Chuck, meanwhile, replaced my dad as MTD's editor and later became editorial director before he too left that magazine to write a book called the "Grandparent's Catalog: An Idea Book for Family Sharing," which is available for purchase on Amazon.
Even though they no longer worked together, Chuck and my dad stayed close, and eventually Chuck rejoined him at Crain Communications, initially as a free-lance writer, then special projects editor for RPN and TB.
Chuck and I began working together, and he became my mentor after my father retired in 1987.
As I began working with Chuck it didn't take me long to realize how much I didn't know as a young editor. When a news event happened in the industry, Chuck often knew the back story and was happy to share it with me and everyone else on the staff to help make our stories more complete.
He loved the industry's history, and he taught me to love it, too. If you want to know about the tire industry's storied history, look at the bylines in legendary issues such as the "NTDRA at 75: A Celebration of Tire Dealer Independence," "The Pneumatic Tire Industry: Celebrating 100 years," and "The Independent Tire Dealer. Still King of Tire Retailing." You will get absorbed in the articles Chuck penned on the industry's history.
Chuck also regularly tackled the toughest, most complex and sensitive news articles. He taught me how to write them in ways that protected individuals but did not weaken the stories.
When writing about business as a trade publication, he said, you have to understand that not all sources are allowed to speak on behalf of their company. They often don't even know that they shouldn't and can be fired if something they said upsets the boss. So, make sure you are talking to legitimate sources who can speak on behalf of their companies, he reminded me.
He also taught me about the importance of running people stories, such as the time he interviewed TB cartoonist Dave Harbaugh. Readers loved Dave's humor and artwork but had no idea about the man. It was a fascinating story that brought greater appreciation of his work.
Chuck also impressed upon me how readers love pictures of babies and little kids, even in a tire publication. TB's coverage of trade shows and conferences often had a baby or two on the photo pages.
Chuck and I were in the office on deadline day in late November 1986 when Sir James Goldsmith ended his takeover bid for Goodyear. He led the charge to rip up the issue, which was almost completed, and replace it with stories freshly written about the culmination of what had been months of drama.
I could see the pride and satisfaction in Chuck's face when we finally put that issue to bed around midnight. I don't think he had ever been involved in such a fast-paced deadline experience, and he loved it.
