Gordon Luther with CCN' half a century . | v •>; 50 years of printer's ink in his blood 1 By LOWELL G. RINKER into staying on for awhile. The through envelopes and letter­ worked for the newspaper. Vaughn, Schuyler Marshall, Ink ing space bands for the lino­ Editor "awhile" stretched into another heads to complicated booklets. "An awful lot of changes have White and now Steven Hopko. types and washing up presses. They say that when printer's 25 years as of Wednesday. He operates all of the letter­ taken place since I started in Some of the people who worked ' World War 1 was on, and school ink gets in your blood, no at­ press equipment in the down­ here," Luther recalled during at the paper when Luther started days were irregular—sometimes tempts at washing it out will NOV. 1 MARKED THE start stairs back shop except Ihe lino­ conversation Saturday afternoon. are still living, and he recalls lasting a whole day, other times really work. of the 51st year of service to type. He hasn't had much ex­ There was constant improvement them easily—Merlyn Black of St. a half and sometimes not even Gordon Luther, the veteran the Clinton County News by perience on the relatively new in equipment which the paper Johns, Black's sister, Jean Hart, opening, for a week. Fuel was mainstay of the Clinton County Luther. He's 64. That's getting offset press, but he's confident used; the upstairs portion of who now lives In California, and rationed. News' commercial printing staff, close to retirement age, but he could run it if he had to., the newspaper buil'ding changed Paul Sowles. Glenn Tupper "I finally talked to Vaughn has found that out. Back in 1942, printer's ink has become so much Despite the rapid rise in pop­ from use as a dance hall to a worked here when Marshall and told him I was tired of Luther had completed 25 years a part of his blood now that Luther ularity of offset printing, Luther school room, to nurses' dorm­ owned the paper; .he now lives monkeying around between school of service with the newspaper, says he will keep working des­ itory, to a garment works; the in California and runs a paper doesn't yet foresee the demise of v and work, not knowing when I and he told then-publisher pite having passed his "golden letterpress. "Letterpress will newspaper publication date was there. was going to do what," Luther Schuyler Marshall he was going anniversary in printing." always have a place," he said. pushed forward from Thursday recalls. "Vaughn said he would to retire and go into farming on Luther is the mainstay in the "There are a lot of printing printing to Wednesday printing . LUTHER STARTED his print­ make arrangements for me to the 60 acres of land he owned. Job printing department. He keeps jobs that can't be run offset." and now to Tuesday night print­ ing career as a printer's devil finish my education as a printer But he didn't. the Miehle verticle press or the ing; and of course people change. at the age of 14 in 1917,as an if I wanted to. I got a release Those were war years, and Heldelburg press rumbling con­ OFFSET PRINTING is just one Through it all, however, Luther eighth grader at Greenwood from school and started full time printing help was hard to come stantly, turning out everything of the changes that have taken has worked under only four dif­ School northwest of St. Johns. in January 1918 after my first ' by, and Marshall talked Luther from simple business cards place in the 50 years Luther has ferent publishers —Coleman C. His first tasks included clean­ (See 50 YEARS, Page 3-A) 50-Year Printer Gordon Lufher 112th Year, No. 28 ST. JOHNS, MICHIGAN — THURSDAY, November 2, 1967 2 SECTIONS - 34 PAGES 15 Cents Girl Scouts buy 2-car crash 135 acres for kills local camp near here man,hurts2 - - The-Michlga'^Teapttai jGirl '•new'campsite with Miss Stetser. by the troops an~d"othep-groups; . A. St., Johns man was killed and two„,other St. Johns people Scouts Council haspurchased 135 It was their third of four ses­ other outbuildings wiil be used seriously injured early Sunday morning when two autos crunched acres of land .southwest of St. sions of a basic leadership train­ for storage. head-on into each other on M-21 a half-mile east of Lowell Johns "to use as anoutdoor camp­ ing course. .V""' *" '.'•_ The, three-bedroom home on Roadin Bengal Township. ._ ing site-the fourth such facility ' "Troop's 'are free to come but the-farm will be rented out. The Pronounced' dead at the scene of the accident was Chester for Girl Scouts in the council. and use the site now," Miss tillable land between .Parks Road L. English, 31-, of 109 S. Lansing Street, St. Johns. He was driver The council took possession of Stetser said, "but we would ap­ and the woods to the south is of a car going east on M-21, the former Leon Hoppes farm on preciate the leaders checking still a question mark, and the Seriously Injured and taken immediately to St. Lawrence Parks Road west of Grove Road first with the office in Lansing camp board Monday night may Hospital in Lansing were the driver of the other auto, Jack Oct, 16. The property includes so that the dates won't conflict also make some decisions on McCurry, 19, of 106 N. Mead both tillable and wooded land and with work crews who will be whether to rent it out or per­ Street, St. Johns, and his passen­ is crossed at the south end by coming in fairly regularly now." haps plant it to trees for future ger, Betty Motz, 18, of R-2, Stoney Creek. A house and sev­ campers' use. Walker Road, St. Johns. emHK:ir:r « *K i eral outbuildings are located SOME OF THE FIRST work The wooded area has a mix­ They were both described as along Parks Road. to be done Includes cleaning out ture of trees, and Miss Stetser Passersby help to comfort Jack McCurry, 19, of St. Johns as he sits pinned in "serious condition" yet late Janet Stetser, district advisor a large barn' and several other said the council plans to continue in the wreckage of his automobile on M-21 early Sunday morning. It took Tuesday morning. for the Girl Scouts, said Monday outbuildings on the farm. The with a planting of a mixture of the council hopes to use the prop­ barn will be converted for use trees on the property. nearly an hour to free him from the car. He and a passenger, Betty Motz, THE ACCIDENT occurred erty for Girl Scout troops the 19, of rural St.' Johns were both seriously injured, and the driver of the other about 2:45 a.m., EST. Sheriff's year around. Considerable tree deputies R ay Terpening and plantings, plus cleanup of the car involved was killed. Bruce Wilcox reported Mr Eng­ wooded area and the building of lish was driving east on M-21 latrines are planned in the near First winter storm and McCurry was traveling west. future. Evidence of skid marks, glass, metal and oil point to the im­ THE CAMPSITE HASN'T yet pact being in the westbound lane, been named. The council's vol­ hits trees hard they reported. unteer board and camp board will A few dirty clods of snow worked In full force Friday The English-car bounced an­ meet at the farm next Monday were still left Tuesday morn­ night and all day Saturday, and other 135 feet east and came to afternoon and evening to look over ing to remind Clinton County a partial force worked part of a stop crossways in the center the property more closely, and a residents what they went through Sunday to complete repairs, of the highway. It was nearly name may be picked then. last Friday in bidding winter a St. Johns street crews are struck by another car driven by It will be the fourth such camp­ dubious welcome. still picking up brush along Ken Penix of St, Johns; he sum­ CHESTER L.ENGLISH site that the Girl Scout council A snow storm Friday dumped city streets. They were sched­ moned sheriff's deputies and am­ operates. Others are "Deer about 7 1/2 Inches of heavy, wet uled to do that anyway Friday, bulances. behind the wheel of his car. It Trails," 201 acres north of Har­ snow'all over Clinton County, but then the snow came and Both drivers were pinned in took considerable time, too, rison; Hunter Lake Camp, 165 causing an unestimated amount knocked down so many more their demolished cars. Officers again with the two wreckers, be­ of damage to trees (some of branches and limbs that they and others worked for over an fore Mr English's car could be Related picture and which still had leaves on) and still aren't caught up. hour with two wreckers before pulled apart enough to remove story on Page 13-A power and telephone lines. Ironically, the city's first sup­ being able to free McCurry from his body. The storm came a week ear­ ply of salt for the streets—40 acres five miles north of Green­ lier than the first winter storm tons worth—arrived the after­ ST. JOHNS FIREMEN were ville; and the Looking Glass last year,' People \yere taken noon of the storm.