OAT

OAT stands for Of All Things. This is an homage to Dick Bothwell. Dick was a feature writer for the St.Petersburg Times Newspaper located in St.Petersburg Florida. His articles appeared in the Evening Independent newspaper and then later in the Times. I worked with Dick in the day room of the paper back in the early 60's. I just loved his matter of fact style of writing and his grasp of the obvious. He just had a unique way of delivering the information sort of tongue in cheek most times. Hence the title of his feature. Of All Things. Dick was also one of my fathers favorite news men and he read his article first when he got the paper in the evenings. When my dad found out that I was working in the same office as Dick, he asked me 100 questions about him and the office and what it was like working with him. I think my dad really liked the man, but he never met him.
I progressed through the ranks of the paper from paper delivery boy operating from my mobile office and delivery vehicle, a Schwinn bicycle. My next office was the day room cubby called the copy room where copy boys whooshed in and out at the speed of desperation powered by the threat of losing your job and therefore what little income you had coming in. A little later, I became head copy boy and got the opportunity of being scrutinized by the one armed pirate named Harry Sulthas (sic) over the years, I am now not sure of the spelling of his last name, my apologies to his family. But be assured that I now look back on that time with fondness. He was a crusty curmudgeon, an imposing figure over 6 ft. tall and about 250 lbs. with curly jet black hair and a barrel chest presiding over the copy boys, the teletype machines, the fax machines, and all the copy and other paper stuffs that seemed to be in constant orbit about the room and sometimes seemed to be whirling about his head like a blurred crown. I can still hear his gravelly bass voice booming above the din of the teletype machines; tat tat tat tat tat tat...dit dit dit dit dit..whirrr... ding ding ding ding!!! ALERT!!!ALERT!!! DING DING DING! " COPYYYYYYY!!! " Woe be unto you if that series of dings and alerts went to the third repitition because the pirate himself would be in front of the poor machine clamering for attention and if he had to tear off the copy, someones head would roll! Don't be thinking that these faxcimile machines were like the ones we are familiar with nowadays. Oh no, these were the wire services machines that transmitted at all times of the day or night. The teletype machine was a typewriter with keyboard and paper in the platen from a roll that neede to be changed constantly. The fax machines were black and white picture transmitting machines that were line printers. A photo was feed in one city and a light sensitive receiver scanned the photo one line at a time and printed with dots, a line by line photo on the receiving end. A long and boring process which I found fascinating. Just watching a picture apear one line at a time made up of only dots. Seeing him operate with one arm and doing what we boys were just able to do with two was awe inspiring. Someone said that he lost his arm in The War. Someone suggested that he lost his arm in an accident. Whatever the truth, he never let it slow him down or become a disability.
What does all this have to do with Dick Bothwell you might ask? This was meant to set the stage so that you could just get a small glimpse of the goings on around him that he reveled in and worked in for over 35 years in the newspaper business. This is not even including all the clackety clack of the numerous typewriters on desks all around him
and the many impromptu consultations of his colleagues and the telephones ringing constantly, being answered and voices raised in animated one sided conversations to the unseen informants and sources. Even though he was a senior member of the news staff, he did not want an office of his own, he insisted on sitting out in the middle of the day room with the other writers to absorb the energy. Plus, the above, I hope, is in the style of Dicks writing and reflects his style. After all, he is the one who got me interested in writing with his gentle ways and his matter of fact delivery. Dick was one of the nicest and most memorable people that I have ever met.
I actually had the responsibility of doing the Pelican Pete short weather piece that appeared on the top margin of the front page that gave the most basic stats for the days forcast. I also ended up doing the obituairies in B section. I didn't write but a few of the obits, mostly I did layout and paste up and had to take them to the linotype chief for setup and printing.After a while, I ended up being the personal gofer for Henrietta Poynter, wife of the Editor in chief and owner of the paper, Nelson Poynter. She is really the one who ran the day to day operation of the papers (Times and Independent) that furnished most of the Tampa Bay area with their news. The Tampa Tribune was just gaining on the Times for readers at that time. The daily distribution was from Jacksonville and Pensacola in the North down to Miami and Key West in the South.
I suppose that this is sort of a trip down memory lane and my way of telling a little of my life when I was a boy growing up in Florida. For those of you who don't know any of that, sorry if it seems a little boring. For those who are interested, you are welcome for the information. I will try to create a little side bar column that will in the future contain information about events and times and attitudes of my life growing up in the 50's and 60's (I was there for a little of the 40's too but was pretty young and don't really remember much of that.) So now you understand the title of the blog, Prattles and Poems.


And now to end with a little poem after all my prattling.

When in danger or in doubt,
run in circles,
scream and shout!
And when all those about you are losing their head,
pull the covers up under your chin and stay in bed.
Don't be fooled by shouts of doom,
or swayed by folks wearing looks of gloom.
Just turn the music up louder and stay in your room.