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The Lucknow Sentinel, 1977-07-27, Page 2I SIDEINALKI SALE SPECIAL PAINTER PANTS and Overalls 30% OFF • THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY JULY 28, 29, 30 Plus Other Sale Items muimmumummumnimmummunimmuummunimnummillimumummo A CHAR- MAN'S WORK CLOTHING LUCKNOW PHONE 528-2526 OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. FRIDAY NIGHT TILL 9 P.M. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • • The LUCKNOW SENTINEL LUCKNOW, ONTARIO "The Sepoy Town" — On the Huron-Bruce Boundary Secont Class Mail Registration Number 0847 Established 1873 — Published Wednesday Member of the C.C.N.A. and O.W.N.A. Subscription Rate, $10 per year in advance U.S.A. and Foreign, $14 per year in advance • Donald C. Thompson, Publisher ••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Final Comments From The Editor's Desk • THE LUCKNOW SENTINEL, LUCKNOW, ONTARIO WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 1977 PAGE TWO BY DON THOMPSON In this. our final article as editor and publisher of The Lucknow Sentinel. we could go on and on and on, so it becomes a problem how to commence and end this editorial saying what is in our mind, and yet doing it in as few words as possible. Following the two week vacation period. The Sentinel will be under the new ownership of Signal Star Publishing Ltd. of Goderich. This issue will end a 49-year family association with The Sentinel, and our personal involvement goes back well over thirty years when as a lad of about ten years, we first started assisting after school and on Saturdays. Our full time involvement with the Sentinel commenced at age 18, 24 years ago, when we commenced full time work with dad. Outside of a few occasions in the early years, we have assisted or been fully involved in publishing every one of the 1200 issues of The Sentinel since that time. Over the years we have seen many changes in the communities we serve, which includes a steadily diminishing rural population. Despite the population drop in the rural areas surrounding us, The Sentinel circulation has climbed from 1825 twenty years ago to an all time high of 2800 at the present time. In learning the newspaper business from dad, we learned from a master of small town newspapering, a type of tradesman which we feel no longer exists. Hard work and long hours were his life, and while he was pleased that his son chose to. enter the weekly newspaper business with him, he never encouraged it, knowing full well of the sacrifices of time and family that had to be made in order to succeed. So it was of our own choosing, and a like of the business, that we decided to follow in father's footsteps. Sharing the duties for the next ten years made things somewhat easier for both of us, but with his death in 1964, the pressures that we had never known were thrust upon us. Exactly one full year following the death of Campbell Thompson, information came to us of a new web offset press which had commenced operations in London, the name being Webco Publications. This firm was setting up a business whereby they would sell a printing service on a multi-thousand dollar press which no small newspaper could afford to own for its own printing purposes, but by which most small newspapers could greatly increase their versatility and efficiency by using. The Sentinel was about the fourth or fifth newspaper to make arrangements to print in London. Driving the distance of about 180 miles each week seemed like sheer idiocy to many of our newspaper contemporaries, arid a few of them let us know this in a "fatherly fashion". So while we drove to London and back and had our paper printed in about five hours time, they t•ontinued to spend three times that long grinding sheets through their hand fed presses. We had top quality reproduction and reduced our production costs. They continued with the same production costs and poor reproduc- tion. This one time, we couldn't resist putting these facts into print. because now about 99% of all weekly newspapers in Ontario are printed in central printing establishments. We are rather pleased to say that we were one of the pioneers of central printing in Ontario, the best move we ever made. Several years later, as central printing plants became more prevalent throughout the province, we took the logical step, because of proximity, and began printing at Signal-Star Publishing in Goderich. This was in July of 1969. Each and every issue of the paper since that time has been edited and composed in Lucknow, and printed on the high speed press in Goderich. In this same fashion, the Sentinel will continue to be published, with offices and personnel in Lucknow, and press equipment in' Goderich. Over the years, in association with Signal Star Publishing, we have known them to be an aggressive and progressive company. With ownership of newspapers in several area towns, they have continued to provide these communities with top weekly newspapers with a strong local identity. It has been their policy to use local resident persOnnel in their operations, and this will be followed in the production of The Sentinel. Tony Johnstone, who has been a valued employee of The Sentinel for I.3 years, will manage the paper in Lucknow. Appointment of an editor. will be announced by the Signal Star Publishing. Two long term employees, Mrs. Bryce (Merle) Elliott and Mrs. Don (Mary) McMurray of Lucknow will continue to work for The Sentinel. Merle has been a Sentinel employee for eight years and Mary for 71/2 . Mrs. Campbell (Margaret) Thompson and Mrs. Art (Anne) Purney are two other Sentinel employees. Margaret has spent a life-time in the business, firstly working with her husband and since 1964 with her son, following dad's death. Mom will continue to be employed with the stationery and printing business which we have named Sepoy Stationery and Printing. Anne Purney will also assist, as needed, with the stationery line. The last Sentinel employee to .be mentioned is Bev Thompson, wife of the present publisher, who commenced full time newspaper work upon Campbell Thompson's death in 1964. Daughters Susan, Nancy and Donalda have all taken their turn in helping in what was truly a family business, and in the past, sisters Patricia and Joanne had their time of service. All of these employees, as well as a number of others who have come and gone over the years, have contributed in many various ways in keeping a newspaper in the village of Lucknow, one which would be of value and service to the community. For six years, commencing in December, 1969, The Sentinel published the Teeswater News which was composed in The Lucknow plant. This was sold to Keith Roulston of Blyth in 1975. Through the years, we tried to keep The-Sentinel a newspaper suited to a small community, such as Lucknow and area. We believe, judging by the acceptance of the public, that we achieved this goal. Succeeding in a newspaper in a small community such as Lucknow is not an easy task, economically. The community demands many things from a newspaper which have a heavy cost factor. The "tab" for these demands must be met by the advertiser and through the years, The Sentinel has been fortunate in having a number of very loyal local advertisers who, through their use of this newspaper, made the financial wheels turn that caused the Sentinel to successfully operate. We have been fortunate, through the years. to have a group of correspondents who: for the love of their community, have continued to keep each crossroads on the map from' week to week., We hope. through our stationery,"printing and lottery business, to continue as a member of the Lucknow business community. We have every confidence that The-Sentinel will continue to serve well. and grow under the new ownership, and we trust the community at large will be as kind to it in the future as it has been in the past. It's been fun and frustration over the 24 years. but mostly fun. We know we'll miss it at times, but we hope that we can develop a new way of life that does give us time for more things than newspapering seven days a week. Most of you have been very kind to us during our years in business. The best time in the year was usually just after holidays when we came back refreshed, and people told us how much they had missed the paper over the two week vacation. Well, vacation time is here agairi, and we'll be back with a new look. Perhaps w•e might even write a letter to the editor sometime. Open New Ashfield Bridge DUNGANNON NEWS The official opening of the bridge on the 4th concession of Ashfield just west of Dungannon took place on Thursday at 4 p.m. In attendance were the members of Ashfield Council and their wives; Mr. and Mrs. Doug McNeil', Warden of Huron County; Murray Gaunt, M.P.P.; Mr. Dunn from the engineer's office and Stan Connel- ly, representing construction. War- ren Zinn, as chairman, welcomed those presesiit and called on several to say a few words. Some expressed gratification, that the Cemetery Board was pleased with the work done on the entrance to the cemetery. Warren Zinn and Murray Gaunt cut the ribbon to officially open the bridge.. Insurance Agent For 46 Years JOHN A. McDONAGH The community was saddened to hear of the sudden death in Rapid City, South Dakota 'on Thursday, July 21st of John A. McDonagh of Lucknow. Jack, who was 68 years of age, was vacationing on a conducted bus trip with his wife Norma, brother- in-law and sister-in-law, Charlie and Anne Anderson. He became ill and was hospitalized, passing away quite suddenly from a heart attack. John Alexander McDonagh was born in Ashfield Township on , January 26, 1909, son of the late Charles E. McDonagh and Edith Johnston. On November 10, 1934, he married Norma M. Anderson in London. She survives, along with five sons, Murray of Sault Ste. Marie; Chuck of Tucson. Arizona; Ross of Ottawa; Barry and Rod of Lucknow; also twelve grandchild- ren; one sister Mrs. Ed (Emma) McKenzie of London. Jack was widely known through- out the area where he was an insurance agent for 46 years. His sons Barry and Rod were associat- ed with him in business at the time of his death. Jack was a charter member of Lucknow and District Lions Club and recently received a twenty year perfect attendance award. He was a member of Lucknow United Church. The funeral service was conduct- ed on Sunday, July 24th at 2 p.m. trom MacKenzie Memorial Chapel in Lucknow with burial in Greenhill Cemetery, Lucknow. Rev. • Doug Kaufman of Lucknow United Church officiated. Pallbearers were Wm. Schmid. Donald MacKinnon. Harvey Hous- ton, Armstrong Wilson. Brock Cleland and Alex Andrew. Flower bearers were Cliff Craw- ford, Tom Hackett, Omar Brooks, Peter Cook, Jim Hunter. Ernie Crawford, Gordon Montgomery and Charlie Webster. Former Resident Died In Parkhill Mrs. Harold Johnstone of Park- hill and formerly of Lucknow, died at her home on Saturday. July 23rd in her 67th year. Mrs. Johnstone was the 'former Laura Conn of the Langside area. Funeral service was held Tues- day at 11 a.m. from the Box Funeral Home, Parkhill anti burial service was held Tuesday afternoon at 3.30 p.m. at Greenhill Cemetery. Lucknow. Mr. Johnstone was at one time a baker in Lucknow. The family moved -from Lucknow to Parkhill about 27 years ago where they purchased their own bakery.