HERE SINCE HIGH SCHOOL 4
Maybe you don't realize this, but many Plain Dealer employees started working at the paper very early. For example, Joe Hanak started at The Plain Dealer when he was a mere 9 years old.
He had to work to support his family, which was kicked out of Slovenia for being "too backward." The name "Hanak" means "mountain hillbilly" in Slovenian. The Hanak families who avoided deportation changed their name to McHanak, which means, "just a regular hillbilly," which it was OK to be in Slovenia at the time. And still is.
Joe's family was so poor that he had to wear things made from paper. Paper ties, paper underwear; he could never sneak up on anyone because his paper socks made so much noise.
He was known for his little wave and greeting -- "Hi, Hi!" or "Bye, Bye!" -- which were the only words he knew in English at the time. (Dave Sartin still uses these salutations.)
The tiny Joe would sometimes nap on a little mat under his desk, and he often spent his lunch hour coloring. If Joe got stuck on a layout, he would suck his thumb until he figured things out. Sometimes he would cry and sit on Van Richmond's lap. On occasion, Joe would help Van "build" a salad, which was usually bigger than Joe. Joe became the news desk mascot after Rosie started carrying him around in a Domke bag.
Now Joe does the national section, his speciality being stories about the mountainous regions of Slovenia, where many "mountain hillbillies" are still rumored to be living in caves and wearing little paper ties in honor of their American hero. But Rosie blames him for her back problems.
He had to work to support his family, which was kicked out of Slovenia for being "too backward." The name "Hanak" means "mountain hillbilly" in Slovenian. The Hanak families who avoided deportation changed their name to McHanak, which means, "just a regular hillbilly," which it was OK to be in Slovenia at the time. And still is.
Joe's family was so poor that he had to wear things made from paper. Paper ties, paper underwear; he could never sneak up on anyone because his paper socks made so much noise.
He was known for his little wave and greeting -- "Hi, Hi!" or "Bye, Bye!" -- which were the only words he knew in English at the time. (Dave Sartin still uses these salutations.)
The tiny Joe would sometimes nap on a little mat under his desk, and he often spent his lunch hour coloring. If Joe got stuck on a layout, he would suck his thumb until he figured things out. Sometimes he would cry and sit on Van Richmond's lap. On occasion, Joe would help Van "build" a salad, which was usually bigger than Joe. Joe became the news desk mascot after Rosie started carrying him around in a Domke bag.
Now Joe does the national section, his speciality being stories about the mountainous regions of Slovenia, where many "mountain hillbillies" are still rumored to be living in caves and wearing little paper ties in honor of their American hero. But Rosie blames him for her back problems.
posted by jfobes at 2:38 PM
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