Lawrence J. "Laurie" Beavis was one of those old-time throw back editors, but so much more existed under that tough newsroom persona. He passed away the other day in St. Thomas at a remarkable 95 years of age.
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| Laurence J. "Laurie" Beavis ...a news man's news man |
City editor of the St. Thomas Times-Journal in my day, 1961-'72, Laurie eventually became publisher and general manager of the newspaper before retiring after a remarkable 37 years of service.
Laurie and then Managing Editor Hugh Agnew, hired me (took a chance, may be a better way of phrasing it) as a very green
Laurie and then Managing Editor Hugh Agnew, hired me (took a chance, may be a better way of phrasing it) as a very green
cub reporter, fresh off a baseball field and a stint in the men's clothing business. There were no journalism schools in those days...You learned the hard way -- on the job.
Laurie was to become my first real mentor (i.e. insisting on the fundamental who, what, where and when in the lead paragraphs of all news reports coupled with constant checking of facts) and an eventual career influencer to be sure.
He did not wear his predecessor's shaded eisenglass peeked cap, but he had everything else -- the traditional stern demeanor, shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a chest pocket full of pencils and pens stuffed into a protective plastic holder.
I can still hear him pounding on his trusty, 1930's vintage Underwood typewriter with only the forefingers of each hand as he banged out quick editorials after the paper went to press each day at noon. It should be explained that I could hear him, but I could not always see the lower half of his six-foot, five-inch frame as it hovered over a typical 12-inch high mound of assorted papers that he managed to collect on his desk in the course of a week.
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The Laurie I remember, minus his shot of navy rum. |
Cutting reporter's teeth on the police and court beat, my first landing spot and allotted hand-bomber typewriter was located directly in front of where Laurie held forth his command on the rather spacious second floor of the newspaper plant. I was initially a convenient target for dreaded obituary writeups, other odd and sod tasks and surprise non-writing assignments like doing in-person wakeup calls for reporters who frequently slept in past deadline time after a night of imbibing while out on the town.
One of the most memorable "wake up" assignments afforded me was attending the rooming house of a very tardy sports editor, still downing a beer when I knocked on his door. Needless to say, I was unable to get the dishevelled sad sack back to the newsroom on time and he was fired on the spot when he did arrive. The T.-J. carried a makeshift sports page that day, for sure, sans overnight local game report notes which remained unwritten and the forgotten custody of the departed sports editor.
The unfortunate incident, however, left an opening for me and I boldly took the initiative to jump on the opportunity. "Why not try me on the sports desk instead of hiring someone new," I reasoned after mustering up the necessary fortitude. Taken somewhat aback, Laurie replied, "Are you sure? Do you think you can handle it?"
I was never more sure of anything in my life and a half dozen enjoyable years of sports writing ensued. I'd found a niche and was on my way up the ladder.
The Simcoe Reformer temporarily lured me at one point in 1966 but I soon found my way back to the T.-J. at Laurie's invitation, this time as his news desk assistance and City Editor. If I do say so myself, I think we bucked the odds and worked well together, five days a week and side by side in the news room for almost six years. Every other Saturday we held down the news desk individually while the other enjoyed a long (two-day) weekend. In the end, he gave me his blessing knowing that I was anxious to further my career by "running my own show" (his words) elsewhere.
After I accepted a managing editor position in the Thomson newspaper organization in 1973, Laurie remained a long-distance source of consultation and advice for me until he retired.
Born in Ripon, Yorkshire, UK, he was a British Army veteran, commissioned into the West Yorkshire Regiment in 1946 and served with the British War Crimes Commission investigating Japanese war crimes in Singapore and Burma. As a reservist, he was recalled in 1950 for the Korean War and attached to the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers where he served as an infantry platoon commander during the 1951 Battle of the Imjin, all of which explained his penchant for regimentation.
With a brief introduction to British newspapering in London, Laurie and his wife Helen (a talented actress) came to Canada and ultimately St. Thomas in about 1953. They had a son and two daughters -- Bruce, Allison and Jennifer -- not long after arrival.
Active in the community, Laurie was a life-time blood donor and a past president of the Canadian Red Cross, St. Thomas Branch; past president of the Rotary Club and an honorary life member of Rotary International. He was also a prominent participant in United Way and was a member of the founding committee of St. Thomas-Elgin Crime Stoppers. A strong supporter of Scouts Canada, Laurie served as a unit leader as well as Elgin District Commissioner and Assistant Provincial commissioner, Ontario. He was instrumental in the establishment of Camp Timken, the Elgin District Scout Reserve located in nearby Iona.
In retirement, he was a volunteer member of the Elgin Military Museum. Besides travel with his family, he enjoyed woodworking and wood carving and was the founder of the St. Thomas Wood Carver's Club.
Wife Helen passed away in March of 2013 after 63 years of marriage and daughter Allison followed in July of 2020. The epidemy of a husband and father, I don't think LJB fully recovered after those losses.
Laurie Beavis lived a good and full life, indeed. Hardly a day goes by without thinking of him, especially when I fire up my computer and prepare to develop a story idea.
He also often appears in one of my recurring nightmares where we are struggling to meet a deadline long after it has expired. Luckily I always manage to wake up before facing the bitter consequences and predictable ire of a too-ready-to-pounce production manager.
In putting a wrap on all of this I salute the old platoon commander this one last time!
That's my Take 30 on a long-gone life experience story...and sadly a newspaper era, never to be repeated.
2 comments:
Enjoyed your column Dick. I too entered the newspaper as a green unsuspecting reporter under the supervision of a frightening, tough as nails Laurie Beavis. Long hours, low pay, one day off every two weeks, I survived to later join The London Free Press, rising through the ranks from reporter to senior editor. Laurie and I became friends over the years and I eventually realized his torturous teaching methods were what moulded me into the newspaper man I became! Thank you Laurie again for a successful lifetime as an ink-stained wretch!
Appreciate your response Anonymous (I'm sure I recognize your identity my friend). Thanks in large measure to Laurie, the T.-J. turned out some fine journalists. Low pay went with the territory in those days but it was the price we paid for on-the-job training. If we had it all to do over again, I'm sure most of us would take the same route.
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