Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

Thank you for the extra edition (User’s Guide, April 5, 2018). I was thrilled to open up the paper and find a photo of my grandfather, Lew Williams, in front of the small press. You should have seen him set type – upside down and backwards, bottom to top.

And my grandmother, Winnie, set type on the linotype machine. I still have the slug she made me with my name when I was a little girl. Did you know that during the war (WWII), Winnie alone kept the Sentinel going, ensuring it kept the title “longest continuously published paper in Alaska”?

The happiest days of my childhood included time spent downstairs in the Sentinel, reading in the morgue, chasing the crazy orange cat (who I thought would calm down if she could be convinced we wouldn’t hurt her), and watching the press run. Lew slathered different colors of ink on the plate and like magic, stationary with gold letters came out with my name and address. I was so proud of the gold and silver stationary. I felt so grownup.

Thank you so much for continuing the Sentinel’s tradition and publishing no matter what. I love reading each edition.

Jane Lott