I guess I’m the only person who has a complete 11-issue collection of The Gallamo, the high school newspaper I started and edited as a senior at Gallatin High School. The name Gallamo actually existed before in mimeograph form. But the newspaper hadn’t been in existence for a number of years when I revived it with lots of help from classmates. And yes, it was printed in color…..sort of.
Business Plan
Since I already knew how to set type, and knew how to design the layout of a page, I asked my dad if we could make a business arrangement. I’d come to the office and set type. His Linotype operator would set up the headlines and form the lead pages into place. Then Dad’s press operator would print the pages.
Our business staff, headed by Harriett Dewey (who went on to great success in the business world, by the way), would sell roughly ten ads for $1 each. And we would sell 100 newspapers at our high school of 200 students for 10 cents each. That way, we could pay Dad’s printing bill of $20. I think we usually fell a little short.
Rainbow-Colored Newsprint
The only catch? Dad had an array of multi-colored newsprint sheets he had hoped would be popular for job printing for farm sales and such. The paper hadn’t gone over, and he was stuck with this rainbow-colored paper. So he said he’d only give us that deal if we’d use up that multi-color newsprint.
“Fine by me, Dad,” I said, and my staff agreed. So, we were printed not in colored ink but on colored paper–pink, orange and yellow.
Off and Going
The first issue featured a story by Harriett Dewey about the 1963 Barnwarming, where King Robert Hill and Queen Judy Worrell were crowned with buckets decorated with corn and leaves. Other stories included the organization of the newspaper and the beginning of basketball practice.
Margaret Paul (now Lowe) wrote an advice column called “Dear Aunt Maggie” and I was in charge of “The Poll Hole” by “Chatty Cathy” asking students questions. The first was “How would you improve our school?” Another month the question was “What course has been most valuable to you?” Another month “What would you do if the Beatles came to your house?”
Opinion Columns
Mary Nixon wrote an opinion column in the first issue about the importance of study habits. Later opinion topics were on the impact President Kennedy’s assassination had on the high school and the meaning of Christmas from several perspectives. Someone composed a letter to Santa joking about things various named students might most need. An opinion piece of mine that has remained with me carried this headline, “Carving on Desks Mars Education.” In the same issue an editorial decried the soot that came from the coal-fired heating system, soiling our pastel pleated skirt and sweater sets. Another, written by Kathy Hamilton and I was headlined, “Griping about the Gripers.” Enough said.
“Pausing With the Principal”
We were free to write what we wanted without prior review or censorship, but Principal Clifford Agenstein did have an occasional column. In one he especially called out the football team for making an excellent rating for the conduct of students, coaches, players and fans.
All the News
We covered the usual high school sports, honors for students and humorous incidents. One story even mentioned the time the popular high school music teacher was surrounded by police and FBI agents while driving on the highway. He’d been mistakenly identified as a bank robber. He was quickly released and drove on his way!
30-Member Staff
We started out with a 31-member staff and were down to about 10 by the time the school year ended. But that wasn’t bad for a 200-student school, IMHO. We didn’t start the newspaper until the end of November and published every two weeks until mid-May. After several issues, we were given a small office between the junior high math and science rooms. We even had our own typewriter, and staff members could come by to work during free time. (I guess it didn’t hurt that my dad was on the school board at the time.)
Not a Bad Effort
Through my career in journalism and journalism education, I’ve seen a lot of newspapers from the junior high through the college level. I’ve judged them for contests and even helped start some high school newspapers in rural communities when I was Director of Student Media at the University of Alabama. I have to say that The Gallamo was a little silly in places. We took ourselves way seriously, which probably wasn’t bad. But all in all, those newspapers were pretty good.
Thanks Kathy Hamilton, assistant editor; Gayle Johnson (now Gillette), layout manager; and, as mentioned earlier, Harriett Dewey (now Kelly), business manager; and everyone else who helped.
Dad Continued the Effort Later
After I left for college the following year, Dad continued working with students who wanted a newspaper by printing a monthly page in The North Missourian. It fizzled after awhile unfortunately.