"Going to the People"

We begin a new feature this month on “On Being a Southender.” Many of you remember my brother, Ted’s, column in the Bangor Daily News, when he was Bureau Chief in Rockland, which was called “Fish and Chips.” When he was Assistant Bureau Chief in Presque Isle, he wrote the same column but called it “Potato Chips.”  I will include excerpts from his columns once in a while. The blog will be titled “Fish and Chips”—Guest Blog, Ted Sylvester.”  My mother sent me many of his columns when he was Bureau Chief in Rockland. Unfortunately, I’ve misplaced most of them. Ted will help me with his own files later on.

First, I would like to share a story with you that was in the BDN when he was still Bureau Chief. Doing the math, since he worked for BDN from 1971-1991, I’m guessing this story was written in 1990. (My dear mother never cut out any dates when she sent me clippings.) Then please read his first guest blog. This is the picture that accompanied the story. I have better pictures of my brother, but I really like this one because of his great smile and those gorky glasses. He looks a lot like a teacher doesn’t he or maybe Peter Sellers when he wore similar glasses in his movies.

This story was called “Going to the People”

“Ted Sylvester has spent 15 of his 19 years with the NEWS as Rockland bureau chief, and as such has had the unique opportunity to report and cover the activities of the city in which he war born and raised. His weekly “Fish and Chips” column on coastal happenings has gained a large following.

“Sylvester has been involved most of his life with some facet of the newspaper industry. In fact, his career in newspapers was launched when he was very young. Starting as a newsboy, he later held a variety of jobs at the Rockland Courier-Gazette.

“During the 12 years before he joined the NEWS, Sylvester worked as a Linotype operator. It was then that he developed an interest in journalism and devoted much of his own time to studying textbooks on the subject.

“Outside of the news business, he finds time to play pool and dance with his wife, the former Natalie Wall.”

I’m told by those who worked with him in the Rockland bureau, that if his column didn’t appear when it was supposed to, you didn’t want to be in the office, because the phone would ring off the hook.

I’d also like to add that Ted was honored for his heroism while working for the NEWS by helping to stop a riot at the old Maine State Prison in Thomaston. More recently, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Maine Press Association.

Please enjoy his first guest blog.