY
I
Sun Reporter
n 1976, a friend told James Mann The Winchester Sun was looking for a photographer. Mann didn’t apply at first, but eventually, he did. In October of 1976, Mann was hired as the chief photographer for The Sun. He continued working at The Sun for 37 years and five months. Mann graduated from Washington County High School in Springfield in 1972. From there, he went to Eastern Kentucky University to study graphic arts and photography. He had previously worked at a printing company in Lexington as his graduation project in college. There was just something about photojournalism that attracted
Mann’s attention. Mann was part of the yearbook and newspaper staff at his high school. He had been taking pictures for as long as he could remember. “It’s always been a passion of mine,” he said. In his retirement, Mann said he hasn’t stopped taking photos — he has four photogenic grandchildren. He also spends a lot of time traveling and dancing with his wife. Mann said he remembers his parents would receive The Louisville Courier-Journal in the mail. He loved the content, and the images on the pages drew his interest. He later learned his great-grandfather had been a professional photographer in the early 1900s. Perhaps, photography was in his DNA, Mann said. While at The Sun, he worked
early mornings and late nights. He was in earshot of a police scanner nearly 24/7, listening for breaking news. Sometimes, a fire or a wreck would draw Mann out of bed in the middle of the night. “I wanted to capture what was going on in the community,” he said. Mann also covered local sports. He fondly remembers covering the 1991 state football championship. He photographed several events, preserving history for the community. He has covered the good, the bad and the ugly. “No one is going to cover it like your hometown newspaper,” Mann said. The key to a good photograph was See MANN, page 11
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140 YEARS OF THE SUN THE WINCHESTER SUN — 11
MANN
Continued from page 10 to be there. After showing up, Mann said he would then think about the angles that tell the story, the composition, lighting, exposure, a subject’s expressions, etc. “It’s about community,” Mann said. “You have to be there for it, let people know what’s going on.” Mann said his job went through several changes. In the late ‘70s, he was shooting strictly black and white film. He would go out, shoot the photos, come back and make prints in the darkroom. From there, the images were screened in the pressroom and prepped for print. Eventually, The Sun switched to color. So, he began shooting in color negative; he would come back to the office to scan the images. “It was a really slow process,” Mann said. “It took 10 to 12 minutes to scan one image.” In the 1990s, the company purchased the first digital camera. “That sure changed the world of photojournalism,” he said. He remembers using a Nikon D1. He could take a photo, come back to the office and have it ready for print in a matter of minutes. From there, the quality of digital photography continued to grow. “It became better and better,” Mann said. “My last camera, the Nikon D3 — the quality was outstanding.” Mann said he remembers helping to put together the 100-year anniversary edition. Then, he was new to photojournalism and didn’t know the community then as he does now. Today, Mann said he is happy to see The Sun celebrate 140 years. “That’s quite an accomplishment,” he said.
Longtime photographer shares favorite photos
F
or nearly four decades James Mann captured some of the community’s biggest victories and saddest tragedies. Here he shares some of his favorite photos.
(ABOVE) Winchester Fire-EMS firefighters battle two homes on fire on College Street. (RIGHT) The historic Old Stone Church off Boonesboro Road. (ABOVE) GRCHS Cardinal Tristan Jones puts up a shot over the outstretched arm of a Christian County basketball player during the opening round of the 2006 Boys Sweet Sixteen basketball tournament in Lexington. (BELOW) Members of the Winchester- Clark County Rescue struggled against a strong current on Stoner Ephesus Road to rescue two ladies early one Sunday afternoon. The ladies had left church and were heading home when they were caught in a flash flood. The water surrounding their vehicle was approximately 4.5 feet deep.
Winchester Fire-EMS firefighters battle a huge fire that destroyed Shearer Elementary School. The fire had been burning for a while before it was discovered because of a dense fog that covered the city.
140 YEARS OF THE SUN
Hot off the presses 12 — THE WINCHESTER SUN
Pressman has helped news hit the streets for 25 years BY FRED PETKE
R
Sun Reporter
icky Reed wasn’t looking for a career when he started working in The Winchester Sun’s press room in 1990. “I was working temp work at Procter and Gamble … reclaiming peanut butter,” Reed said. “A friend of mine who was working in circulation said (The Sun) was hiring. I just knew it was a job closer to home.” Reed, a 1985 graduate of George Rogers Clark High School and a Clark County native, started working third shift in circulation, taking the printed papers off the conveyor. In 1993, Reed started working in the
press room itself and he hasn’t left. He started as a general worker, changing rolls of newsprint, installing plates on the presses and filling ink reservoirs, he said. He worked his way through the ranks to shift supervisor and eventually head pressman in 2008. When he started, The Sun ran three shifts in the pressroom, including four jobs on Reed’s shift. Most of the printing then was circulars and tabloids for organizations like Kentucky nurses and Kentucky teachers, he said. Today, there is one shift in the pressroom. The print jobs have shifted to more newspapers, including The State Journal in Frankfort, The AdvocateRicky Reed has worked for The Sun for 25 years and is currently the lead press-
See PRESS, page 13 man. (Photos by Fred Petke)
Thank you Winchester Sun for serving Clark County for the past 140 years. Cheers to many more!
140 YEARS OF THE SUN THE WINCHESTER SUN — 13
PRESS
Continued from page 12 Messenger in Danville, The Jessamine Journal in Nicholasville and several others. A nightly shift starts with setting up the presses according to the print order and feeding the newsprint through the presses, Reed said. The ink gets stirred and topped off. As soon as the plates for each page are ready, they are hung on the presses and the run begins. “We’ll run about 200 copies, shut it down and make our adjustments,” Reed said. “We start counting (copies) when the quality is good enough. My motto has been quality over quantity.” Printing the newspaper actually goes quickly. Reed said the presses can print 2,300 copies of The Sun, for example, in about 10 minutes. Changing the plates between jobs can take 45 minutes to an hour, though. If a newspaper has two sections, that counts as two separate print jobs, he said. “Tonight we have seven jobs,” he said one Tuesday evening.
Pressman Ricky Reed checks the quality of a recent print job in the pressroom of The Sun. The running presses can be seen at night from large windows facing Cleveland Avenue.
“On others we’ll have nine jobs.” Over the course of nearly three decades, technology has led to major upgrades and im-
provements to the publishing process, he said, as well as The Sun’s capabilities. “When I started, we only had one color unit and could
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only print two full color pages on the front and back,” Reed said. “I think around 1996 we added a quad stack and could do four pages of color. I think
around 2000 we added another quad stack so we can do 8 color pages.” The advent of desktop publishing with programs like InDesign and Photoshop sped things up on the production side, while adding computer-to-plate printing helped the pressroom. “When I started, we had to shoot paste-up pages and burn those onto a plate” which took about an hour to prepare, he said. “With CTP, once they start rolling out, we have a plate every two minutes.” The plates used to require a chemical developer as well, though that has been eliminated through the years. “I love that,” he said. Reed lives in Lee County with his wife JoAnn and 16-year-old daughter Emily. He coaches middle school softball and is the assistant high school softball coach in his off time. During his 28 years, the job has grown on Reed. “Once I started running the press, I liked what I was doing,” he said. “Even though we’re printing every day. It is not the same picture, adding color and seeing it come to life. “I just like what I do.”
140 YEARS OF THE SUN 14 — THE WINCHESTER SUN
‘An exciting business’
Betty Berryman reflects on career in journalism BY WHITNEY LEGGETT
I
Sun Editor
n 1954, Betty Berryman had just returned to her hometown of Winchester with her husband Bob, who had served in the military. She landed a job as assistant to the publisher at The Winchester Sun. It was a job that would lay the foundation for a long career in journalism in which Betty paved the way for many others, especially women, in the industry. “I was the assistant for James Tatman when he was the publisher here,” Betty said. “I did a lot of accounting and office work — that kind of thing. I quickly learned that Mr. Tatman was training me
to take over as publisher some day.” And she eventually climbed the ranks to general manager in 1974 and then publisher and executive vice president in 1988. “(James Tatman) kept the title of publisher until he passed away, and then I became publisher,” Betty said. Betty served on numerous national, state and local boards and organizations, often being the first and only woman. She became the first female president of the Kentucky Press Association in 1986 and was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 1996. She was treasurer for KPA
for three years and was named most valuable member three times. “Nobody ever seemed to mind, especially at The Sun, that I was a woman,” she said. “Now that’s not true in a lot of companies at the time. There weren’t many women at all.” Betty recalls attending a convention in San Diego to accept a national newspaper award. “That was the first time I realized it was a man’s world out there,” she said. “And it totally was a man’s world for many years.” Betty reflects on her career fondly, sharing stories of her time at The Sun, though. “While working for Mr. Tat-
man, I just learned the whole newspaper,” she said. “That’s what he wanted me to do. I must say, the man put a lot of trust in me. He really did.” Betty said Tatman, who was publisher from 1936 to 1988, was the epitome of a gentleman. “He was always a pleasure to work for,” she said. “He was from Indiana, but he was a southern gentleman to begin with. He really was one of those kinds of people.” She also said she enjoyed working alongside longtime and beloved editor Bill An archive photo of longtime Sun pubBlakeman, among many other lisher Betty Berryman, who served as publisher from 1988 to 2006. She began dedicated staffers.
working at The Sun in 1954 as assistant to
See BERRYMAN, page 15 publisher James Tatman. (File photo)
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140 YEARS OF THE SUN THE WINCHESTER SUN — 15
BERRYMAN
Continued from page 14 “I will say this company has had a wonderful staff over the years,” she said. “We had very little turnover except in the editorial department, and that was because as a small daily, we hired a lot of reporters directly after they graduated from college. Bill Blakeman was editor. He was a perfectionist to begin with, but he was noted as the best training editor in the state. We had so many young people who would come back or call to thank him for his training. When he was doing it, they thought he was being pretty strict, but it was just important. “That was the department where we had big turnover, but the rest of them, people were here for decades — people like Karen and Luther Combs, Fred Baber, James Mann and many others. They came and they stayed and when you get that kind of workforce, things go so much easier.” That dedicated staff proved crucial to the newspaper’s success during a time of great transition. “In the 1970s, just like all other small towns, we lost our Main Street,” she said. “All the businesses were moving out at
“Newspapering is exciting business. No two days are a like ever. It’s something new every day. It can be frustrating. There’s no doubt about it. But I enjoyed what I did. I enjoyed the people I worked with.” —Betty Berryman, former publisher that time. We had already bought our offset press, but the ads had just dwindled. “When we bought the press I had suggested printing other papers. James Tatman had said no at the time, but when I knew we were losing all our advertising, I looked at the bottom line and knew we had to do something.” Betty found two newspapers to print and, without telling Tatman, set them up as commercial jobs on The Sun’s press. “When he got the (profit and loss statement), he asked me what this line for ‘commercial printing’ was,” she said. “I told him, ‘Well, you look to me for the bottom line. And the bottom line is just about gone because we’ve lost our advertising. This is what I did. Now, look at the bottom line.’ He just shook his head and grinned
and handed me back my P and L.” The commercial printing operation was born and still thrives today. “It was the thing that helped pull us through when we were losing our advertising,” she said. Along with the changes in advertising revenue, the staff also had to adapt to changes in printing. “Our biggest change was going from hot type to offset,” she said. “That was a big deal. We knew it was coming, so we bought the computers. But it was a challenge. “The employees adapted well. One even bought a typewriter to practice at home so he could be proficient when we got our computers. Many people would have given up with those challenges of learning new things, but they adapted.”
Berryman said there were around 45 people working for The Sun when it was sold to Schurz Communications in 2005. She stayed on for a year to train the incoming publisher. After retiring, she went on to establish Partners In Education, a mentorship program partnering local businesses with schools that is still thriving today. “I was 70-something and decided I wasn’t ready to retire,” she said. “The chamber, Community Education and the schools all wanted to start a program to help with mentoring and involve businesses and industry in the schools. They hired me and I did PIE for eight years before I retired. It was totally different, but it was interesting and rewarding. It was a great need.” “When I retired this time, I was ready to retire,” she said. But she still reflects on her years in the newspaper industry fondly. “First of all, newspapering is exciting business,” she said. “No two days are alike ever. It’s something new every day. It can be frustrating. There’s no doubt about it. There’s always something that has displeased someone that you put in the paper. But I enjoyed what I did. I enjoyed the people I worked with.”
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140 YEARS OF THE SUN 16 — THE WINCHESTER SUN
PAGES OF THE PAST
A glimpse at The Sun’s early days
140 YEARS OF THE SUN THE WINCHESTER SUN — 17
Sharing some ‘Babblin’s’
F
or three decades, Betty Ratliff Smith, was responsible for sharing in the community’s best and worst times. As lifestyles editor, Smith wrote about births, marriages, achievements and deaths. She also covered crime, government, sports and wrote features. She was known often as “the face of the newspaper,” as she was stationed at the front of the newsroom, greeting visitors, taking their news bits and building relationships. Former editor Randy Patrick recalled how people would gather at her desk for “a hug and advice,” with Betty often serving as a motherly figure for others in the newsroom. Smith was well known for those deep connections. When she retired from The Sun in 2008, then publisher Dave Eldridge remarked about the unparalleled community connections she had built over the years. “I have never, ever seen the connections between a community and its newspaper through one person like I have here,” Eldridge was quoted in Smith’s retirement story. Smith began working at The Sun in 1957
as the paper’s society editor. She left in 1962, but returned 20 years later in 1982, the same year she started her beloved column, “Betty’s Babblin’s.” As one of Winchester’s most beloved longtime columnists she shared personal
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stories of inspiration, triumph, humor and every day life for decades. Some of her favorite columns were bound into books bearing the same title. The “About the Author” portion of the book, reflects on Smith’s purpose for her columns: “There are many ways to get a sense of a particular time, a particular place or a particular event … A generation, indeed a whole people, often can be best remembered (and probably understood) by a string of small events viewed over time by the eye of a sensitive observer. This has been what Betty Ratliff Smith has done for many years with insight, wit and wisdom. In her newspaper column … she has regularly reached out to us with her memories of friends, her family, cooking and jelly making, small town celebrations, shopping and yes, the impact of big events, like World War II.” Smith is currently a resident at Fountain Circle Care and Rehabilitation in Winchester, where she talks fondly of her years working for the newspaper. To honor her many years of service, we chose to republish some exerts of her columns.
From Nov. 7, 1992 “Have you thought about friends lately? I mean just sit down and really count your friends and the blessing you receive from them. I knew that I had friends, but until we have had so much illness, especially this year, I had no idea just how much friends really care. One very special lady has kept my desk bright and colorful with wildflowers this summer and fall. Another lady brought me a jar of green tomato ketchup… Another friend called and asked what time we had Sunday breakfast. He called Sunday morning and said he was coming over. He did, with a platter of sausage, homemade biscuits, home fries and fried apples. All piping hot, all prepared with concern and love. You just don’t forget people like that. …In today’s world, one tends to think that goodness has gone, but that is wrong. Good is here, care and concern are here and love continues to prevail. … I am grateful for the many kindnesses that are shown to me daily and as I count See BABBLIN’, page 14
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140 YEARS OF THE SUN 18 — THE WINCHESTER SUN
BABBLIN’
Continued from page 13 my daily blessings, I realize just how rich I really am — through my many friends.” From Oct. 10, 1992 “A few weeks ago, I watched from a second floor window as workmen board up a very important part of my life. For many years, my father had maintained a small office adjacent to the furniture store on West Broadway that is now the Ark of Mercy Church of God. He retained that small, narrow room when the furniture store was sold in the mid-1940s until his illness forces its closing in 1979. …During the years that he had the little office, referred to by his family as the ‘cubby hole,’ he saw many changes in Winchester and often relayed his thoughts to us. He was a man before his time, having the vision to see more than a modern town. …From his little office, he saw the muddy lots on the north side of Broadway in the first block off Main Street developed into modern buildings and he saw apartment houses torn down and businesses built in their place. He saw parking moved from the middle of Broadway to parallel parking at the curb and then to today’s diagonal parking and he watched the color-coding of
buildings in the downtown area. Yes, from that little office on West Broadway, he had many visions and dreams. He also had a lot of fun, standing in the doorway looking for one of his cronies to come down the street. … Here in this small hideaway in downtown, he listened to the problems of many people, loaned money to some on a handshake, others on a non-interest bearing note. He heard the news of downtown Winchester that was his life for more than 60 years. Yes, the boards are up, the nails have been driven and soon it will be painted. In only a short time the little office door will be totally gone, as if it were never there. But somehow, I believe the voice of Bruce, Ed, Arlie, John, Herman, Will, Ike, Raymond and many others will forever ring in the little cubby hole on West Broadway.” From Sept. 19, 1992 “Went through my costume jewelry box last week in preparation for a yard sale (if I don’t change my mind). My granddaughter and I spend lots of time with my jewelry at times and I am hesitant to get rid of any of it. But I have to make room. I had two shoe boxes full under my bed and I incorporated it into one box and planned to close it quickly. …Each piece of jewelry that I have is special in its own way.
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KEEP JUDY HICKS Clark County Board of Education District 4
Betty Ratliff Smith pauses from writing to take a telephone call in a photo published in The Sun’s 125th-anniversary special section. During the course of the day, Smith would take funerals, meeting notices and other announcements from the public. (Photo by James Mann)
…As I continued through the box, I realized that just about everything in it meant something special, so I just left it. I’ll take it out once in awhile and one day my granddaughter will have a good time trying to sort it out. Hope some of it will bring good memories to her.” From Sept. 12, 1992 “People tell me they like to read about things that happened in early
Winchester. I do too and love to remember the younger days of our city and county. Not that I was around in the every early days, but my memories of Winchester span 55 years, plus a few, so when you think that I can remember more than half ac entury of living, guess I do have some memories. Like rushing for a parking place on Main Street for Saturday night, or standing in line at one of our theaters (seems strange that when our town was smaller we could support at least two and as our town grew we couldn’t support one). Anyway I remember the lines formed, mostly by the children, for Saturday afternoon movies — a double feature, a cartoon and a news reel, plus previews of coming attractions. A quarter would buy a ticket and a snack. Of course most times that quarter was as hard to get as $10 is today. Movies didn’t have to be rated, but Rhett Butler changed all that with his comment to Scarlet O’Hara. I’m not placing all the blame on him, but I truly believe that was the starting point. Those were the days when the highlight of the week was going to town on Saturday. That’s when you got caught up on all the “gossip” around town; when you visited friends and relatives on the street and when you got haircuts and permanent waves.”
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