The Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-06-13, Page 40• Page 8S
Housewife with ink in her blood
Shirley J. Keller is not a
women's libber but she is the
first woman editor , at the
Signal -Star in 127 years: That's
some kind of achievement, she
believes.
Mrs. Keller, a former school
teacher, fell into the newspaper
business by a stroke of sheer
luck. Married at an early age -
"18 is too young for anyone to
wed" - she soon found that
being a wife and mother was
not enough to holo her interest.
She was living pt that_. time
near Dashwood in the southern
part of Huron County, and ap-
plied to The Exeter Times -
Advocate for consideration as a
writer.
Editor of the ,Times -
Advocate at the time was
Donald Southcott, who politely
informed Mrs. Keller his com-
pany was looking for someone
with more specialized training
and greater writing talent• than
she possessed.
-'She believed she was
destined to a life of cooking
and cleaning until .Steve Smith,
a newspaperman with a dif-
ference, arrived at her kitchen
door one bright, sunny. day.
This gentleman said he was the
editor -publisher of The Grand
Bend News Bulletin, a free -
issue sheet which was to be cir-
culated in Dashwood as well as
several- other small com-
munities around Grand Bend.
Fie asked Mrs. Keller to write
the social news for her town for
thea astronomical sum of $10
per week!
And thus a newspaper career
was launched. But the adven-
ture at the News -Bulletin was
short lived. Within six months
`the operation folded and Mrs.
Keller was back in her kitchen.
But she had just enough ink in
her blood now to make her
tenacious. In that brief encoun-
ter with the newspaper world,
she'd not only written copy but
set the . type, acted as proof-
reader, , done the- lay -outs,
pasted up the ads, burned the
plates, opaqued, the negs,
jogged' the newsprint, fed the
press, adjusted the ink flow,
stuffed. the sheets, folded the
papers, addressed them and
yes, even4elivered them. She'd
been initiated quickly and com-
plete
Sho ry after the 'demise of
the News -Bulletin, ant3ther
newspaper publisher appeared
on the scene in Grand Bend. It
was Wilma Dinnin, formerly
editor of the Clihton News -
'Record and at that time, a
Grand ltend resident.
Miss Dinnin revived . The
Grand Bend Holiday, a sum-
mer publication which had
been operared in former sum-
mers by The Exeter Times -
'Advocate under the editorship
of Bill Batten. Mrs. Keller
went to work for Miss Dinnin
who took the young housewife
with the whim f6r newspapers
under her wing. Patiently and
carefully during those summer
months, Miss Dinnin, taught
Mrs. Keller the rudiments of
good newspaper writing. The
year was 1964.
\I"n the fall.,.with the closing of
The Holiday, Mrs: Keller
joined the staff at The Zurich
itizens-News. Following that,
sh worked as a reporter with
Th Clinton News -Record, at
that time owned by A. L.
Colqu oun. 'When the
newspa was purchased by
Signal-Sta Publishing, Mrs.
Keller was fired to edit the
paper.
With the bit , of her third
child in 1966, rs. Keller
retired to her `kit en and a
Part-time. jab with t e Zurich
.r
paper. Later she accepted a
part-time job as women's editor
of The Exeter Tunes -Advocate,
a position she held- until
Moving to Goderich fiver years
ago.
She joined the staff at the
Signal -Star in the fall of 1969, -
working with Editor Ron Price.
She was acting editor following
Mr. Price's resignation until
Jack Mills was named editor.
Following Mills' - short stay in
Goderich, Publisher R. G.
continued on page 31S
Signal -Star Editor Shirley J. Keller
.. unlikely lucky lady
M1
CONGRATULATIONS
SIGNAL -STAR
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CONTINUED GROWTH
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