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"J.F.'TakesOver' WHEN JOHN F. Fitzpatrick became publisher of The Salt Lake Tribune upon the death of A. N. McKay in 1924 he was ready to assume the responsibilities attached to that position. He had been observing and studying the newspaper operation for almost twelve years, and, beginning in 1918 when Thomas Kearns died, he had for all practical purposes, been functioning as the newspaper's owner. Had he been a man of ordinary ambition and dedication he could have continued in that role, delegating the job of editing, publishing and distributing the newspaper to subordinates who had been brought up in the business and who in varying degrees were knowledgeable in the details of the operation. Being a man of extraordinary ambition and dedication, he could be nothing less than a publisher in fact as well as in title. It is doubtful that any man ever applied himself more diligently or learned more about newspaper operation in a dozen years than Fitzpatrick did between the time he became Kearns' secretary and publisher of The Tribune. The Tribune organization was quickly made aware of the fact that the top man across the street knew what he wanted and was determined to get it. (Fitzpatrick's office was always in the Kearns Building across the street from the Tribune Building.) The rather relaxed attitude which had developed in all departments of the newspaper as circulation, advertising and profitability had grown under the McKay regime, began evapo314
