Last Night

A night with old friends from my days at The Gatepost at Framingham State College (now University).

Helen Heineman Lives!

 

 

Dr. Helen Heineman was an English professor when I attended Framingham State University (then Framingham State College). She later became President of the school. I never had her for a teacher, but I did interview her in 1994 her for a Gatepost feature story about her annual live reading of A Christmas Carol (which I also attended and enjoyed). This past Saturday, she was in attendance at the 90th birthday celebration celebration of The Gatepost. She sat at the nineties table with me and other friends. Many of us didn't recognize her until she was invited to speak. She was as attentive and as sharp as she was almost three decades ago.

Gatepost Sausage Party

 

 

No women editors from the nineties crew came to the Gatepost 90th Birthday celebration. Here are all the men who were in attendance. 

 

Above we have John Bulens, John Cox, me, Steve Katsos, Jason Portanova, Joe Murphy, Advisor Emeritus Desmond McCarthy and Bret Kerr,

All of us old AF.

Reunions

Best part of the reunion was talking to old classmates and fellow Gatepost editors. Bret Kerr's wife Corrie was nice enough to take this selfie in the Gatepost offices, which changed from its original location since I left.

My Saturday Back in Framingham

Framingham State University's The Gatepost turned ninety in March. This past weekend, we had the celebration. I was excited to visit the campus again. I could have parked in one of the commuter parking lots closer to the college center. I opted for the Maple lot at the bottom of Street Street so I could make the climb up the hill.

Took me back to days of heading to May Hall, where most of my classes were.

How About That?

I've been invited by Framingham State to a celebration of its student newspaper turning ninety.

Worked on that rag for four years. Since graduating, I've been interviewed by its staff once and asked to write again for it once. I've also attended two similar reunion/celebration gatherings.

This one should be interesting.

The Gatepost Turns Ninety

When I worked on the student newspaper for Framingham State University, it was still called Framingham State College. I contributed to the 80th anniversary celebration of The Gatepost ten years ago. Now they're celebrating their ninetieth anniversary with an article that interviews several of my former colleagues including Bret Kerr, Joe Murphy, Suzanne McDonald, Phil LeClare and Steve "I'm the only reason most of you are reading this" Katsos.  

It's a nice read for me, but I wish they could interview some of the younger generation and ask questions like, "How do you feel about spending your college years in the world of print journalism after it lost all credibility in the early 2000's and started to die a slow death that miraculously and horrifically continues to this day?"

On "Yeehaw" Jokes

Regarding today's American Haiku:

My first "Yeehaw" joke that was unrelated to "The Dukes of Hazard" was told back in 1993. I was Comics Editor of The Gatepost, Framingham State College's student newspaper (still it now that it's a university, last I checked). I just found out I was picked to attend a journalism conference in Texas. 

I put my caricatured face on a the state of texas (ah, the days of abused clip art) and declared "Yeeha! Ah'ma going to Texas!" in a small section of my pages.

My editor had me tone it down a it. No putting "Ah'm." That was valid.

I don't remember making a "Yeeha" joke since then. Not even when I went on a mechanical bull in a Providence night club.

I think over twenty years between each "Yeeha" joke is acceptable. 

This will be my last "Yeeha" joke unitl Texas changes it's state nickname to The Wind Power State.

RIP Lauren M. Geraghty, 1971-2017

I just found that last week the Boston area lost one of its hardest working artists, Lauren Geraghty.

Steve Katsos as Cartoonist (a Belated Birthday Posting)

I would have posted this yesterday as part of my Happy Birthday Steve fest if not for the fact that I had an internet show to do and was running late. I posted this stuff on Facebook years go but wanted to show them again with more back story.

Steve Katsos was best known to me for a long time as just a funny guy and a cartoonist for Framingham State College's student paper The Gatepost. I read and saved his Katman comic, which I thought was hilarious, as it often had cameos by people I know. I made an appearance of sorts early on, but that's a story for later (later meaning when I have time to scan again).

Happy Birthday, Steve Katsos

In honor of commemorating Steve's day of birth, I'll show some blasts from our shared past.

Before Steve Katsos became a local media mogul on the rise, we both worked at Framingham State College's student run paper The Gatepost. He started as a cartoonist and humor writer before he rose in the ranks to become Editor-in-Chief. Sadly, I graduated the semester before that and missed his EIC reign entirely. Still, there were probably more laughs when Steve was just on the sidelines making funny asides during our editorial meetings.

The above picture comes from a photo used in Steve's The Katpost, a entire Gatepost 1-2 pager usually published before the winter break and dedicated to all things Steve, including his brother's band Gumshoe, his humor column and/or horoscope and his comic Katman.

The large facsimilie of a rolled up Gatepost in the background? That's another story.

When Maya Angelou Came to Framingham

A late entry in the spirit of Throwback Thursday, also inspired by the recent mini-event with Toni Bee's poem on Maya Angelou being recited on the radio.  When I was a Junior at Framingham State College (now Framingham State University), we had the thrill of having Maya Angelou come to speak there in February 1994.

It's one of the times when I wish I could go back in time with an iPhone.  Then again, the lack of easy technology back then might be why I remember that night so well.  Aside from speaking on Black History Month, she shared a number of stories, including one about her Uncle Willie teaching her how to recite her times tables (details in the article below), culminating (somewhat too crazy to believe) meeting a mayor of her old hometown praising her uncle for teaching him as well.  Then there was her off-page recitation of poets from Edgar Allan Poe to William Shakespeare to Nikki Giovanni.  So much good stuff.  Too much to remember it all.  I hope film of her night there (if any) still exists somewhere.

During my college years, I obsessively saved copies of every copy of the school's student newspaper that I worked on.  It didn't take long for me to dig it up so I could share it with you.

I remember the editor letting the author of the article (whose name I omitted in case they aren't cool with it) be a little more flowery with the language and less "newsy." Which is why the writer took liberties in quoting me for the article!!!  Even though I think the writer waited till we were working on the issue in the newsroom to do so.  The reason why no one bothered to talk to any of the multitudes of people there at the time is a mystery me now (if I even knew why then).

Clearly I was trying WAY too hard to "give good quote.'

I was the only the editor of the paper's comics section at the time, but I wrote a lot for its Living/Arts section until I became the section's editor during my senior year.  I wasn't able to conduct an interview with her (no one was).  Having read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings in my sophomore year and collections of her works before that, I wanted to be part of the Big Issue of Angelou somehow.  The article below was what the best I could come up with (aided with a press packet photo).

I can't even bear to read it, but I know for a fact it wasn't the worst thing I ever wrote.  That honor is for something I wrote my Freshman year.  I vow to reveal that to people immediately after I win the Pulitzer Prize.

And Since I'm in a Nostalgic Mood Today

Steve Katsos in the offices of The Gatepost putting together his ultimate vanity project The Katpost.  His crowning achievement until his Steve Katsos Show, which recently celebrated its fourth anniversary.  congratulations, Steve!

Steve Katsos at Gatepost headquarters. Behind him is his rolled-up newspaper costume that helped him secure his "Mr. FSC" title in 1993. I officially remember too much.