September  9, 2020,  Page 9

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

 

Extracted by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

 

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Clark County News

June 20, 1940

 

(80 years ago)

Press Honored Nationally For Service to Community

Two First Awards are Presented at New York Meet Recognized for Service and for Circulation Accomplishment

 

 

NEW YORK, June 17– Two first awards were made to The Clark County Press of Neillsville, Wisconsin, at the opening session of the national convention of the National Editorial Association. They were in Community Service and Circulation Accomplishment. In making the presentation, Prof. Charles L. Allen of the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, made highly commendatory references to the character of work which this newspaper is doing, and directed the special attention of the delegates to the presentations of that newspaper, which were exhibited in connection with the convention.

 

The award in Community Service was known in advance to Wells F. Harvey, the publisher, who had journeyed to New York to receive it. But the award in Circulation Accomplishment was a surprise to him, especially because of the further highly commendatory words which were spoken by Prof. Allen in making the unexpected award. A word of warm personal congratulation on the circulation work was also made by Arne Rae, secretary of the National Editorial Association, who had opportunity to study the fi les and other showings made in the volume exhibited by The Clark County Press.

 

The award in Circulation Accomplishment was based upon the subscription campaign of 1939, the Youths’ March of Progress. This work won first honors in the Wisconsin state convention and has now won national recognition because of the constructive nature, since it builds good will for a newspaper through affording a real opportunity to children and young people.

 

The awards were received by Mr. Harvey in person, amidst the applause of not a few of his old friends in New York and vicinity.

 

The plaques received by The Clark County Press are highly artistic, being suitable for hanging upon the wall. The one in Community Service, presented by the School of Journalism of the University of Missouri, reads: “National Newspaper Contests, Community Service, Weekly Division, First Ward, The Clark County Press, presented by the school of Journalism, University of Missouri.”

 

The plaque in Circulation Accomplishment reads: “N.E.A. National Newspaper Contests; Circulation Accomplishment, 1940; First Ward, Clark County Press; presented by Circulation Management Magazine.”

 

The awards were received by Wells F. Harvey, senior editor of The Press, on behalf of himself and the other members of the organization, all of whom had contributed to the service thus nationally recognized. Present with Mr. Harvey was his wife, a member of The Press organization.

 

The occasion was in the nature of a homecoming to Mr. and Mrs. Harvey, who were greeted by old friends in and out of business of advertising, printing and publishing. Because of the coincidence of such a presentation under such circumstances, Howard W. Palmer of Greenwich, Conn., president of the National Editorial Association, had extended invitations to a considerable number of old friends and business associates of Mr. Harvey. The list included Mortimer Berkowitz, president and general manager of The American Weekly, of which Mr. Harvey was business manager from 1930-1937; Abe Merritt, editor-in-chief, George Shor, director of research, Irving Davis, director of promotion, and Perry Long, production manager of The American Weekly; the Hon. George Carter, formerly Public Printer of the United States; Edward Epstein, chairman of the board and Clarence Epstean, general manager of the Walker Engraving Company; James W. Brown, publisher of Editor and Publisher; J. L. Fearing, vice-president of the International Paper Company.

 

Included also were friends and neighbors of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey in their old Westchester County home; Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Johnson of White Plains, whose guests they were on the present visit; the Rev. John D. Gregory, pastor of the Rye Presbyterian Church, and Mrs. Gregory; A. L. Ashby, trustee of Olivet College and vice president of the national Broadcasting company; William Cunningham, trustee of Olivet and advertising representative of True Story magazine; B.A. Caparell, assistant sales manager of King Features; Ed Dolbey Jr., of the McNaught syndicate, with Mrs. Dolbey; Miss Rolfe Halsted, who was Mr. Harvey’s secretary; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lux (Mrs. Lux being the daughter, Frances, of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey); Mr. and Mrs. G. G. Lockhardt; Otto S. Schairer of Bronxville, vice president of the Radio Corporation of America, with Mrs. Schairer.

 

The list also included John Donald, president of the Graphic Arts Society of New York, and Frederick Goudy, type designer, whose Goudy type was used in the various presentations of The Clark County Press for the present year.

 

The award to The Clark County Press was made in connection with the Better Newspaper Contests, conducted nationally by the National Editorial Association. In the contests for 1940 entries were made by 425 weekly, semi-weekly and daily newspapers. The contests are conducted in several different classifications, each newspaper choosing for itself the classes which it will enter. The classification of Community Service is perhaps the most difficult, as it calls for an extensive display of proof of the service claimed to have been rendered. In this classification 24 weeklies and four dailies considered that they had a record worthy of the competition.

 

The presentations of The Clark County Press were in the form of large volumes, the size of a newspaper page, beautifully printed upon deckle-edged paper and artistically bound. The Community Service volume contained hundreds of clippings, many complete copies of the newspaper, textual explanation of projects and editorial purpose, letters of commendation. This presentation will be on display throughout the convention at Hotel Roosevelt, New York City, where it is being seen and studied by the delegates.

 

The presentations referred to above were printed and bound in The Press office at Neillsville. They, and the services represented by them, were the result of the joint effort of the entire press organization, consisting in addition to the members of the Harvey family, of Minnie Wepfer, Clarence DeCremer, John and Clifford Anton and Henry Ott. Members of the family who participated in the effort, associated with Mr. and Mrs. Harvey, were Robert in news, Jack in promotion and Wells Jr. in photography.   

*****

Stage a “Man Hunt” For Men Not There

Car submerged in Creek Causes Three-Hour Search Sunday

 

A “man hunt” for two men who weren’t there was staged at the Arnold Creek Bridge near Hatfield late Sunday night as the aftermath of an automobile accident.

 

The hunt, which continued over a period of three hours, was started about 11:15 p.m. when William H. Noel and John Herian, both of Neillsville, discovered a venerable coupe lodged nose-down in the deep water of Arnold Creek, a few feet to the side of the bridge. Only six inches of the car remained above the water.

 

The two men stopped another car and started a search for the occupants. Finding no trace of them, and both doors of the coupe open, they had about decided to give up the search for survivors when undersheriff Herbert Olson arrived in response to a call by Ed Kutchera, tavernkeeper.

 

Under the direction of Mr. Olson, an unidentified Indian who happened along conducted a submarine search for the occupants, but to no avail. Finally, at about 2 a.m. they gave up the search temporarily, satisfied that the occupants had somehow escaped.

 

The basis for this belief was found in the assertion by Mr. Noel that two men had jumped into a car and started out just as he and Mr. Herian arrived at the scene. As it later appeared, they were the two men “who weren’t there”; for on Wednesday morning, Paul Whitedog and Irvin Blackdeer returned belatedly to their homes in Hatfield with their story of the accident. According to Whitedog, the accident was caused by the failure of a mechanical brake on a front wheel and by the poor condition of the road-bed. 

*****

Oldest Resident Awarded Certificate of Honor

 

When the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy recently awarded its certificate of honor as a “semi-centennialist” to George Sontag of Neillsville, it might also have awarded him a second “semi-centennialist” certificate.

 

Throughout the entire 50 years that he has held his pharmacist degree, Mr. Sontag has been identified with only one business, the C. C. Sniteman Company; and his record of service there goes back six years beyond his degree. It is another accomplishment that is worthy of recognition.

 

Starting as a lad of 16 years, Mr. Sontag entered the employ of the then youthful and energetic Charles C. Sniteman, but a few years after he had come to Neillsville to found the city’s first drug store. For six years, Mr. Sontag worked under Mr. Sniteman and then, when he was 22, he found it possible to enter the Eastern School. School in those early days was a matter of six months study and six months of vacation. Mr. Sontag spent his vacation periods in the drug store here.

 

Mr. Sontag’s residency in Neillsville is perhaps the longest of any living person. He has made the city his home for the last 71 years. Born in Fort Atkinson in 1868, Mr. Sontag came here with his parents when he was a year old and has lived here ever since.

 

A similar “semi-centennialist” certificate, one of the first given out by the Alumni Association of the Philadelphia school, was awarded to Mr. Sniteman a few years ago. He was graduated from the school in 1871 but was unable to receive his degree until he became 21 years old, in 1872. The certificate is awarded “in recognition of the completion of 50 years of outstanding public - spirited service in the fields of public health.”

 

George Sontag, left above, recently was awarded a certificate of honor as “semi-centennialist” of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. He has been identified with C.C. Sniteman, (right) who was awarded the “semi-centennialist” certificate a few years ago, for the last 58 years.  Clark  County Press Photo

 

*****

Gains Promotion

 

R. F. Thalner, son of Mrs. Ida Schoengarth and cousin of Judge O. W. Schoengarth of Neillsville, recently was appointed personnel manager for the Buick Motors division of General Motors Corp. at Flint, Mich. In taking over his new duties, Mr. Thalner also will be in charge of the plant protection division. His promotion climaxes more than 20 years of personal service work with the company. He joined the organization in 1919 as a safety inspector. Prior to the World War, he was connected with the Ford Motor Company, where he specialized in plant safety.

*****

Vote Resolution

 

The Kiwanis Club voted unanimously Monday night to send a resolution to the city council favoring the purchase of water treatment devices, the purchase of which was vetoed by Mayor H. J. Naedler a week ago.

*****

 

The new $35,000 O’Neill Creek Bridge on Hewett Street is pictured as it was opened to traffic last Saturday.

Photo from June 20, 1940 issue.

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