Looking Back - Forty Years Of The Gazette
As the ADBA
staff prepared to publish this Winter - 2015
issue of the APBT Gazette, we were not prepared when
we realized that we have had that privilege for the last 40
years. Where have the years gone? I don’t feel any older.
As we reflected the years and the memories began to form
into verbal comments, various voices in the office would
pop into a conversation with, “Do you remember?” And
even began to verbally interrupt each other as the memories
flowed into words.
Memories of the long hours spent together, after working
eight hours, (the week ends too), preparing the advertisement
and article headings. Memories of using those piles of pages
of plastic rub off lettering, carefully placing them, perfectly
spaced, and straight. The numerous waste baskets filled to
the brim with crumpled up typewritten papers. The empty
white cover-up liquids by the dozens of bottles and tubes. No
correction key available then; this time before computers.
Each of us together at the long table, working until we
giddy and then laughing uncontrollably from countless
hours spent looking at hundreds of black and white photos
4
(colored ones were unnecessary as the magazine was only
printed in black and white). Ignoring the fatigue, until we
were snapped back to the reality of facing the publishers
deadline. Hours of dedication and enjoyment were spent.
We laughed as we remembered the times we had mentally
prepared to receive the phone calls of those readers with
“How come you didn’t print my photo of my dog? (The
one of the coal black dog blending into the background
of a midnight black automobile). Yes, it happened many
times. Ralph was always available for calls of protest and
complaints but he listened, which seemed to turn the tide
of anger, and before the calls concluded, we could hear
the laughter and sense of camaraderie between Ralph
and the irritable ca