This page by Jon Kennedy Imagine my joy when, at age 20 just at the end of my second year of college, Andy Rogalski, my longtime mentor and the editor of the Nanty Glo Journal, called me into his office and offered me a chance to take over his job. He was quitting on very short notice, and taught me everything else that he hadn't taught me up to then (a higher level of camera use and darkroom techniques primarily) in one short week. I had worked through my first two years of college as a clerk at the Parkhill Acme Market, and just days before getting Andy's call, I had worked half a day at the brand new Ebensburg radio station WEND—it wasn't even on the air yet—as an advertising copywriter in the hope that that would lead to being an on-air "personality." But filling in as editor of the Journal gave me a shot at something I could only dream of, taking over Andy Rogalski's job. The publisher got me for less than a third the salary he was paying Rogalski, and sure enough, before the summer was over I was asked to stay on permanently, first being given the title "news editor" and later editor of the Journal and feature editor of all three Sedloff Publications. I've often said I "peaked too early," having my dream job at 20 and having it behind me by 24. The only professional award I've ever won was for a travel feature I did while in that capacity (none of the publications I worked for afterward were willing to pay the entry fees to enter award competitions). Though I would take a masters in journalism later at UCLA, no one else taught me nearly as much journalism as Andrew P. Rogalski. —Jon Kennedynnnn © Jon Kennedy 1997
Editing the Nanty Glo Journal
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