Off The Record

by Bob Olszewski

It’s embarassing to admit, but there was a time when I had no clue who Bill Gleason was. But thanks to a circulation drive here at the paper about 25 years ago, I received an unforgettable introduction from the man himself.

A longtime Beverly resident who spent more than 60 years working in Chicago sports journalism, Gleason died Jan. 3 at Elmhurst Medical Center at the age of 87. Gleason moved to Beverly in 1956 and lived in the community for 45 years.

Even though Gleason became the sports editor of the Southtown Economist at age 19 and went on to posts at the Chicago American, South Bend Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and the Daily Southtown, I knew nothing of him when I started at The Beverly Review as a young buck right out of college who basically fell into the job of editor in chief/general manager at age 23.

When my family bought The Review in 1984, it was in dire straits. Everything about the paper was pretty much in a shambles, and that included its recordkeeping. In purchasing the paper, we got the rights to the name, some old office furniture and equipment, outdated typesetting machines and a really old vertical camera to shoot halftones and graphics. We also got a mailing list of “subscribers,” people who received the paper in the mail. That list was as outdated as I was inexperienced.

Supposedly, we had purchased a list of 10,000. But as the first weeks and months went by, it was apparent that circulation was another of the neglected departments at the paper.

There were lots of duplicate names and people who were no longer at the address. During that time, we took off about 2,000 worthless addresses. But, at least there were still people out there who were getting the paper, and at that point, that was all that mattered.

But a couple of weeks after my sister and I took over the management of the paper from my dad, we got a visit from an auditor with the U.S. Postal Service. He told us that because we had a 2nd-class postal permit to mail our papers, we had to conform to certain guidelines. The main one was that at least 51 percent of a 2nd-class publication’s mail go to people who had actually paid or requested the publication be sent to them. Just kindly show the auditor the records of payments from subscribers, and he could verify the requirement was being met and be on his way.

Well, thank God that man, Monroe McCarrell, was not only a consummate professional, he was kind and patient because the circulation records were woefully inadequate. He told us we had to get the records in order, but until then he would postpone his audit and allow us to continue to mail the paper at the less expensive 2nd-class rate. That was a lifesaver for the paper, and for that, Mr. McCarrell receives lifetime membership in The Beverly Review Hall of Fame, as well as a solid bid for its Hall of Saints.

It was at that time that we decided to continue The Beverly Review as a paid-circulation paper, meaning people would have to pay for a subscription in order to get the paper. The alternative was just to send it to everybody and hope that advertising revenue could keep the paper going, and that just didn’t seem plausible.

So to prepare for the postal audit, we went about getting the circulation records in order. At the time we discovered that out of a list of about 8,000, 90 people were verified as paying for their subscription in the past year. We then did several mailings to people on the list. We informed them that we were happy they read the paper, but they would have to pay to continue reading it.

That’s when I was introduced to Bill Gleason.

The initial mailings we did were somewhat amateurish, but they got the message across and included a portion to fill out and send in with a check. We were so grateful that hundreds of people sent in their checks. One of them was from Gleason.

I probably still have his response somewhere, but I couldn’t find it before deadline, so I will recall Gleason’s message from memory, which I’m proud to say remains relatively intact for now.

On the form Gleason returned was a handwritten note from this well-known journalist, who I, being a total greenhorn, didn’t know at all.

“Since I root for anybody starting a publishing venture, here is my payment,” Gleason wrote. “Enclosed is my card.”

I looked for a business card, but found none—only a Harold Baines White Sox trading card. I wondered who this goof was sending in a baseball card as his calling card. But when I found out he was a big shot in the sports world and an avid Sox fan, I had a good laugh. Not to mention, I felt kind of important that someone of his stature thought we were worth $12/year to read our paper. Of course, from then on, I was a big fan of Gleason.

But thinking back on that note, I always just considered him to be a true newspaperman, even though he started Chicago Sports Magazine and later created a Sunday afternoon radio show called “The Sports Writers.” The popular program moved to TV 10 years later where it was produced by Chicago-based SportsChannel and syndicated to most other SportsChannel affiliates in the country.

Gleason always wore his fedora and would often smoke cigars during the program. I thought he looked like someone right out of the old movies, a newspaper reporter with grit and a dry sense of humor. No wonder “The Sports Writers on TV” enjoyed a run of 15 years.

I always equated him to another local newspaperman who liked our paper. The late Ed Rooney was a longtime Beverly resident and a Chicago journalism great.

Guys like Rooney and Gleason are almost a thing of the past, but we all owe people like them a debt of gratitude for keeping us informed about the city we love.

Gleason loved sports, both playing them when he was younger and reporting on them through the years. His colleagues said he was a tough editor who demanded excellence from his people, and he got it. He had a loving family and lots and lots of fans.

I didn’t know it until he died, but Gleason was also a World War II Veteran and Silver Star recipient.

I’m honored I got to “meet” Bill. When I grow up, I want to be just like Bill Gleason, a guy who loves his family, his country, his community, sports and journalism.

To honor Gleason, memorial contributions may be made to the Peter Dunne Scholarship Fund, c/o ICHS, 217 Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst, IL 60126; Haymarket Center, 932 West Washington, Chicago, IL 60607; or Misericordia Heart of Mercy, 6300 N. Ridge, Chicago, IL 60660.

This is part of the February 3, 2010 online edition of The Beverly Review.

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