Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-06-13, Page 63• 1 Profile of a publisher. ,. continued from page 30S and the longer nights when the staff gave more than was expec- ted of them - week after week. He remembers the en- couragement. he gat when things Went sour. He' remem- bers the loyalty he received without even asking;. ' He remembers the pride each staff had in ;the ' preduct which wasn't all that good, and he recalls the faith each had in the goals and objectives of the firm. And Bob Shrier • looks with pride today at these people and the fine staff members who have been added. -He acknowledges their con- 'tributions and credits them Housewife .4. continued from page .8S Shrier opted for continuity in the editorial department, and Mrs. Keller was named editor, a position that up until that time had been held only by ,\ men. \ Under her guidance, the Signal -Star has been revived as a community newspaper, 'A 1 distinction it had lost through the years of change in the editorial department. when. • editors came and went with too much regularity. "I'm not a Goderich native,. of course," says Mrs. Keller, "but I have lived all my Life in Huron County. I've worked in this county for more than a decade now. I've been coming to Godetich all my life. I'm.not really a stranger here." She's right. Shirley J. Keller is far from a stranger in Huron County. For almost ten years, she's written a chatty • little column entitled "From M'y' Window" which appeared in' several weekly newspapersin the county. The column was all about Shirley Keller the per- son, her thoughts, her family, her dreams. She's become well- known in many corners of the county and loved by some of her devoted readers. Her byline also has appeared for years on county. council stories as well as education items. "I was sorry when I had to give up the column at the first of this year," Mrs. Keller ad- mits. ''"That column was my, escape. It was`�•my.safety valve where I said the things, I had to say or explode.". It was an increased work load at the Signal -Star office -Buchanan continued from page 7S on, "that in the next. 24 to '30 Monthswe ,will see double press capacity, two shifts, more personnel .and a much ih creased volume." Yes, John Buchanan is an idea man' with the stamina, .the courage and the stubbornness tp put those ideas into action. It is little wonder that John Buchanan is . the heah of the organization which pfides itself on good business practices, honest effort and service second to none. '['hank, to Clavtii Nk ins and Bob hJenr‘ for their help in supplying pi(' ure': for the speeial opening edition. with the success of the venture her. "It was a "we" effort all the way", repeats Bob Shrier. And what of the future? "Oh I have dreams, thoughts, hopes for the future", says Shrier. "So do all the depart- ment heads on the staff. But I think expansion now will be slower. I think we will see a deve'pment in the quality of the product, the publications already owned by Signal -Star Publishing Limitted." "We have some pretty for- ward thinking retailers in this town Shrier believes. "They are progressive in their thinking about advertising. r which prompted her to give up the column and the Huron County Board of Education beat. The local paper is. growing in size and scope every week, and the job is becoming more and more demanding. "My whole life centres around my job; my home, my family, ,my church and the A & P," Mrs. Keller smiles with satisfaction. Her horne is at 15 Victoria St. South. She lives there with her'. husband Ken, a salesman with Conklin Lumber' in Goderich'• and her three children, Randy, 18; Lori 16; and .Jim 8. The editorial staff at the Signal -Star now stands at three full-time persons. In addition to Mrs. Keller are Bill Dim- mick, a '74 Conestoga College graduate, and ,Jeff Seddon; a young man with a natural nose for news. "People tease me and ,say it has taken twp young men to replace Ron ' Shaw," . Mrs. Keller says. "That's hardly true. The Signal -Star has had three on its editorial staff for over a year now but fora while, we did cut back to just two." "I'm convinced that Bill Dimmiek and Jeff Seddon are going to ' make two fine newsmen," she predjcts. _ "Already they are making their mark in the community. People are accepting them and it won't be long before they will trust 'them as ,reliable news repor- ters." "They are good photographers, too," she adds; "Patient and tireless."' At the new location, the editorial department can spread out. In the old building at 317 West Street, the editorial office was one snlall, win- dowless, ventless room. "Stuck in there for a 12 "hour day with two chain smokers wasn't the best' way to live," Mrs. Keller recalls: "If one was clacking out a story on the typewriter and another was talking on the telephone, it was ,difficult to interview a visitor about an important news item." Things gyre different now. "We may still not. be the most talented editorial saff a newspaper ever had," M°rs. Keller states, "but we sure do e'verything in our power to cover the town and the country with pictures and news. We love Goderich, we believe in Goderich and we want to see Goderich prosper -and grow." "Goderich is home for this editorial staff," 'Mrs., feller points out with determination. "It is our job to mirror life in our hometown. We da our best." "We don't make the news," she reminds everyone. "We just print ft." They promote their •own, products and their own stores probably more than merchants in any other town of com- parable size." But future plans are all but forgotten this week. "I guess everything will culminate ,for me on Friday", says Shrie, looking a •little ap- prehensive but in a happy way. "All the people with the most Page 31-S faith in rrie over the ars will be here and "I hope thei will see their confidence in me justified." "It will be a pretty proud day for me", he says simply. YOUR LOCAL GAS APPLIANCE DEALER AND GAS'HEATI'NG'CONTRACTOR ARE GOOD PEOPLE -TO CONSULT WHEN YOU ARE IN THE MARKET FOR MODERN GAS EQUIPMENT. They carry,: and usually display, a fine line of approved gai appliances, heating, water heating and gas air conditioning equipment. BARBECUES' THEY ALSO CAN ARRANGE pONVENIENT TERMS FOR YOU ON YOUR MONTHLY GAS BILL. • These capable business.firms are listed in your yellow pages. Give your selection a call when you are ready for that new gas appliance and become a happy customer. Congratulations' SIGNAL -STAR EXCAVATION WORK BY GAETAN JACQUES 000E.,CH ••BIG 524-7104 or SMALL we do them all" EXCAVATION OF ANY KIND COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL SEWER. INSTALLATION , „ Aa'*'