Hey, Your "Old Friend" Is Stopping By
BY: JOE R. BROWNING
The Benton Evening News was that “old friend” that stopped by every evening to visit about the latest news, sports and weather. It provided my family with a personal peek into the lives of other people on the society pages. Local, state and national heroes were pictured and described in great detail on the sports pages. The local newspaper was a kingmaker for some politicians and a deal breaker for others. Former Chief Justice Earl Warren said, “You read of man’s successes on the sports page and of man’s failures on the front page.” Newspaper, in its heyday, was the beginning and end of all information. It was like sitting down each evening with an “old friend” and discussing the events of the last 24 hours. That was the feeling I had for the local newspaper-of-old. It used to conjure up for me all sorts of dreams about people and places near and far. The Benton Evening News was my family’s main source of information, and it was their “old friend.” That is the reason that, when I was named publisher of the newspaper, it meant something special to my family and me.
In the 1980s, local newspapers were not only the prime purveyor of information, but some of them were prized investment properties. The Benton Evening News was one of the oldest newspapers in the state of Illinois and had a great track record. It carried one of the best reputations in the Midwest. To say it was a prized investment property would be an accurate statement.
Newspaper companies around the nation saw the value of The Benton Evening News. On January 1, 1987, the American Publishing Company, a newly formed company, acted on their hunch and purchased the newspaper from the Choisser-Malkovich families. Company President Larry J. Perrotto finalized the purchase arrangements, then asked me to be the newspaper’s publisher. On January 1, 1987, I took the helm of the six-day-a-week, 6,800-circulation broadsheet newspaper.
Up to then, the newspaper had been a family affair. Edna Choisser, proofreader, was the widow of Steve Choisser, the newspaper’s founder. She was the mother of Jim Choisser, publisher, and Joe Ann Choisser Malkovich, society editor. The three of them owned the newspaper before they sold it to APC.
Joe Anne’s late husband, Dan Malkovich, published Outdoor Illinois, a conservation monthly that was printed in the newspaper’s flat-stock department. They were the parents of actor John Malkovich and a brother, the late Danny Malkovich. At the time of the acquisition, Danny Malkovich was the newspaper’s editor, sports reporter and circulation manager. The Choisser-Malkovich family certainly had printer’s ink flowing through their veins.
My second day as publisher, I met first with production manager, Sparky Choisser, nephew of Jim and Joe Anne. He was the newspaper’s goodwill ambassador and indirectly responsible for me being named publisher. Ten years earlier, Sparky recruited me to prepare the Old Ben Coal Mine full-page ad. The success of the page evolved into a request from publisher Jim Choisser for me to sell the advertising in the newspaper’s bicentennial edition. The success of the edition resulted in Choisser asking me to manage the newspaper’s advertising department. That resulted in Perrotto naming me publisher. After the sale was completed, Sparky was instrumental in helping in the smooth transition from a family-owned newspaper to a company-owned property. He was a great friend to many.
After my meeting with Sparky, I met with Danny Malkovich, a husky man with a warm smile and a world of newspaper experience. He would have been the obvious choice as publisher, but the new company was more sales-oriented than editorially driven. The Benton Evening News was now an investment property and the bottom line would be the bottom line. Perrotto chose my sales tools and my marketing track record over other more qualified candidates. But, it did not take long for the new company to recognize Malkovich’s abilities. He was soon moved to the top in the company’s editorial pool.
Joe Anne Malkovich’s nickname was “Frog” given to her by her son, Danny. She got the moniker due to her low voice. She may have sounded a bit strange, but she was definitely a queen to the community of Benton. She had that, “Who can’t help but love Joe Anne?” appeal.
Sprinkled throughout the newspaper were print professionals. Alice Bedokis and Connie Ewing headed the composition department and were on the front lines when the newspaper converted from the old system to the new and untested computers. What a nightmare! Larry Stowers and Bill Fryar kept the Gates printing press rolling. George Huite came to the rescue of the newspaper when the press decided to take a break. He worked overnight to get it back into operation and ended up becoming the company’s press specialist. Jane Stowers handled the awesome task of circulation, giving the newspaper to several dozen route drivers to deliver throughout the county. Some were mere children on bicycles and others were adults with automobiles. Through rain and shine … the newspapers were always delivered.
In the front office, Pam and Juanita Samples handled payroll and in the back office was veteran reporter, Fenton Harris. Ceasar Maragni was the newspaper’s lone photojournalist. Evelyn Browning headed the newspaper’s advertising staff with her assistant, Norma Bain. While I got the credit, it was Evelyn’s managerial skills that produced record sales. Shortly after the purchase, APC moved Evelyn from sales into the comptroller’s position. Before long, she had six newspapers under her wing.
I added Don Jones to the circulation department, Rosalee Jones to the classified department and Jackie Willis to classifieds. Terra (Stark) Kerkemeyer was a great addition to editorial/composition, and well worth a mention because her hard work and professional attitude eventually landed her the coveted position of Publisher of the BEN, and years later, the Publisher of the Southern Illinoisan. A seasoned newspaper staff was in place. I soon learned that all I needed to do was grab my briefcase, hit the streets, sell some ads and let the staff perform their magic. That was the secret to my success.
Shortly after the transition, Danny Malkovich left the newspaper to pursue a job offer in Florida. To fill the editor’s position, I hired John Racine, followed by Kurt Erickson. Both were great personalities and top-notch editorialists.
Racine got his baptism-under-fire when he beat state investigators to the Jefferson County house trailer on Route 37, which turned out to be the murder scene of the Keith Dardeen family. Thursday morning, November 19, 1987, I asked Racine to check out a lead from reporter Fenton Harris that a horrible crime had been committed overnight. With camera in hand, Racine captured what APC President Larry Perrotto called the editorial photos of the year. Dardeen’s wife, Elaine, and their two children, Peter, age 3, and a newborn baby girl, had been savagely bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat. A couple of days later, Dardeen’s militated body was found in a corn field about a mile from the trailer. Racine had dozens of pictures of the mayhem that unfolded in the small trailer.
The Benton Evening News became the print authority with front-page stories and photos of the crimes. Some readers expressed concern about the appropriateness of the graphic pictures, especially on the front page, but every afternoon residents lined up at the newspaper’s front door awaiting the day’s latest developments. Perrotto asked me to transmit all of our photos to our sister newspapers in the company.
A transient, Tommy Lynn Sales of Texas, confessed to more than four dozen murders including the Dardeen killings, but investigators were not convinced that he murdered the Jefferson County family. Becky Malkovich, daughter of Joe Anne Malkovich and a reporter for the Southern Illinoisan, interviewed the serial killer. I don’t believe Becky came away from the interview convinced either way. Sells was executed April 3, 2014, for two other murders.
With the loss of Danny Malkovich, the newspaper needed a sports reporter. A personable young lady had just graduated from college and was looking for a newspaper home. After only one interview, I knew she was right for the position and the community. I have always felt that my decision to hire Diana (Di) Winson was my gift to the community of Benton. It was one of the best decisions I made as a publisher. Benton residents agreed and responded warmly to the new employee.
During the transition, Maragni moved on, leaving the darkroom dark. My pastor, Roger Ellsworth, asked me to help him find a job for one of his two sons. Benton Consolidated High School student Tim Ellsworth went into the darkroom and came out an accomplished photo journalist.
As mentioned, it was the bottom line that maintained the attention of corporate. When the newspaper needed the best marketeer in the business, my son, Steven Browning, stepped forward and did a superb job. He was assisted by Tim Halbin and Kay Kearney, both consummate sales professionals. Kearney also worked with Evelyn in sales. Rosalee Jones was a jack-of-all-trades working in several positions. We had a very productive group of professionals. In our first full year, the staff of The Benton Evening News returned to the company a 58% profit on every dollar received.
Residents viewed newspapers a lot differently back then. In the 1980s, residents assumed parenthood over a community newspaper. For them, The Benton Evening News never belonged to the Choisser family, although it did, and the American Publishing Company was not going to become the owner of The Benton Evening News, yet it was. The newspaper belonged to the residents in the community. It was “their” newspaper.
Residents in that era disciplined the newspaper as if it were an “old friend.” They did not hesitate to correct or compliment their “friend.” Every Monday through Saturday, the presses ground out the last of the day’s pages. Customers gathered at the newspaper’s front door waiting for their “old friend” to come out. They wanted their friend to look the same, cost the same and be the same as it was the day before. Any change to their “old friend” would be met with angry resistance. A local restaurant could raise the price for a cup of coffee by twenty-five cents, but let the newspaper increase by just a nickel: The community would not even notice the coffee price, but they would revolt over the price change to “their friend.” One year, we had 20% cancellation when we tried to raise the price of our single-copy sales.
Don’t move the comic section, don’t change the font and don’t raise the price. Basically, the public didn’t want us messing with their “old friend.” When the company decided to sell our printing press to a Michigan newspaper and print at a central plant in West Frankfort, the townspeople rose up to object. That feeling is still remembered today. In a recent Facebook post, that long ago fact was revisited. Change to their “old friend” is never forgotten or forgiven.
The first request I made to Conrad Black, head of Hollinger, the parent company of American Publishing Company, was to let us remodel and rearrange the building. Perrotto and Black provided our staff with everything I needed and never refused one of my requests.
It was a great time to be a publisher, especially for APC. And, the 1980s were the golden age for newspapers in America. With a great staff and good ownership support, we developed The Benton Evening News into the top producer among the daily and weekly newspapers in American Publishing Company.
Newspapers, in America, held on as long as they could until the internet took the shine off of them. Only a few niche publications have survived today. Sad to say, that “old friend” that used to regularly stop by for a visit … just ain’t happening anymore.
joerbrowning@hotmail.com
The Benton Evening News was that “old friend” that stopped by every evening to visit about the latest news, sports and weather. It provided my family with a personal peek into the lives of other people on the society pages. Local, state and national heroes were pictured and described in great detail on the sports pages. The local newspaper was a kingmaker for some politicians and a deal breaker for others. Former Chief Justice Earl Warren said, “You read of man’s successes on the sports page and of man’s failures on the front page.” Newspaper, in its heyday, was the beginning and end of all information. It was like sitting down each evening with an “old friend” and discussing the events of the last 24 hours. That was the feeling I had for the local newspaper-of-old. It used to conjure up for me all sorts of dreams about people and places near and far. The Benton Evening News was my family’s main source of information, and it was their “old friend.” That is the reason that, when I was named publisher of the newspaper, it meant something special to my family and me.
In the 1980s, local newspapers were not only the prime purveyor of information, but some of them were prized investment properties. The Benton Evening News was one of the oldest newspapers in the state of Illinois and had a great track record. It carried one of the best reputations in the Midwest. To say it was a prized investment property would be an accurate statement.
Newspaper companies around the nation saw the value of The Benton Evening News. On January 1, 1987, the American Publishing Company, a newly formed company, acted on their hunch and purchased the newspaper from the Choisser-Malkovich families. Company President Larry J. Perrotto finalized the purchase arrangements, then asked me to be the newspaper’s publisher. On January 1, 1987, I took the helm of the six-day-a-week, 6,800-circulation broadsheet newspaper.
Up to then, the newspaper had been a family affair. Edna Choisser, proofreader, was the widow of Steve Choisser, the newspaper’s founder. She was the mother of Jim Choisser, publisher, and Joe Ann Choisser Malkovich, society editor. The three of them owned the newspaper before they sold it to APC.
Joe Anne’s late husband, Dan Malkovich, published Outdoor Illinois, a conservation monthly that was printed in the newspaper’s flat-stock department. They were the parents of actor John Malkovich and a brother, the late Danny Malkovich. At the time of the acquisition, Danny Malkovich was the newspaper’s editor, sports reporter and circulation manager. The Choisser-Malkovich family certainly had printer’s ink flowing through their veins.
My second day as publisher, I met first with production manager, Sparky Choisser, nephew of Jim and Joe Anne. He was the newspaper’s goodwill ambassador and indirectly responsible for me being named publisher. Ten years earlier, Sparky recruited me to prepare the Old Ben Coal Mine full-page ad. The success of the page evolved into a request from publisher Jim Choisser for me to sell the advertising in the newspaper’s bicentennial edition. The success of the edition resulted in Choisser asking me to manage the newspaper’s advertising department. That resulted in Perrotto naming me publisher. After the sale was completed, Sparky was instrumental in helping in the smooth transition from a family-owned newspaper to a company-owned property. He was a great friend to many.
After my meeting with Sparky, I met with Danny Malkovich, a husky man with a warm smile and a world of newspaper experience. He would have been the obvious choice as publisher, but the new company was more sales-oriented than editorially driven. The Benton Evening News was now an investment property and the bottom line would be the bottom line. Perrotto chose my sales tools and my marketing track record over other more qualified candidates. But, it did not take long for the new company to recognize Malkovich’s abilities. He was soon moved to the top in the company’s editorial pool.
Joe Anne Malkovich’s nickname was “Frog” given to her by her son, Danny. She got the moniker due to her low voice. She may have sounded a bit strange, but she was definitely a queen to the community of Benton. She had that, “Who can’t help but love Joe Anne?” appeal.
Sprinkled throughout the newspaper were print professionals. Alice Bedokis and Connie Ewing headed the composition department and were on the front lines when the newspaper converted from the old system to the new and untested computers. What a nightmare! Larry Stowers and Bill Fryar kept the Gates printing press rolling. George Huite came to the rescue of the newspaper when the press decided to take a break. He worked overnight to get it back into operation and ended up becoming the company’s press specialist. Jane Stowers handled the awesome task of circulation, giving the newspaper to several dozen route drivers to deliver throughout the county. Some were mere children on bicycles and others were adults with automobiles. Through rain and shine … the newspapers were always delivered.
In the front office, Pam and Juanita Samples handled payroll and in the back office was veteran reporter, Fenton Harris. Ceasar Maragni was the newspaper’s lone photojournalist. Evelyn Browning headed the newspaper’s advertising staff with her assistant, Norma Bain. While I got the credit, it was Evelyn’s managerial skills that produced record sales. Shortly after the purchase, APC moved Evelyn from sales into the comptroller’s position. Before long, she had six newspapers under her wing.
I added Don Jones to the circulation department, Rosalee Jones to the classified department and Jackie Willis to classifieds. Terra (Stark) Kerkemeyer was a great addition to editorial/composition, and well worth a mention because her hard work and professional attitude eventually landed her the coveted position of Publisher of the BEN, and years later, the Publisher of the Southern Illinoisan. A seasoned newspaper staff was in place. I soon learned that all I needed to do was grab my briefcase, hit the streets, sell some ads and let the staff perform their magic. That was the secret to my success.
Shortly after the transition, Danny Malkovich left the newspaper to pursue a job offer in Florida. To fill the editor’s position, I hired John Racine, followed by Kurt Erickson. Both were great personalities and top-notch editorialists.
Racine got his baptism-under-fire when he beat state investigators to the Jefferson County house trailer on Route 37, which turned out to be the murder scene of the Keith Dardeen family. Thursday morning, November 19, 1987, I asked Racine to check out a lead from reporter Fenton Harris that a horrible crime had been committed overnight. With camera in hand, Racine captured what APC President Larry Perrotto called the editorial photos of the year. Dardeen’s wife, Elaine, and their two children, Peter, age 3, and a newborn baby girl, had been savagely bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat. A couple of days later, Dardeen’s militated body was found in a corn field about a mile from the trailer. Racine had dozens of pictures of the mayhem that unfolded in the small trailer.
The Benton Evening News became the print authority with front-page stories and photos of the crimes. Some readers expressed concern about the appropriateness of the graphic pictures, especially on the front page, but every afternoon residents lined up at the newspaper’s front door awaiting the day’s latest developments. Perrotto asked me to transmit all of our photos to our sister newspapers in the company.
A transient, Tommy Lynn Sales of Texas, confessed to more than four dozen murders including the Dardeen killings, but investigators were not convinced that he murdered the Jefferson County family. Becky Malkovich, daughter of Joe Anne Malkovich and a reporter for the Southern Illinoisan, interviewed the serial killer. I don’t believe Becky came away from the interview convinced either way. Sells was executed April 3, 2014, for two other murders.
With the loss of Danny Malkovich, the newspaper needed a sports reporter. A personable young lady had just graduated from college and was looking for a newspaper home. After only one interview, I knew she was right for the position and the community. I have always felt that my decision to hire Diana (Di) Winson was my gift to the community of Benton. It was one of the best decisions I made as a publisher. Benton residents agreed and responded warmly to the new employee.
During the transition, Maragni moved on, leaving the darkroom dark. My pastor, Roger Ellsworth, asked me to help him find a job for one of his two sons. Benton Consolidated High School student Tim Ellsworth went into the darkroom and came out an accomplished photo journalist.
As mentioned, it was the bottom line that maintained the attention of corporate. When the newspaper needed the best marketeer in the business, my son, Steven Browning, stepped forward and did a superb job. He was assisted by Tim Halbin and Kay Kearney, both consummate sales professionals. Kearney also worked with Evelyn in sales. Rosalee Jones was a jack-of-all-trades working in several positions. We had a very productive group of professionals. In our first full year, the staff of The Benton Evening News returned to the company a 58% profit on every dollar received.
Residents viewed newspapers a lot differently back then. In the 1980s, residents assumed parenthood over a community newspaper. For them, The Benton Evening News never belonged to the Choisser family, although it did, and the American Publishing Company was not going to become the owner of The Benton Evening News, yet it was. The newspaper belonged to the residents in the community. It was “their” newspaper.
Residents in that era disciplined the newspaper as if it were an “old friend.” They did not hesitate to correct or compliment their “friend.” Every Monday through Saturday, the presses ground out the last of the day’s pages. Customers gathered at the newspaper’s front door waiting for their “old friend” to come out. They wanted their friend to look the same, cost the same and be the same as it was the day before. Any change to their “old friend” would be met with angry resistance. A local restaurant could raise the price for a cup of coffee by twenty-five cents, but let the newspaper increase by just a nickel: The community would not even notice the coffee price, but they would revolt over the price change to “their friend.” One year, we had 20% cancellation when we tried to raise the price of our single-copy sales.
Don’t move the comic section, don’t change the font and don’t raise the price. Basically, the public didn’t want us messing with their “old friend.” When the company decided to sell our printing press to a Michigan newspaper and print at a central plant in West Frankfort, the townspeople rose up to object. That feeling is still remembered today. In a recent Facebook post, that long ago fact was revisited. Change to their “old friend” is never forgotten or forgiven.
The first request I made to Conrad Black, head of Hollinger, the parent company of American Publishing Company, was to let us remodel and rearrange the building. Perrotto and Black provided our staff with everything I needed and never refused one of my requests.
It was a great time to be a publisher, especially for APC. And, the 1980s were the golden age for newspapers in America. With a great staff and good ownership support, we developed The Benton Evening News into the top producer among the daily and weekly newspapers in American Publishing Company.
Newspapers, in America, held on as long as they could until the internet took the shine off of them. Only a few niche publications have survived today. Sad to say, that “old friend” that used to regularly stop by for a visit … just ain’t happening anymore.
joerbrowning@hotmail.com
Selfies Are A Big Part of Today's Culture
By: Joe R. Browning
The first “selfie” (so to speak) recorded by a print publication in Franklin County, Illinois, took place Monday, January 19, 1987, when Benton Evening News Publisher, Joe Browning, took a selfie with Joe Ann Malkovich, the newspaper’s Society Editor. The setting for the historic photograph was the main news room at the newspaper’s offices on East Church Street in Benton, Ill. (Maybe this isn't true, but it sure sounds good. And, no! That is not a cigarette but a white pen.)
We humans are unusual animals. We love talking about and taking photographs of ourselves. In the last two decades, a new word has crept into our vocabulary. That word is “selfie.”. According to my online sources, a selfie is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or camera phone held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Most selfies are taken with a camera held at arm’s length or pointed at a mirror, rather than by using a self-timer.
The process of one taking one’s picture is not new. In 1839, exactly a hundred years before I was born, American pioneer in photography Robert Cornelius, produced a daguerreotype of himself. A daguerreotype was the first publicly announced photographic process, and for nearly twenty years, it was the one most commonly used. Because the process was slow, he was able to uncover the lens, run into the shot for a minute or more, and then replaces the lens cap. He recorded on the back of his first daguerreotype, “The first light picture ever taken. 1839.”
It was not until the debut of the portable Kodak Brownie box camera in 1900 that led to photographic self-portraiture becoming a more widespread technique. The method was usually by a mirror and stabilizing the camera either on a nearby object or a tripod while framing via a viewfinder on the top of the box. It was not an easy process.
Teens today seem to love selfies. Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, at age 13, was one of the first teenagers to take her picture using a mirror to send to a friend in 1914. In the letter that accompanied the photograph, she wrote, “I took this picture of myself looking at the mirror. It was very hard as my hands were trembling.”
The earliest usage of the word selfie has been traced as far back as 2002. It first appeared in Karl Kruszelnicki’s ‘Dr. Karl Self-Service Science Forum,’ an Australian internet forum on Sept. 13, 2002.
Dwayne Johnson, star of the movie San Andreas, wanted to do more than star in a movie. He attempted to set the Guinness World Record for taking the most selfies in under three minutes. And, as is the case with most everything the Rock tries, he crushed the record. He took 105 selfies with fans on the red carpet of the London premiere of his movie, easily surpassing the previous record. Guinness World Records have an adjudicator to witness attempts of the record. Mark McKinley checks to see that the full face and neck of the participants are visible and that the photos are in focus.
The first “selfie” (so to speak) recorded by a print publication in Franklin County, Illinois, took place Monday, January 19, 1987, when Benton Evening News Publisher, Joe Browning, took a selfie with Joe Ann Malkovich, the newspaper’s Society Editor. The setting for the historic photograph was the main news room at the newspaper’s offices on East Church Street in Benton, Ill. (Maybe this isn't true, but it sure sounds good. And, no! That is not a cigarette but a white pen.)
We humans are unusual animals. We love talking about and taking photographs of ourselves. In the last two decades, a new word has crept into our vocabulary. That word is “selfie.”. According to my online sources, a selfie is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or camera phone held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Most selfies are taken with a camera held at arm’s length or pointed at a mirror, rather than by using a self-timer.
The process of one taking one’s picture is not new. In 1839, exactly a hundred years before I was born, American pioneer in photography Robert Cornelius, produced a daguerreotype of himself. A daguerreotype was the first publicly announced photographic process, and for nearly twenty years, it was the one most commonly used. Because the process was slow, he was able to uncover the lens, run into the shot for a minute or more, and then replaces the lens cap. He recorded on the back of his first daguerreotype, “The first light picture ever taken. 1839.”
It was not until the debut of the portable Kodak Brownie box camera in 1900 that led to photographic self-portraiture becoming a more widespread technique. The method was usually by a mirror and stabilizing the camera either on a nearby object or a tripod while framing via a viewfinder on the top of the box. It was not an easy process.
Teens today seem to love selfies. Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, at age 13, was one of the first teenagers to take her picture using a mirror to send to a friend in 1914. In the letter that accompanied the photograph, she wrote, “I took this picture of myself looking at the mirror. It was very hard as my hands were trembling.”
The earliest usage of the word selfie has been traced as far back as 2002. It first appeared in Karl Kruszelnicki’s ‘Dr. Karl Self-Service Science Forum,’ an Australian internet forum on Sept. 13, 2002.
Dwayne Johnson, star of the movie San Andreas, wanted to do more than star in a movie. He attempted to set the Guinness World Record for taking the most selfies in under three minutes. And, as is the case with most everything the Rock tries, he crushed the record. He took 105 selfies with fans on the red carpet of the London premiere of his movie, easily surpassing the previous record. Guinness World Records have an adjudicator to witness attempts of the record. Mark McKinley checks to see that the full face and neck of the participants are visible and that the photos are in focus.
TOTAL PREMIUM PACKAGE
By: Joe R. Browning
As the Voice of the Benton Rangers, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to call the play-by-play of every one of his high school games. I also traveled to Louisville, KY to describe one of his 1972 Olympic practice games. I became an early believer in his ability and his personage. He could have been anything he wanted to be, but he chose basketball and he was one of our nation’s finest.
Paul Douglas Collins is a national treasure. From his early days, Doug brought fame and glory to Benton and the surrounding area. His basketball accomplishments are well known, his exemplary personal life is enviable and his national broadcasts are exceptional. He is the total premium package.
Born in the Miner’s Hospital in Christopher, Doug grew up in Benton with his parents, Paul and Gerry Collins, brother, Jeff and sister, Linda. The family spent a few years living in the Franklin County Jail apartment when Paul Collins was Sheriff of the county. Doug told me that the basketball was his childhood’s best friend.
Doug’s high school basketball career is legionary and earned him the attention of Illinois State University and Will Robinson, the first black head coach in NCAA Division 1 basketball. The Hall of Fame coach told me years later that his success was due, in large part, to the Benton, Ill. graduate. Robinson and Collins are displayed together on a statue on the campus at Illinois State University.
Doug was chosen to represent his country in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Two events are burned in the minds of viewers from those games. Terrorist attacked the barracks and killed 11 Israeli athletes. The moments seemed like hours as the terrorists played-out their killing spree. There was also the controversial gold medal basketball game featuring Doug’s game-winning free throws in the final seconds. But, officials added three seconds to the clock allowing Russia to take home the gold. The U.S. players refused the second place medals leaving them in the Olympic safe.
In 1973, I was a Benton announcer working at a West Frankfort (WFRX) radio station and my colleagues were stunned when Doug was the first overall pick of the NBA draft. Their doubts were soon dispelled when Doug won, not one, but three NBA All-Star honors with the Philadelphia 76ers. He returned as their coach and was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1997. He was inducted in the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Recent television viewers are accustom to watching Doug as a color analysis on TNT and other national networks. Several teams have considered Doug for another coaching stent, but on September 19, 2017, the Chicago Bulls announced that he has joined their team as senior advisor of basketball operations.
While Doug has an exemplary professional dossier, his personal life is even more admirable. I do not know Doug to be a “Bible-thumper,” but I have been in his presence when he witnessed to younger athletes. He was a frequent guest in Benton Coach Rich Herrin’s locker room, there to share his faith with fellow athletes. His involvement with John Malkovich with the recent construction of the Events Center is further evidence of his compassion for others. Doug Collins is living a powerful sermon.
My five-year-old daughter, Kimberly was Doug and Kathy’s flower girl in their wedding ceremony in Genesco, Ill., Kathy’s hometown. After the beautiful ceremony, the couple followed Doug’s professional road-map and during the long and exciting trip, had two children. Chris is a former Duke University basketball player and is head basketball coach at Northwestern University. Daughter, Kelly played basketball for Lehigh University and is a school teacher in Pennsylvania. Knowing Doug as I do, he would much prefer I list their sports and personal accomplishments instead of his.
On a personal note, I remember conversations I have had with Doug. All are memorable, but my most prophetic was during the post-season tournament his senior year in high school. I told him, “You will undoubtedly do great things with a basketball but, you will “break-the-bank” sitting with a microphone in front of a TV camera.” I have great joy when I turn on my TV and see him describing the game he loves. He has had a good run, but I suspect the best of Doug Collins is yet to come.
As the Voice of the Benton Rangers, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to call the play-by-play of every one of his high school games. I also traveled to Louisville, KY to describe one of his 1972 Olympic practice games. I became an early believer in his ability and his personage. He could have been anything he wanted to be, but he chose basketball and he was one of our nation’s finest.
Paul Douglas Collins is a national treasure. From his early days, Doug brought fame and glory to Benton and the surrounding area. His basketball accomplishments are well known, his exemplary personal life is enviable and his national broadcasts are exceptional. He is the total premium package.
Born in the Miner’s Hospital in Christopher, Doug grew up in Benton with his parents, Paul and Gerry Collins, brother, Jeff and sister, Linda. The family spent a few years living in the Franklin County Jail apartment when Paul Collins was Sheriff of the county. Doug told me that the basketball was his childhood’s best friend.
Doug’s high school basketball career is legionary and earned him the attention of Illinois State University and Will Robinson, the first black head coach in NCAA Division 1 basketball. The Hall of Fame coach told me years later that his success was due, in large part, to the Benton, Ill. graduate. Robinson and Collins are displayed together on a statue on the campus at Illinois State University.
Doug was chosen to represent his country in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Two events are burned in the minds of viewers from those games. Terrorist attacked the barracks and killed 11 Israeli athletes. The moments seemed like hours as the terrorists played-out their killing spree. There was also the controversial gold medal basketball game featuring Doug’s game-winning free throws in the final seconds. But, officials added three seconds to the clock allowing Russia to take home the gold. The U.S. players refused the second place medals leaving them in the Olympic safe.
In 1973, I was a Benton announcer working at a West Frankfort (WFRX) radio station and my colleagues were stunned when Doug was the first overall pick of the NBA draft. Their doubts were soon dispelled when Doug won, not one, but three NBA All-Star honors with the Philadelphia 76ers. He returned as their coach and was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1997. He was inducted in the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Recent television viewers are accustom to watching Doug as a color analysis on TNT and other national networks. Several teams have considered Doug for another coaching stent, but on September 19, 2017, the Chicago Bulls announced that he has joined their team as senior advisor of basketball operations.
While Doug has an exemplary professional dossier, his personal life is even more admirable. I do not know Doug to be a “Bible-thumper,” but I have been in his presence when he witnessed to younger athletes. He was a frequent guest in Benton Coach Rich Herrin’s locker room, there to share his faith with fellow athletes. His involvement with John Malkovich with the recent construction of the Events Center is further evidence of his compassion for others. Doug Collins is living a powerful sermon.
My five-year-old daughter, Kimberly was Doug and Kathy’s flower girl in their wedding ceremony in Genesco, Ill., Kathy’s hometown. After the beautiful ceremony, the couple followed Doug’s professional road-map and during the long and exciting trip, had two children. Chris is a former Duke University basketball player and is head basketball coach at Northwestern University. Daughter, Kelly played basketball for Lehigh University and is a school teacher in Pennsylvania. Knowing Doug as I do, he would much prefer I list their sports and personal accomplishments instead of his.
On a personal note, I remember conversations I have had with Doug. All are memorable, but my most prophetic was during the post-season tournament his senior year in high school. I told him, “You will undoubtedly do great things with a basketball but, you will “break-the-bank” sitting with a microphone in front of a TV camera.” I have great joy when I turn on my TV and see him describing the game he loves. He has had a good run, but I suspect the best of Doug Collins is yet to come.
CAMPBELL'S..."The Home of Fine Furniture."
By: Joe R. Browning
The Campbell lawn was terribly small and took me only a few minute of my time. I needed to make my trip to their home worthwhile, so I develop a new mowing technique. In order to “run-out” the clock, I mowed the grass one direction, and then I re-mow it at an angle. The result made the grass look like an expensive carpet. Other women on Sixth Street were quick to hire me to make their lawns look just like their neighbor. Ruby Campbell paid me my going rate of thirty-five cents an hour to “carpet” her lawn after school each week. Her husband operated a high-end furniture and hardware store in downtown Benton.
Maurice Campbell was a busy man tending to the buying and selling of the area’s finest furniture. He was by every standard a very successful businessman. The couple had two daughters, Jane, and Nancy.
Mrs. Campbell told me that her husband was interested in hiring me for a position at his furniture store. I was impressed because I had always had a job, not a position. What followed was an education in economics. Mr. Campbell had to hire me at the lowest possible wage, and I had to fight for as much as I could get. He had a responsibility to his business, and I had a responsibility to my pocket book. Ruby Campbell whispered to me that her husband had set seventy-five cents an hour as his limit. She advised me to hold out until he reached that amount.
I got excited about the prospective job. I laid awake at night thinking about going to work at the big, fancy furniture store in downtown Benton. Customers traveled hundreds of miles to shop at the “home of fine furnishings.” It was the economic center and the financial motivator for Southern Illinois, but for me it was an indoor job that took me out of Southern Illinois’ heat and humidity. That and the seventy-five cents an hour were the extents of my interest.
Maurice Campbell was a successful businessman, a retired Major in the U.S. Air Force, and one of the top five leaders in the community, he was also a gentleman’s gentleman. He conducted himself chivalrously, gallantly, honorably, politely and, most of all, graciously. He was a stern boss, but he was stern the right way. He knew what he wanted and communicated his desires to his employees, Cecil Mae Paulovich, Frank DeLappe, Jack Laymon Oscar Pederson, Bill Dorris, Vernon Taylor and me. Campbell was a good first boss for a young high freshman.
He and his father, W.E. Campbell had established the first store on the Southeast corner of the public square. It was in the Mid 50s when Campbell constructed the huge building at its present location. It soon became the furniture centerpiece in three states.
It was difficult for me to keep my mouth shut when he ventured out to his back yard for our first round of negotiations. I felt like shouting, “Yes, I will go to work for you for thirty-five cents an hour.” I struggled to find the right words to refuse the first offer, so I mumbled something about my obligation to the women who needed me to keep their yards in good shape or something nonsensical. He “bid adieu” and returned to his furniture store. I feared he would not return.
Campbell repeatedly came to me in his back yard to offer me a dime more an hour to work with him. The routine was another life lesson. Here was a man who bought and sold thousands of dollars’ worth of furniture on a daily basis, and yet he spent time, in increments of ten cents, to hire a stock boy. Keeping track of every penny is a necessity for a successful business.
The irony of the situation is that I would have taken the job for thirty-five cents an hour if I had not known that there was much available. An hourly wage of seventy-five cents may not seem like much today, but in 1952, it was a hell of a lot of money, especially for a high school freshman. My father could purchase a gallon of gasoline for twenty cents, my mother could get a loaf of bread for a dime and a gallon of milk for fifty cents. Campbell’s offer of seventy-five cents an hour was almost an obscene amount for this 13-year old boy. Not only did he put money into my pocket, but he introduced me to the inside mechanics of the corporate world. It was an important time in my work-experience and my life.
Campbell introduced me to work psychology that has paid dividends. My parents and siblings had taught me how to work and to be prompt and consistent with my efforts. I already had the tools to get and maintain a good job. Campbell took me deeper. He said it was my responsibility to determine how much money I felt I was worth, and I should strive to get it. “Don’t be satisfied with less money.” He told me that the best time to negotiate was during the hiring stage. “Once you agree to terms and go to work for a businessman, that businessman’s obligation is to get you for as little as possible.” He said his job was to maintain a healthy bottom line. “Every penny I pay you is a penny from my bottom line.”
Little did Campbell and I know, back in the 50s that my brother, Donald Rex Browning would marry his daughter, Nancy Carolyn Campbell and the couple would become active in the store? After college, Don became an executive at Carter Carburetor in St. Louis, and Campbell convinced him to return to Benton to manage the family’s furniture store. I had enrolled at SIU and was gone from the store when they began dating. The couple eventually became the owners of the store at the building’s current location on the Benton Public Square.
Campbell gave me more than my first real job; he gave me my first full-time opportunity to perform manual labor for money. His advice about life was timely and meaningful. Maybe his most memorable admonition to me was, “I am not paying your hourly wage young man, it is that furniture sitting there that pays for everything.” In one sentence, Maurice Campbell gave me the equivalent of a full college course in the economics of supply and demand.
An excerpt from Joe R. Browning’s “My Jack Book, memories of my life.”
The Campbell lawn was terribly small and took me only a few minute of my time. I needed to make my trip to their home worthwhile, so I develop a new mowing technique. In order to “run-out” the clock, I mowed the grass one direction, and then I re-mow it at an angle. The result made the grass look like an expensive carpet. Other women on Sixth Street were quick to hire me to make their lawns look just like their neighbor. Ruby Campbell paid me my going rate of thirty-five cents an hour to “carpet” her lawn after school each week. Her husband operated a high-end furniture and hardware store in downtown Benton.
Maurice Campbell was a busy man tending to the buying and selling of the area’s finest furniture. He was by every standard a very successful businessman. The couple had two daughters, Jane, and Nancy.
Mrs. Campbell told me that her husband was interested in hiring me for a position at his furniture store. I was impressed because I had always had a job, not a position. What followed was an education in economics. Mr. Campbell had to hire me at the lowest possible wage, and I had to fight for as much as I could get. He had a responsibility to his business, and I had a responsibility to my pocket book. Ruby Campbell whispered to me that her husband had set seventy-five cents an hour as his limit. She advised me to hold out until he reached that amount.
I got excited about the prospective job. I laid awake at night thinking about going to work at the big, fancy furniture store in downtown Benton. Customers traveled hundreds of miles to shop at the “home of fine furnishings.” It was the economic center and the financial motivator for Southern Illinois, but for me it was an indoor job that took me out of Southern Illinois’ heat and humidity. That and the seventy-five cents an hour were the extents of my interest.
Maurice Campbell was a successful businessman, a retired Major in the U.S. Air Force, and one of the top five leaders in the community, he was also a gentleman’s gentleman. He conducted himself chivalrously, gallantly, honorably, politely and, most of all, graciously. He was a stern boss, but he was stern the right way. He knew what he wanted and communicated his desires to his employees, Cecil Mae Paulovich, Frank DeLappe, Jack Laymon Oscar Pederson, Bill Dorris, Vernon Taylor and me. Campbell was a good first boss for a young high freshman.
He and his father, W.E. Campbell had established the first store on the Southeast corner of the public square. It was in the Mid 50s when Campbell constructed the huge building at its present location. It soon became the furniture centerpiece in three states.
It was difficult for me to keep my mouth shut when he ventured out to his back yard for our first round of negotiations. I felt like shouting, “Yes, I will go to work for you for thirty-five cents an hour.” I struggled to find the right words to refuse the first offer, so I mumbled something about my obligation to the women who needed me to keep their yards in good shape or something nonsensical. He “bid adieu” and returned to his furniture store. I feared he would not return.
Campbell repeatedly came to me in his back yard to offer me a dime more an hour to work with him. The routine was another life lesson. Here was a man who bought and sold thousands of dollars’ worth of furniture on a daily basis, and yet he spent time, in increments of ten cents, to hire a stock boy. Keeping track of every penny is a necessity for a successful business.
The irony of the situation is that I would have taken the job for thirty-five cents an hour if I had not known that there was much available. An hourly wage of seventy-five cents may not seem like much today, but in 1952, it was a hell of a lot of money, especially for a high school freshman. My father could purchase a gallon of gasoline for twenty cents, my mother could get a loaf of bread for a dime and a gallon of milk for fifty cents. Campbell’s offer of seventy-five cents an hour was almost an obscene amount for this 13-year old boy. Not only did he put money into my pocket, but he introduced me to the inside mechanics of the corporate world. It was an important time in my work-experience and my life.
Campbell introduced me to work psychology that has paid dividends. My parents and siblings had taught me how to work and to be prompt and consistent with my efforts. I already had the tools to get and maintain a good job. Campbell took me deeper. He said it was my responsibility to determine how much money I felt I was worth, and I should strive to get it. “Don’t be satisfied with less money.” He told me that the best time to negotiate was during the hiring stage. “Once you agree to terms and go to work for a businessman, that businessman’s obligation is to get you for as little as possible.” He said his job was to maintain a healthy bottom line. “Every penny I pay you is a penny from my bottom line.”
Little did Campbell and I know, back in the 50s that my brother, Donald Rex Browning would marry his daughter, Nancy Carolyn Campbell and the couple would become active in the store? After college, Don became an executive at Carter Carburetor in St. Louis, and Campbell convinced him to return to Benton to manage the family’s furniture store. I had enrolled at SIU and was gone from the store when they began dating. The couple eventually became the owners of the store at the building’s current location on the Benton Public Square.
Campbell gave me more than my first real job; he gave me my first full-time opportunity to perform manual labor for money. His advice about life was timely and meaningful. Maybe his most memorable admonition to me was, “I am not paying your hourly wage young man, it is that furniture sitting there that pays for everything.” In one sentence, Maurice Campbell gave me the equivalent of a full college course in the economics of supply and demand.
An excerpt from Joe R. Browning’s “My Jack Book, memories of my life.”
