Growing up in Palmer Township in the 1960s and ‘70s, our copy of the Easton Express was delivered by a papergirl who dutifully marked her collection money in a small black book as she made her rounds every few weeks. She eventually made enough to buy a two-seat convertible, which she adorned with colorful shag rugs and took pride in as she buzzed through the streets.
Back then the paper recorded just about everything – my birth, the time I got stitches and the money my neighborhood raised for an annual charity by going door-to-door singing Christmas carols. My siblings and I cut out the charity story with our group’s name and hung it on our refrigerator with pride.
Back then, I mostly read the comics. I especially liked “Family Circus,” “Peanuts” and “The Jackson Twins,” a serial strip about two teenage girls.
Little did I know that I would end up walking into the building on North Fourth Street as a news intern while in college.
There I met storied reporters like Jim Flagg and Maddie Mathias, and editors like Chris Satullo and Ginny Parry. They were whip smart and committed. I wanted to be as accomplished as they were.
The only problem was I wasn’t that good. My copy kept getting torn apart. Editor Bruce Frassinelli summoned me into his office and told me I should consider another career.
Instead of crushing me, I became more determined. Only later did I realize that this was part of the learning process – that good journalism takes time, effort — and a lot of rewriting. My journalistic career continues to this day. I learned from the best.
Katherine Maurer Reinhard was a news intern with The Easton Express in 1978. She is co-founder of Armchair Lehigh Valley, a nonprofit newsletter covering area elections and politics. She previously worked as a reporter and an editor at The Morning Call in Allentown. Email her at armchairlehighvalley@gmail.com.
LAST DAY OF PRINT: Click here for letters from more than a dozen former staffers and editors.