Working on the Week

I didn't write for the Middle School paper. Most of the regular writers for the Middle School paper (who remembers the name of the Middle School paper?) had been students at McDonogh for years (I think Roger Weinberg may have been the editor of the Middle School newspaper). When I entered the Upper School, Ted Miller '71 asked me if I would like to write for The Week. I'm not sure who the Editors were in 1968-1969, but McDonogh would know since there are archived editions of every year. I think I started as a frosh-soph football reporter and typist, became Index Editor (one job, tracking all the names mentioned in every Week all year long for the end of the year bound index of Weeks; if you did it week by week, it was an easy job.), moved up to Associate Editor or Features Editor, and was Co-Editor-in-Chief my senior year with Steve Tucker. By then, writing for the week was more than just an activity. It was much of my lifestyle. In order to publish a newspaper each week, there were regular assignments each night. Sunday night was a late night, receiving articles from various people, typing them, and sometimes writing additional articles if someone missed an assignment or submitted a poorly written article. The typed articles would be inserted in an envelope and left in a tray for one of the school's drivers to drop off at the printer in Parkville. By Monday afternoon, the galleys would be back and Monday night was spent laying out the issue, figuring out which articles went where and the captions and size and typefont. Tuesday night would be another review night for any final changes. Wednesday morning we would review the galleys with our advisor, Mr. Tom Harper, make any final changes if necessary, send them back to the printer and then the press run would begin. Friday mornings, the work detail would fold The Week's in the Upper School study hall. All parents and alums received copies in those days. Later on, during the tumultuous last days of the military, the alumni subscriptions were cancelled or substantially reduced. Sunday night, the cycle would start up again.