A hectic first night at the Star-Telegram

    When No. 3-ranked Texas and No. 12-ranked Oklahoma -- both 5-0 and on their Big 12 farewell tour -- meet Saturday afternoon at the Cotton Bowl, it will remind me of ... 2001.

     Similar scenario, another monumental Red River Rivalry football game.

    But what I remember about 2001's meeting is not the game; it's the night before. Friday, October 5, 2001.

     My first night working at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. One of the most memorable -- and most important -- work shifts in a five-decade career.

    It would change lives, for Beatrice and me and our kids. 

    As happened far too often, I needed a job. And here was a prospective one.

    Had been in contact with the Star-Telegram sports editor, Celeste Williams, and had an advantage -- a recommendation from a friend with a Shreveport newspaper connection.

    So when Celeste invited me for a "tryout" or "audition," I made the trip from Knoxville, Tennessee -- where we'd been for six years -- through Shreveport (to see my parents) and into a city where the West begins, but where I'd rarely been.

     (Had two other job chances then, in Marshall, Texas -- only 40 miles from Shreveport and the aging Rose and Louis -- and in Orlando, Florida. But neither felt like a fit.)

      It was an unsettling time for us; let's sum it up with "personal problems." But what great fortune the trip to Fort Worth was.

       And what an unforgettable night at the Star-Telegram. I'd never seen anything like it. It was a helluva challenge.

       Worked my tail off that night (we all did); met a whole bunch of strangers, some of whom would become very good friends. Found a staff so talented and so deep (numbers-wise). 

      Had the privilege of working for a sports editor who was wise and organized and loyal, and would become a person we so loved and admired (and lost far too soon). Made our home in an area where I'd always wanted to be, and at one of the most-established newspapers in this part of the country.    

      Had interviewed with the Dallas Morning News sports department in early 1982, and had a brief dalliance with Star-Telegram sports in summer of 1995. Neither was the right time, right place.

      But this time -- early October 2001 -- was my chance. Boom!

---

      The country was in a mess, the September 11 attacks still on everyone's mind. Travel by airplane was still uncertain, so I made the long drive (11 hours to Shreveport).

The tornado-wrecked Tower

     Fort Worth had a visible scar, too -- the many shattered windows of The Tower, the 35-story building a long foul ball away from the Star-Telegram office in downtown. It had been struck by the F3 tornado a year and a half earlier; the talk was that it was going to be demolished (it wasn't). 

     My connection to the S-T was Lois Norder, a managing editor (in charge of terrorism-related coverage) and also editor of the paper's Northeast edition. In the mid-1980s, we had been at the Shreveport Journal; she was a star reporter/writer, and so was her husband, Steve. It was a wonderful time at the Journal.

      So, a Friday night in Fort Worth, and I quickly was amazed at the personnel in the sports department. More than 30 people -- four assistant sports editors, three copy "chiefs" (final proofers, approve or rewrite headlines), a Sunday-section editor, three high-school editors, nine copy editors (like me), eight page designers, three "agate" scoreboard editors ... and later a dozen parttimers to take high school call-in statistics and game details.

     (Came to learn that we had 85 fulltime people in sports, and about 40 "stringers" or parttimers. Not making this up. The Star-Telegram, in the early 2000s,  was what I called "fat" in personnel. And, yes, we were among the best sports sections in the country. The awards received in those years proved that.)

     What an operation it was, especially that night.  (Turned out, there were many nights like this.)

     What made it extra challenging was this: A Barry Bonds "special" section that was pending.

     Bonds, with 70 home runs, needed one to break  Mark McGwire's single-season record (set in 1998).  The San Francisco Giants were playing on the West Coast, and would not start until 9 p.m. our time.

    A four-page section was planned, if it happened.  

    But also there was a 16-page regular sports section, and an eight-page high school section (with three separate "zone" editions). I'd never experienced that kind of volume.

    So when I got the "duty roster," with copy-editor assignments, it was just a bit daunting. 

    Plus, a bunch of strangers around me, and yet another strange computer system to battle.

    Vince Langford was one of the sports copy desk assignment gurus, and a great help. He would become one of my best friends there (and a super talent, with words and sports knowledge). 

     He was sitting closeby, guiding me through stories.  I work quickly, so he kept giving me stories. I hadn't worked in a couple of months, so I was eager, and it was exciting.

       We were waiting on the Bonds saga, but meanwhile, here is the scope of what that night was like, how many stories we worked ...

Sports front page -- Oct. 6, 2001

      -- The Texas-OU advance pages, several stories, a position-by-position breakdown. It was the first Longhorns-Sooners game with both teams ranked in the top five in 17 years (OU was No. 3; UT No. 5); the Sooners were the defending national champion and had a 17-game winning streak, but had squeezed past Kansas State 38-37 the week before.

     -- College football advance stories ... Wendell Barnhouse's whole page of stories (he was covering Florida-at-LSU that Saturday, features (one on Tennessee wide receiver Kelley Washington, who had caught 11 passes for 256 yards against LSU the previous Saturday, a game the kids and I attended in Knoxville; Vols won 26-18. But LSU got even that December in the SEC Championship Game).

    -- It was a Texas Motor Speedway weekend -- a NASCAR Craftsman Trucks race that night, an Indy Racing League 300 on Saturday.

    -- The Dallas Stars played their first-ever regular-season game at the $46 million American Airlines Center, a 4-1 victory against Nashville. So a Jim Reeves column and several stories on the game.

     -- The Texas Rangers were playing a late game at Seattle; the Mariners had beaten them 16-1 on Thursday night (coverage in the Saturday paper). Alex Rodriguez hit his 52nd home run for the only Rangers run; Rafael Palmeiro had two of their four hits. Seattle had a spectacular 114-45 record; the Rangers were only 42 games behind them in the standings.)

   -- The Dallas Cowboys, with Dave Campo as head coach, were 0-3 and getting ready to play at Oakland, and rookie QB Quincy Carter was about to make his first start. (They lost 28-21 that Sunday.)

    -- The Dallas Mavericks were in training camp, with a young owner (Mark Cuban), an innovative head coach (Don Nelson), and three star players (Michael Finley, and two young superstars-in-the-making, Steve Nash and a 7-foot German guy who had a great shooting touch, Dirk Nowitzki.

    -- There was quarter-horse racing at Lone Star Park.

    All these elements had one or multiple stories.

     And then there was high school football. I knew what Friday nights were like in the fall, but this was a mad scramble -- game after game story to work, first-come basis.

    So, about 40 games covered, with 20 full stories to work. I remember editing a Brownwood vs. Stephenville story, not knowing how huge a rivalry that was. 

   All this, and -- while high school games are coming in -- we're watching Bonds' at-bats in San Francisco. 

     Luckily, in the first inning, he hit No. 71 off Chan Ho Park. So, the Bonds special section was in play. More work for everyone. And while we started editing that copy, Bonds hit No. 72 -- again off Park -- in the third inning. More work.

     One memory: The deadline for pages to go to print was midnight. As I recall, we finished up closer to 1 a.m. We were a bit overloaded.

---

     I sat across from a veteran sports department guy named Don Bowman. Didn't take long to realize he was funny, outrageous, knew his sports, was an extreme University of Maryland/Oakland A's/Washington baseball fan, and was talented. We lost him far too soon, and too suddenly.

     As it happened, the desk where I was working was Jeff Wilson's. He was helping with auto-racing coverage that night. He would become a friend, and his talent has him now covering the Texas Rangers and TCU. And one of the S-T's top sports columnists was Gil LeBreton, an old friend from LSU and New Orleans.

     One guy not working that night came in with his kid in a stroller to see his wife (who also worked at the paper). I knew his face, couldn't remember his name. Asked, and -- aha! (Andy Clay) -- I had worked with him in Jacksonville, Florida, about a decade earlier.

      And one funny moment: One of the sports copy editors came up to introduce himself: Jerry Barnes. "Nice to meet you," I said. "Oh, we've met before," Jerry said, smiling. "I was sitting next to you at the [Centenary College] Gold Dome the night you threw the basketball at an official (who was a friend of his)."

      Oops. Yes, in 1979, Barnes was an assistant sports information director at University of North Texas; I was the SID at Centenary. UNT's players that night were beating the hell out of our 6-11 center, Cherokee Rhone. I didn't like it. When the ball came bouncing over the media table right to me, I (not) gently directed back at an official with a (not) soft remark. I was excused from the table. (I have written a blog on that.)

    "Please don't tell anybody," I asked Barnes that night. I think he's tattled on me a few times since. We're still laughing about it.

---

    So, I ended up working some 14 to 16 stories that night ... and made an impression.

    Michele Machado, one of our page designers, laughingly recalled that when the shift was finished, she told people in the department, "That guy will never be back."

    But I knew that I wanted to work at the Star-Telegram, and told Bea that when I got back to Knoxville.

     When the shift ended, I drove to Carrollton where our son Jason was living (he had graduated from LSU and found a job in Dallas -- with travel to Tarrant County -- a few years earlier). Got up the next morning and drove to Shreveport, picked up Dad and we went to the San Jose State-at-Louisiana Tech football game that night, a one-sided Tech victory.

     Meanwhile, OU beat Texas 14-3 at the Cotton Bowl, with the memorable "Superman" tackle by OU safety Roy Williams that resulted in linebacker Teddy Lehman's 2-yard pass interception return near the end of the game clinching the victory for the Sooners.

    In a few days, Celeste called and offered me a position as a "contract" worker, not fulltime. But the pay was good, and we quickly decided to make the move from Knoxville to Fort Worth. 

     That meant leaving our Rachel behind in Knoxville, where she was a junior at the University of Tennessee. It meant being closer to the Van Thyns in Shreveport and even closer to Jason.

      No insurance coverage came with the job, but Celeste promised that the first copy-editor opening she had would be mine. Two weeks later, a copy editor left and I went fulltime, with insurance benefits. Good thing because only a few months later Bea was diagnosed with colon cancer. That insurance was a saver.

      What followed was Bea surviving two surgeries in four years, and a beautiful life still. For me, a decade at the Star-Telegram and a fulfilling end to a career. 

      Lots of good luck involved, and a first night at the S-T to remember.     

Wendell was the best, and so was our boss

"The best newspaper boss I worked for was the last newspaper boss I worked for." 

-- Wendell Barnhouse, about Celeste Williams (Fort Worth Star-Telegram sports editor, 1999-2017).

---

     One of the great pleasures of 45 years in the newspaper business was working with dedicated and talented journalists, and good people. 

     It happened at every stop, but it was especially true in the last decade at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 

     Some were more outstanding than others. Wendell

Barnhouse was one.

     I am writing here what I told many people many times: We had the best college football and basketball writer in the country. Wendell proved it every year, darned near every day when he wrote.

     We had a terrific staff in almost every area -- inside (the "desk" people, in newspaper terms -- editors, designers, copy editors) and outside (the writers that the public knew).

     This was all put together by Celeste Williams, the S-T's sports editor for 18 years until cancer took her from us three years ago. Beloved is the best way to put how we all felt about her.

     See Wendell's quote to start this piece. Me, too.

     Just so happens that last Friday -- Oct. 1 -- on Celeste's birthdate, I received from a friend a link to two columns that an 88-year-old ex-sports editor in Columbia, Missouri, wrote about the young Wendell Barnhouse. 

     Our mutual friend, Joel Bierig (whose own productive sportswriting career began at the Shreveport Journal in May 1975), also sent a link to an autobiography that Wendell has written in the past few months to stay busy during the pandemic-restricted months.

     (I am sharing the book link at the bottom of this piece. I recommend it to my journalism friends.)

     The autobiography is very, very detailed, covering every aspect of Wendell's life -- he's 66 1/2  now -- and his career, and there's plenty of commentary because Wendell is never without opinions (what did you expect from a journalist?).

     It is, as with everything he writes, an interesting, complete and well-done effort.

     We were not, I must say, close friends. I knew of Wendell  and had met him a couple of times before I joined the Star-Telegram staff as a sports copy editor in late December 2001.

      Our careers had many similarities. Started at a medium-sized paper writing about kids' stuff (writing our stories long-hand at first, until we were taught better), covering American Legion baseball (loved it!), covering high school athletics, working "inside" as  designers/layout and copy editors, sports editor positions, lots of writing and editing. Moved around -- a lot (Wendell worked in Missouri, Illinois, Arizona, Atlanta and settled in Texas). We were high-strung (you know that), teed off people and got teed off. 

     (See photos of the young Wendell at the bottom of this blog.)

     Big difference: Wendell was a big-time writer covering all the major college sports events (and many others), winning national awards. Me, not so much.

     So we were on the same staff for about 6 1/2 years until Wendell -- sensing that the S-T layoffs which had begun in April 2008 -- were going to keep happening. He took a buyout, ending his 25-year stay at the S-T. This was his last newspaper stop.

      He had come to the Metroplex in 1981, with The Dallas Morning News. There he was a desk man -- a very skilled designer, then a section editor. 

     The DMN, starting in about 1980, had one of the nation's best -- and most respected -- sports sections. After two years of "meat grinder" work, he turned down a chance to become Sunday section editor -- an important role there, an almost-sure step to bigger and better jobs. That led to another move. 

     Through his connection with Bud Kennedy, he joined  the Star-Telegram; Fort Worth's gain, no question. Began as a desk man, became an assistant sports editor, then turned to writing fulltime in 1986 (when the NCAA Tournament Final Four was in Dallas). 

      Among our many talented writers, Wendell was so knowledgeable, so thorough, productive and reliable,  and -- in all my years in newspapers -- the very best "on deadline" (only Mike Strange at the Knoxville News-Sentinel was his deadline equal, in my experience).

      And Wendell's writing was just darned interesting, factual ... and when needed, opinionated. 

     He was, in editing terms, a "clean" read, an easy assignment for us. Few mistakes ... and if you caught him in one, he was appreciative (not all writers were; some would argue almost every word or fact you suggested changing).

      He covered all the major college football and basketball events, and wrote about the newsmakers, trends and controversies. (He did NOT love Bobby Knight ... who the hell did?).      

Wendell with ESPN college
basketball analyst Jay Bilas.

     He especially loved college basketball and here is his tally of NCAA Tournament coverage: 343 games, 26 Final Fours, two women's Final Fours (and one more championship game).

     This is where he really shined. On NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday, every year we had a special section -- 8-10 pages, breaking down all the regions, with analysis, featured players, and sketches on all 64 (or 68) teams. Wendell each year wrote just about every word in those sections. 

     And did the bulk of it "on deadline," in a space of 2-3 hours after the late-afternoon tournament bracket announcement show. 

     It was a tribute to his organization, preparation and work ethic. Can you imagine how hard that was to do?

      He never failed, and it was damn impressive.

      We didn't see a lot of Wendell; he worked from home ... or from all parts of the country. On his office visits -- or on the phone -- was he was very business-like, not chatty, not a BSer (a lot of sports people specialized in those areas). 

      He was, in baseball terms, a "tough out." That could be interpreted as criticism, and to some, it seemed he was standoffish or aloof. But if you knew a little of Wendell's background, a hard-knock early life with challenges, you could understand why he was tough. Plus, he was just a busy guy -- in stressful circumstances. 

       But also, if he had time and you hit on the right subject, he would ease up and talk away. And we knew he was a devoted husband and father ... and a dedicated worker.

      He was only fired once, from the job that followed his Star-Telegram time, as a writer/TV-video host for the Big 12 Conference for seven years. (We could talk about being fired, but we're not going to do that.) 

      Here is how Wendell -- unemployed in 2015 for the first time in 43 years and trying to find ways to find jobs --  described his work attributes on his LinkedIn page:

     "Exceptional writing, editing and time management skills. Thorough researcher, inquisitive interviewer. Organized multi-tasker and task-oriented. Delivers before deadline. Understands importance of collaboration, but can work independently. Keen eye for logic, facts and flow when editing. Customer oriented (the reader being the customer). Innovative problem solver. Understands changing media landscape with experience in social media and video production."

     Yes, indeed. I could not describe it better; no one could.

     Nominally, Wendell is now retired. But I suspect that if he was asked to write an in-depth feature or an analysis or a guest column for a newspaper or web site, he could do it ... today.

---

      Back to Wendell's autobiography. The chapter that most interested me is Chapter Eight, titled "The Best of Times." It is about the 2000s decade at the Star-Telegram and, like Wendell, like all of us who were there, we were proud of our section. 

      We were, in short, as good as anyone in the country, including our Metroplex buddies, the DMN.

     In this chapter, he writes about the D-FW newspaper battles; interesting stuff. With Wendell's permission, I am borrowing much of it in this blog. Because we lived some of it with Wendell.

---

    The Best of Times

     The best newspaper boss I worked for was the last newspaper boss I worked for. ...

      Ellen Alfano was promoted to assistant managing editor and was still overseeing sports. In May of 1999 she hired Celeste Williams to be Senior Editor for sports. For the next nine years under Celeste's leadership, we kicked ass.

     Knight-Ridder owned several outstanding newspapers around the country. When the Morning News opened its Arlington edition in 1996, it laid down a gauntlet. When K-R took ownership of the Star-Telegram, its main goal was to establish the paper’s superiority in Tarrant County and to beat back the challenger from the East. The home office gave the Star-Telegram the resources and marching orders to be the best. We had the right leadership to make that happen.

     Arlington and the areas northeast of Fort Worth were booming in terms of business and population. The Star-Telegram had for years produced zoned editions, with pages of the paper produced for specific suburbs. To combat the DMN, that strategy was placed on steroids. The paper opened and staffed bureaus for Arlington and Northeast zoned editions. Those bureaus included about two dozen writers and editors that focused only on their editions.

     The seriousness of our intentions was displayed in 1998 when the Star-Telegram hired Randy Galloway, the Morning News’ top sports columnist. Galloway had become a major player in the sports scene since becoming a columnist at the DMN in 1982 and then adding a nightly sports talk radio show on WBAP, a 50,000-watt AM station. Galloway was having a dispute with DMN management when Jim Witt, the Star-Telegram’s executive editor, offered him a five-year, $1.5 million deal.

     Damn right we were serious.

     I had known Randy during my time at the Morning News. He had been promoted to columnist from the Rangers beat when the Times Herald shocked the Dallas media world by hiring Skip Bayless, the DMN’s “star” columnist, at the height of the newspaper war. While Bayless was a flake and a jerk, Galloway was a Texan and a newspaper man with no ego. Despite his huge contract, he didn’t “big time” the Star-Telegram staff. He always treated me as an equal and tipped well when I delivered his dry cleaning. (Just kidding.)

     Once Celeste came on board as editor we had the perfect person to guide and direct us. She had the experience and understanding of how a sports department needed to function. She loved great writing and she supported the folks who labored on the desk. Trust me, that’s a rare combo.

     Here’s what Galloway said about Celeste: “The bottom line is she was not just a damn good newspaperwoman, but just a damn good person. There were many times in my column writing that I made some people mad, some people in high positions, ownership positions — I can think of Rangers owners in particular — and Celeste would have to meet with those angry Rangers people.

     “I never asked what went on in the meeting, but Celeste would call, she would say they explained their side, we explained our side, and by the way, I loved the column. That was Celeste.”

     Celeste also loved college sports. It soon became evident to me that starting with college football media days in July, I was going to be going balls to the wall covering the sport. Once the season started, we would meet in her office each Monday to talk about upcoming coverage. Celeste was great with ideas, but she also listened and collaborated. I had learned how to look ahead and plan so that whatever road trips I made produced the most bang for the buck.

     Ellen and Celeste had worked together before and they made a good team. We were probably the only newspaper in the country with two females overseeing a sports department. While there might have been some resentment from a few males on the staff, Ellen and Celeste knew what they were doing, and they were empowered by management to “go for the gold.” They were respected and they earned that respect.

     From 1999 to 2008, we did something I never thought would be possible. We were the equal if not superior to the Dallas Morning News. The work produced by our sports staff – writers, page designers, editors – was prolific and stunning.

     Ellen and Celeste decided that in the annual Associated Press Sports Editors contests for best writing and best sections, we would “play up” and compete in the largest circulation category even though we were eligible to stay in the category that was a step lower. From 2001 through 2007, the Star-Telegram earned Top 10 status six times for its daily sports section, five times for special sections and twice, in 2002 and 2005, it won Triple Crown recognition for daily, special sections and Sunday section.

     Celeste was supportive of my ideas no matter how crazy. Crazy like attending and covering two football games featuring four top-10 teams in cities 475 miles apart.

     (Note: First Saturday in November 2000, No. 2 Virginia Tech at No. 3 Miami, noon EST; No. 10 Clemson at No. 3 Florida State in Tallahassee at 7:30 p.m. EST.)

     For Monday’s paper, I wrote a “tick tock” story that recounted the events and observations of covering two games in one day. Those were the type of unique stories that Celeste craved and helped make us a great sports section.

     Those self-made challenges/assignments that I  concocted during my newspaper career were probably what it’s like for the adrenaline junkies who skydive, scuba, climb mountains or street race. I enjoyed the planning and the challenge of executing the plan. It was exciting but typically left me telling myself: “That was fun, but let’s not do that again."

     During each football season, the quantity and quality of what the department produced was arugably the best in the country. Ellen and Celeste understood how important football was and the weekends in September, October and November revolved around the sport.

     In addition to producing a daily sports section that was often 16 to 20 pages, four days a week the Star-Telegram produced bonus sections.

     Friday was an 8-page weekend kickoff section previewing high school, college and NFL games. Typically, that would include a feature story from me on that weekend’s big college game or a hot-topic trend piece.

     Saturday was an 8-page section devoted to Friday night high school football coverage. And in Saturday’s main sports section, I had a full-page on college football – a column on the big game that day or a trending topic, a 400-word spotlight feature on a player, plus quotes and notes. My guesstimate is that I wrote between 3,000 to 3,500 words for that page each Saturday during the season.

     Sunday was an 8-page section covering Saturday’s college football action. That typically featured game reports on TCU, top Big 12 games, SMU, North Texas and my story from the biggest national game.

     Monday was an 8-page section with stories on the Cowboys game and wrapping up the NFL.

     Considering the incredible shrinking newspapers that exist in 2020, it’s hard to believe that just two decades ago the Star-Telegram sports department basically produced 11 sections a week. The combined page counts of those four days of double sections would almost be equal to the weekday total page count printed now.

     I often wonder if subscribers who enjoyed reading about sports wonder what happened to all the sports coverage.

     Knight-Ridder was a company and companies have stockholders. In the mid-2000s, the rise of digital publishing started to overtake print. While major newspapers around the country remained highly profitable, their profit margins started to shrink. That meant newspaper companies had to start cutting corners. Eventually, K-R couldn’t tighten its belt anymore.

     In 2006, a small fish swallowed a whale. McClatchy bought Knight-Ridder, taking on debt and selling off several newspapers. The Star-Telegram was among the papers it kept. However, it soon became obvious that McClatchy not only cared more about the bottom line than about bylines and deadlines but it also bit off more than it could chew.

     The writing was on the wall. Wes Turner left as publisher. Ellen and Celeste continued trying to fight the good fight, but we had less space for stories and a tighter travel budget. The Bowl Championship Series title game for the 2007 season was in New Orleans, a cheap and easy trip. When I was told that only Gil Lebreton, one of our columnists, would be going to the game and that I would miss my first national championship game since the 1994 season, I started to strap on my parachute."

---

     In our exchange of e-mails the past few days, I told Wendell that I planned to write this piece, use his chapter on the S-T glory days, and that I considered him the best college sports writer in the country. Here is a bit of his reply:

     "Dude, your compliments are humbling. Particularly during that time from 2000 through 2008 when the section was kicking ass. I had the opportunity to work my ass off alongside other folks who were just as talented and hard-working. 

     "You know the old saying that it's hard to fly like an eagle when you work with a bunch of turkeys. ... We were all eagles. It was a rare and memorable time."

---

https://wendellbarnhousebook.pressbooks.com/ 

  

Vinny and KG: the best in our business

     In my 45 years of newspapering, Vince Langford and Ken Gladstone were the absolute best at what they did.
     Sports copy editors -- an unsung, behind-the-scenes job.
     Without them working to make stories accurate and sharp, to write -- or as often was the case, rewrite -- headlines, journalism loses.
     As of this week, both are retired.

Vince Langford (Star-Telegram photo)

     Before I go any further, you should know this: These two guys are among the best friends I ever worked alongside. (Ken is a year or two older than me; Vince a few years younger). So, yes, I am extremely partial.
     We shared many stories and laughs, and we battled -- grinded -- toward many late-night deadlines. I greatly admired their work ethic and their dedication. 
     But anyone who worked with them -- Vinny at the Houston Post (which folded in 1995) and for the last 21 years at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (I was there for almost 10), KG at the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville for 24 years (five when I was there) and then 11 more at the Orlando Sentinel -- likely will tell you what I'm telling you.
     They were excellent sports copy editors. They were the heart of the sports-desk operation.
     I worked with many talented sports columnists and writers, layout people (designers, in more modern terms) and sports editors. Some were as good as Vinny and KG in what they did; none was better.
     Yet while you easily would recognize columnists and writers from their photos and bylines, few outside our building knew just how valuable these guys were. 
     But those of us on the sports desks sure as heck knew.

Valerie and Ken Gladstone

     Vinny and KG knew the English language -- yes, grammar and punctuation and sentence structure; they knew sports, and sports history, and when they weren't sure, they were diligent fact-checkers. 
     They could polish well-done columns and stories; they could make the so-so efforts reasonable reads. They often improved headlines, or came up with clever ones themselves. 
     And they did it with a soft touch, not tearing up what the writers had done ... and doing it quietly. Rarely if ever did they admonish or criticize anyone publicly -- a great trait.
     Never heard either of them talk much about themselves, certainly not brag -- no ego involved -- and they deflected praise the best they could. No bull or craziness from them.
     Going to say right here that neither -- especially Vinny -- will relish this blog piece being done. But it's my blog, so ... 
     (And if they want to make corrections, as they have done often on things I wrote or missed while copy editing, they are free to do so.)
---
     Most appreciated, though, by me -- not exactly Mr. Cool -- was their ability to work through the chaos of a newsroom, specifically the sports desk.
     It could be a noisy place, full of mischief and "jocularity" -- thank you, Father Mulcahy of M*A*S*H -- and people watching (not quietly) games on television. 
     Vinny and KG just kept working. Not much time to waste, no desire to let stories pile up in their queues. (There were editors -- assigning editors -- and copy editors who took forever to work stories, and of course, writers filing copy who pushed us to the limit -- and beyond -- on deadline.)
     They were most often responsible for "the last read" on stories and columns, so it was a key role.
     Neither had final say of story play and photo selection; that was left to the sports editors/assistant sports editor, "night editors" and main design people. But Vinny and Ken made many big decisions on how well stories read.
      (Two others, Steve Schroats and Roger Pinckney, filled the night editor/copy chief roles most nights at the Star-Telegram, both with the same selfless traits as Vinny.)
     Ken's title at the Times-Union was sports copy "chief" (hail to our chief), although at one point before I arrived he had been a co-sports editor.
     Vinny did not have a "chief" title, but most nights that in effect is what he was. He most often made out the "duty roster" -- assigning stories to the copy editors -- and no question that he directed traffic in our department.
     (The night of my "tryout" at the Star-Telegram, my tall and talented friend Vince assigned me 14-15-16 stories -- I lost count; it was a terribly busy night -- and it was so many that the department workers thought I'd never return. I did, to haunt them for a decade.)
     My guys were intense workers. If the noise or fun got to be too much (I was never guilty of that, right), Vinny sometimes pointedly put a stop to it. But when there was time, he had as great a sense of humor as anyone.
      KG was more laid-back. He did not often instigate the fun, but took part in the laughter. But I do know of one instance he did not appreciate.
      A new sports editor -- words were not his strong suit -- was talking with Ken about his role on the sports desk and observed "you make a lot of money for what you do."
      That did not go over well with KG, and even less with me when he related that tale to me.     
---       
      In the massive reduction in the newsroom at the Star-Telegram over the past nine years, Vince survived. Having reached Medicare age and needing to take care of family matters, he leaves this week -- thankfully, on his own accord.
      He is going home to Tulsa to care for his elderly mother, and I am sure, root for the Oklahoma Sooners -- he is an OU graduate (1973) -- and the Houston Astros. He will commiserate with me on what he always calls "the Yankee boys."
      I suspect that Vinny would have stayed longer at the Star-Telegram had the job not changed. But the McClatchy Corp. powers have broken apart the sports desk for a "universal" desk, and the job title "audience growth editor" -- where online clicks are more important than the old-style print newspaper -- is not what we desired. (Cannot imagine myself in that role.)
      KG has been a Florida resident since high school, a transplanted Long Islander who came to Ocala with his retiring parents and did a couple of stints at the University of Florida (so he's a Gators fan; he's not perfect).
      He got his layoff note from the Orlando paper in 2011, worked a couple of short-lived sports copy editing jobs since then, and through some health issues, had fun working at Disney World and now as an Uber driver.
      If he had his choice, I'm guessing, he still would be editing sports copy at a large daily newspaper.
      We share a lot of "inside" jokes, and one is the rumor that Val and Ken have been married for 21 years (gee, we missed the wedding). KG also knows that we had "morons on our team" and "we have got no money going down the mountain." (These are lines I adopted/adapted from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He's heard them often.)
      As I said, newspapers are a poorer lot without Vinny and KG. 
      I have used my blog to say thank you to many people who played important roles in my life and my career, and here are two more. 
      They edited to daylight, and nearly every day made very good sports sections even better.

Celeste was the sweetest in our 'sweet spot'

      The day before Celeste Williams passed from this earth, I talked to my forever coach/philosopher/friend, and he wistfully remembered one of the "sweet spots" in our lives.
      "There are only a few times in life when we find that sweet spot," he said. "When you do, you need to cherish it."
      For me, the real sweet spot -- always -- is Bea and our kids, Jason and Rachel, and their families.
      Coach was referencing work situations, thinking back to the 1960s and Woodlawn High School, and all of us who were there will agree those were sweet days to cherish.
      That was a long time ago and, as I went into the work world -- mostly in the world of newspapers -- there were vestiges of sweet spots in several places.
      But the sweetest spot for me was the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, home for the last 10 years of a sportswriting career. It not only gave me a home, it gave me a work family. (The closest before that was the Shreveport Journal.)
      And, really, I mostly have Celeste Williams to thank for it. She was the sweetest part.
      In short, she -- and some others -- saved my career.
      By doing that, she also saved us from financial hardship. Who knows what would have happened late in 2002 if I had not been at the Star-Telegram?
       She was the head of our "family," our sports department, the managing editor for sports (and later features). She had the job for 19 years ... until this week.
      Cancer took her from us Monday night at age 56. Only a few people knew what she dealt with, health-wise, the past year and a half; she was a private person, until the end never one to call attention to herself.
         She was one of the kindest, unselfish, most charitable, well-rounded, interesting people I've known. All class.
         She was a fighter for her department, for her people. She told management -- and people complaining about a newspaper story or item -- how it was. She was honest, but she was fair and so darned compassionate.
         I am writing this for those who never had the privilege of knowing Celeste and, better yet, working with her.
         Because those of us who did, at the Star-Telegram and far beyond (she was well-traveled until this became her home), already know this.
          She was so beloved and respected. We were loyal because she was loyal. We had a department full of high achievers and standards, just as Celeste wanted.
         Facebook has been filled with tributes to her, beginning shortly after the news became public early Tuesday morning. Believe me, literally hundreds of people feel the same gratitude for her that Bea and I do.
         The obituary, by Jeff Caplan in the Star-Telegram, was as beautiful, as touching, as any obit I've read. The link is at the bottom of this piece. You should read it.
         In my decade at the paper, we might have had as many as 150 people working in sports in some role (I'm not kidding; when I arrived in December 2001, we were "fat" in personnel).
         The great majority of those people wrote posts, or notes, on Facebook to explain how Celeste impacted their careers and their lives. Many were very well-written; these were coming from talented journalists, after all.
         That talent, put together in large part by Celeste, produced a sports section that for at least seven years was among the best in the country. Damn right I'm bragging.
---
         It was a tough week. When I first saw the news on Facebook early Tuesday, we were getting ready to go to the downtown YMCA for a yoga class. And we went ... after I got through sobbing.

         Cannot tell you how many times I teared up reading Facebook, or choked up talking to friends on the phone.
         But with those tears came smiles, seeing the many beautiful photos of Celeste posted all week, always with her own dazzling smile.  
         The best moment -- more tears -- might have been Wednesday night when the Texas Rangers had a pregame moment of silence in Celeste's memory, and posted her photo -- with longtime partner David Martindale -- on the video boards.
          Gosh, that was wonderful.
---
          Late in 2001, I was job-hunting (again), ready to leave Knoxville. I had a Star-Telegram connection, from the Shreveport Journal days, and maybe that helped. 
          Celeste was the latest in a long line to come to my rescue, and I had no history with her.
          We traded e-mails, and she didn't have any fulltime openings but she invited me to come for a visit -- and a tryout -- if I was in the area.
          I did have another job opportunity at the small paper in Marshall, Texas, and a chance for a golf-magazine job in Orlando. So I went to Shreveport to visit the folks and interviewed in Marshall, where I was offered a job (not in sports).
          Then I came to Fort Worth, met Celeste and the assistant sports editors, and on the night of Oct. 5, 2001, my "tryout" became memorable.
         It was the night before the Texas-Oklahoma football game -- the Red River Rivalry -- and the night that Barry Bonds hit his 71st home run of the 2001 baseball season, breaking Mark McGwire's single-season record. The Star-Telegram sports department had planned a special section if that happened ... and, in the first inning, the plan went into effect.
         Wow. What a massive effort that night. I'd never seen such an operation -- so many people in one department (copy editors, designers, writers), so many sports pages (with zoned high school pages and the Bonds special section, it must have been 35 pages), so many stories to work.
         Vince Langford, one of the very best copy editors I worked with in 45 years and eventually one of my best friends at the S-T, was assigning the stories. Because I work fairly fast, he kept piling them on. Think I worked 16 stories that shift.
         (Because it was so much work, people in the department thought it would scare me away. Michele Machado laughingly has told me they agreed "he won't be back." They did not know how badly I needed -- and wanted -- the job.)
         I must have made a good impression because Celeste soon offered me a chance to come to Fort Worth on a "contract" basis (40 hours a week, good pay, but no benefits).
         I told Bea "this is a great place, a helluva department" and this was my choice, not Marshall. She had trepidation about the pace of the Metroplex, but Jason was living and working in Dallas, and we would be close enough to drive over and help out my parents, who were getting older.
         When I started -- Dec. 21 -- Celeste promised me that "as soon as we get a fulltime opening, we'll give you the job." It took only two weeks.
         It turned out to be crucial, especially the benefits.  Because a few months later, Bea -- who had been having bouts of severe illness -- was found to have colon cancer. After an operation and chemo, she -- thank God -- made it through. There was a recurrence four years later, but pinpoint radiation worked perfectly, and here she is 15 years later.
         What if we had not had health insurance?
         So that was one Celeste favor, among many. That April, 2002, we had tickets to go to the Masters. Many bosses would have said, no you can't do that because you are new here. Not Celeste; she was fine with it. Just as she told me to take all the time I needed after my parents' deaths.
         And here is a typical Celeste story. She was an avid reader -- one of her many, many interests. She would give Bea and me books (she oversaw the paper's book page and reviews) and she always wanted to know about our book-club meetings. Once she came to the apartments to join in. This will surprise no one at the S-T: She brought food and treats to share with the group.
---                  
        I was fortunate to be part of some very good sports staff with supportive management at The Honolulu Advertiser in 1980-81, Shreveport Journal in 1982-87, and Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville) in 1988-93. Much fun and good people -- good friends -- in each place, and much to like, too, at the Knoxville News Sentinel (1995-2001).
        All sweet spots to an extent, but not like here in Fort Worth. This was a big-league operation -- more resources, more people -- and Celeste was a big-league sports editor and leader.
        I had as many friends here at this paper as any place I've been, except maybe Woodlawn High. The work was challenging, but so much fun. And this was home, the right place to finish a career.
        My role for a decade was sports copy editor, plus on college football Saturdays and NFL Sundays, I was a writer, compiler of the national roundups. So I had a few bylines.
        Celeste at times asked my opinion about stories and writers. She had a mostly open door, so we'd visit briefly before and during many shifts. Had to go in for my candy fix -- one Celeste trademark was she kept a large stash of candy in her office, and many indulged. Too many miniature Mr. Goodbars and Tootsie Roll Pops for me.
        As she did with a lot of people, we had gentle conversations about the paper and life.
        She could be fierce, though, (profane even) about complaining callers, especially people from area college or pro teams. She and I talked politics a lot; again, she could be outspoken, but we Demos agreed on almost everything. She would be appalled these days.
        She must have known how intense a worker I could be, how loud and -- uh -- brash, that flying words and objects were a distinct possibility. She, and everyone, knew I also would keep things light and crazy. I don't miss working; I do miss the fun and the laughter.
        I was admonished a few times for my outlandishness. But the only time Celeste scolded me -- mildly -- concerned a college/NFL story. It was no big deal.
        I am so grateful to so many people in that department. But it started with Celeste.
---
        The good times at the S-T began ending, and the section suffered, when layoffs began in April 2008. Not sure how many sets of layoffs there have been since, but I know that each time Celeste was more upset than the people who were leaving.
        The department of about 125 at one time -- including parttimers -- is down to about 25.
        In recent years, when I made a few visits to the office, Celeste was resigned to the changing business, but still intent on having her staff produce the best it could. She never gave up or gave in.
        I was fortunate that, at age 63, when my layoff time came in May 2011, I didn't mind. I was nearly ready to step aside anyway.
        Still, I asked Celeste about maybe working parttime. She said she could not rehire me until the turn of the year, "but in January, if you want a parttime job, you've got one."
        Because I wanted to cover high school football that fall, I was fortunate that The Dallas Morning News would give me that chance. Then, The Morning News also wanted me to work parttime on the sports desk. Fine. Driving to Dallas 2-3 times a week was ... well, OK.
         Then the Rangers made the World Series and one week I worked six days. 
         The DMN sports section long has been one of the country's best, and the people there are real pros, could not have been nicer to me. But it wasn't "home." And that drive to Dallas ...
          In early January, I called Celeste and she -- again -- fulfilled her promise. I went back to the Star-Telegram for another year of parttime work and, in the fall, high school football coverage. Loved it, and in late December, I'd had enough. That was the end of my career. Sweet.
---
         Typical of Celeste, she did not want a funeral service. Instead David and her sister are planning a party in the next couple of weeks. Because Celeste loved being host for a party or being part of one.
          A significant number of Star-Telegram people had a gathering in honor of Celeste last Tuesday night at Bobby V's, a restaurant/sports bar in Arlington. I expect the formal party will require a bigger room. 
         Back to the sweets. That healthy -- well, unhealthy -- supply of candy in her office, and my chocolate fetish likely led to that extra five pounds I've had for years (but, hey, it was an extra 25 for a while). Let's blame Celeste.
         Plus, all that pizza and chicken -- and all those birthday cakes -- she had brought in for us on "big event" nights or special-section duty ... or whatever. I don't think those were in the S-T budget; I suspect they were from the personal Celeste budget.
         The deaths of so many friends, it seems, affects us more and more as we get older. This one really hurt.
         It has been so gratifying to see the tremendous response by Celeste's friends, especially the Star-Telegram family. She was our sweet spot.
         As so many have in the past week, I say "thank you" to my boss, but better yet, our dear friend. We were so blessed she was there for us, and we cherish what she gave us.
 ---
     http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/article149600944.html