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Health & Fitness

The Greendale Review Newspaper - Beginnings Revisited - Part 1

The Greendale Review was Greendale's first newspaper and for the next year I will post stories from the early days of Greendale that were in the newspaper.

With this year being the 75th anniversary I thought it might be interesting as well as fun to look back at Greendale’s beginnings from the viewpoint of its own residents and local news stories of the day. Starting this week and then every Thursday through the end of the year, I will be posting humorous, relevant or just interesting stories from Greendale’s original newspapers.

Starting with the 15 page, first and only issue of The Greendale Bulletin from Wednesday August 24, 1938, Greendale had its own newspaper. It was hand typed on only one side of 8-1/2” x 11” pages with a hand drawn header and was mimeographed in quantity.  The Greendale Bulletin was started and published by volunteers from the journalism class under the direction of Edith L. Guyor ,  Acting-editor chief. The group was later known as the Journalism Club.

In the only issue of the Bulletin this plea was posted:

Find out what's happening in Greendalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

WANTED!!!!!

A name for our paper. We’ve wracked our brains over the matter, and burned plenty of midnight oil, and still it comes out “Bulletin”!

Find out what's happening in Greendalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There must be someone here in Greendale who can suggest something distinctive for a title, something befitting our own community newspaper.

We invite everyone in the village to submit his suggestions, and leave them in the box provided in the Village Hall, formerly designated the Administration Building.

After that first issue, the second edition would change with a new name and look for the next 12 page publication called The Greendale Review, on Saturday September 10, 1938.

In that first Review, the front page touted the new look and all of the work that went into producing the paper.

It also had these paragraphs concerning the new header and paper:

We must pay tribute to Mrs. Ruth Owens, who submitted and very capably executed the heading for the front cover. Mrs. Owens is also to be thanked for the name. (The Review Heading is attached)

Mr. Simek, of Angle Lane, is entitled to a very large vote of thanks by every one of us. Without his efforts and generosity, it is doubtful if we’d even have a paper by this time. He donated – out of his own pocketbook – the expensive zinc etching for the front cover, the printing, and also the paper for the first two editions. Many, many thanks, Mr. Simek. We think we can coast along on our own (plus a lot of subscriptions), now.

With our present staff, we are in a position to announce that “The GREENDALE Review” will be delivered every other Thursday, beginning Thursday, Sept. 22.

It would sure be a great piece of history to have that original zinc etching used for the header printing! The original Review was also hand typed and then mimeographed for distribution. The Bulletin and the first issue of The Greendale Review were delivered free to the residents with subsequent subscription copies at 4 cents each and the October 6, 1938 issue was the first one with advertisements.

The first time a listing of the Review staff came in the special "Thanksgiving Edition” on November 17, 1938 that was bound in a distinctive, brown colored, leather looking cardboard cover.

THE GREENDALE REVIEW

Published semi-monthly                                                                                                                                               A Free Press

STAFF

Chairman of Board of Publications…Harry Minnick, Managing Editor…Bramble Burke, Editor…Harold Huber, Business manager…Eugene Simek, Production Manager…Ella Miller, Advertising Manager…Edgar Owens, Circulation Manager…Ed Steller, Feature Editor…Elizabeth Ayers, Recreation Editor…Ray LeDuc, Sports Editor…Harold Botts, Art Editor…Ruth Owens, Co-op Editor…Paul Kegal, Management News…Rosa Donelson, School News…Genevieve Molthen, Secretary…Mardelle Ball, Mimeograph Operator…Mervin Ott, Typists: Katherine Willette and Mary Haskell.

I will end this post here and continue with a little more background about the paper next week.

Stay tuned!

Steve Peters

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