links into the past..

these have little to do with anything, other than wanting them to be here so I can get to them later (becuase I know how useless my private filing system is….).

John Allen, Father of Newspaper Design:

Excerpt:

“The new typographical dress is termed streamlined because it

has simplicity and grace; because it eliminates all obstacles

to legibility both in heads and body type, and because it

represents the last word from the type founodries of the

land.”<28>

The change did not go unnoticed as Frank Rospaw, then

publisher of the _Placentia_ (Calif.) _Courier_ and president

of the California Newspaper Publishers’ Association, wrote:

“There is a lesson for all California publishers in the

action of the _Times_…If it can entirely redesign its

format, make a more readable product, and sell it, surely

smaller newspapers can clean up their products. Throw away

the old condensed head letters, buy or use some of the open

faces now in the shop, get larger body type, whiten up all

the pages. Give readers a new readable product.”<29>

Recognition of the improved appearance of the _Times_ wasn’t

limited to California for “the year after the change, 1937,

the _Times_ achieved the supreme accolade of first prize in

the annual Ayer Award.”<30> That award was significant not

only for the _Times,_ but also for Allen and his efforts.

“From that moment the Allen revolution never looked

back.”<31>

On the creation of Orange Coast College:

These things were reported to Congressman Phillips in his office, where Mrs. Phillips and Mr. Frank Rospaw, the Placentia publisher and 32nd Agricultural District supporter, were interested listeners. Mr. Phillips said that Willis Warner was working for a water district at the Base, and that Messers Clay Kellogg and Glenn Woolley were seeking to acquire a site for the Fair Grounds including the warehouses at the Base.

Stanford Axe Stolen:

(Following is an eye-witness account of the Axe theft last night. Cecil Rospaw, Daily Reporter, who saw the burglars take the Axe, was the only witness beside Bill Steif, Cellar counterman and Daily night editor, who was on duty alone at the time) “I was walking down to the Cellar to buy a pack of cigarettes,” said Cecil Rospaw, an ex-G.I., “when I saw two men coming out of the Cellar and struggling with a large, bulky object.

An Axe to Grind:

The leader was wearing a Stanford jacket, said Cecil Rospaw, an eye witness. “As he jumped into the pickup truck he said, `We just want to borrow this for a gag,’ ” Rospaw said.

(and for those wondering what the hell this has to do with anything, Frank Rospaw is my paternal grandfather, and Cecil, his son, is my dad. and yes, my last name is not the same as my parents. sort of)

downtown placentia:

historic picture of downtown placentia, showing the location of my dad’s (and grandad’s) newspaper office. By the time I was old enough to care, the paper had moved into the spot marked 35 (Albers Feeds), where it stayed until dad sold out in the late 70′s. At some point, the front was remodelled to two front doors, and the right side became a barber, then later, it was made office space for the paper. After the paper was sold, te building was various things, and my family eventually sold it in the 80′s.

You might also want to read:

  1. Today’s Shared Links for October 28, 2011 On the death of book publishers and other middlemen Marg: Princess Warrior’s Greatest Hits Ave Water Bottle Photo Shoot When Pre-Visualization meets Reality More Than...
  2. Today’s Shared Links for April 15, 2011 E-Books See Enormous Growth As Paper Book Sales Dive Craigslist Apartments...
  3. Links! getcha photography links right here! A few weeks ago, stalkers readers who were watching closely might have noticed some experiments I did looking at tools to auto-post links that I...
  4. Award-winning Inuit artist lets viewers glimpse pain of her past Award-winning Inuit artist lets viewers glimpse pain of her past: An upcoming Art Gallery of Alberta show will feature a selection of cutting-edge contemporary drawing...
  5. My dad steals “the axe” This URL might seem strange, but — Cecil Rospaw is actually my father. My family’s traditional name is Von Rospach, which traces back a few...