1. The Seltzer Spirit: Boundless Energy, in Touch with Community

Louis B. Seltzer, editor of The Cleveland Press from 1928 to 1966, was a tireless individual. Those half his age would be unable to keep up with his pace. On a typical day, if he was not attending a civic affair at lunchtime, he was giving a speech before a fraternal group, business association, or a neighborhood group. He firmly believed that to be a good editor you had to be in constant touch with the entire community–not just the leaders and the business establishment, but the “little people” as well. The busy Seltzer topped off his day by invariably attending a dinner meeting where, if he was not the speaker, he was the featured guest who would freely mingle with the crowd. With his long work day-which extended into the late hours of the night on most occasions, Seltzer was an early riser. When, as assistant city editor, I reported for work at 6 every morning to get ready for the first edition of the day, I invariably found Mr. Seltzer sitting at the City Desk reading the morning paper.

After several months of this, I became curious about how early Seltzer actually arrived and started to come in a little earlier each day. When I got to arriving by 5:30 and still found Seltzer sitting there, I lost interest in the game and reverted to my 6 a.m. starting time.