Newspaper employee retires after more than 38 years

CELINA - Mary Jo Muhlenkamp said she felt lucky to be a farm girl almost 45 years ago when she applied for a job at The Daily Standard after high school.

"I went in to see (former The Daily Standard publisher) Parker Snyder and the interview lasted all of about five minutes," said Muhlenkamp who retires today. "I told him I grew up on a farm and he said, 'You can start tomorrow.' "

Her farm experience with physical labor served her well. The first job had her operating a linotype machine, which required her to hoist 20-pound lead ingots onto a hook. The lead was melted and formed into letters and words to produce the newspaper.

It was hot, dirty work and there was no air conditioning in 1970, just large fans that blew the hot air around, she said.

"We had to keep six of those (linotypes) running. We were all a lot thinner then," she said, laughing.

A year later she left to start a family. Seven years later she was asked to come back when a linotype job opened up; she accepted. She operated the machine until 1982 when they were phased out. After that came stints in the circulation department, managing legal and classified advertisements, working as a receptionist and filling her current position, keeping the books for the display advertising department.

For a brief period she worked part-time but returned to full-time after being asked to take yet another position.

"Each time I was called and asked to return," she said. "They always had a job for me."

Muhlenkamp said the biggest change during her career was when the newspaper switched from hot type production to cold type - the use of computers and printers. The clicking of typewriters and deafening sounds of the noisy machines created a loud work environment years ago, she said.

She met an array of colorful people throughout the years, many of them her co-workers, and of course, Snyder. Sometimes she would ride with him in his huge Lincoln Continental to the Stokely building in Celina to dust his collection of the 50-plus linotype machines he had purchased from other newspapers.

Former The Daily Standard reporter Mac McFarlin liked to collect rocks and had several lying around in the front office, she said. Nearly everyone on the writing staff in the 1970s smoked and kept ashtrays as their desks. Occasionally at quitting time on Fridays, employees would crack open some liquid refreshments and visit until late, she said.

"There are a lot of stories I can tell you, but I better not," she quipped. "We had so much fun."

On a few occasions, Muhlenkamp helped find news stories.

"I was coming to work one day and was passing the (Celina) post office and saw these guys in white hazmat suits," she said. "When I got to work, I told (reporter) Betty (Lawrence) and she wrote a story about it."

The incident was identified as an anthrax hoax at the local post office and ended up on the front page. Lawrence earned an Associated Press award for the article.

The long-time employee said she always felt well informed of local, national and world happenings while working at the paper.

The Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. terrorist attacks, the election of the first black president and the murders of Fort Recovery residents Bob and Colleen Grube were the most memorable stories written during her career.

She said she will miss her co-workers the most.

"You spend more time here than with your family, so they get to be your family," she said.

Former co-worker, John Lake described Muhlenkamp as "very adaptable" and professional.

"When I first met her she was a linotype operator for the Standard and worked in what was known as the 'snakepit,' " Lake said. "From there she moved into the ... department where we set lead type for (Reynolds & Reynolds). When we went to cold type, she then worked as a receptionist/circulation department person, stuffed (advertising) inserts and handled ad billing. Basically anything she was needed to do."

Her longtime co-worker/friend and Snyder family member, Lil Keefer, said she enjoyed working with Muhlenkamp.

"It's been a thrill to have been able to teach and work beside my high school sidekick in my family business all these years," Keefer said. "The stories we could tell, but won't."

Keefer said the transition from hot type to cold type was one of the paper's greatest milestones. She wishes Muhlenkamp the best.

Muhlenkamp said she is proud to have worked at the paper.

"It's been a great ride," she said. "I appreciate the Snyder family for giving me the opportunity to make a decent living to support my family all these years. I think we've got the best reporters and newspaper around."

After retirement, Muhlenkamp plans to help her husband, Steve, milk cows on their dairy farm. She also will work in her large flowerbeds and vegetable gardens, spend time with family, play golf with her husband and volunteer, she said.