The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-12-14
As YEARS A PRINTER.
MIR. Heck Sanford of New Era Has
Been Printer Since 1866-Be-
gan Work at Leon.

Last week was a memorable one
for the senior member of the New
Era family. 1t not only gave him
Thanksgiving day, one of the most
popular of our national holidays, but
lit also gave him the forty-f1fth an
niversary of the day he entered a
printing office to make it life bust.
ness. It would be hard to tell which
of these two events Mr.. Sanford is
the most proud of. Gratitude being
one of his strongest characteristics
he naturally has deep love for the
spirit of Thanksgiving. day and he
welcomes it each year with all the
ardor of his generous nature. But
he has just as deep devotion for
his "Printing Office Day." as he calls
it. and never fails to observe it in
some way.
On December /, 1866, Mr.. San
ford entered the office of the Pioneer,
at Leon, then the only printing Of
flee in that city, or in Decatur coun-
ty for that matter. G. N. Udell, we'll
known throughout southern Iowa at
that time, was editor of the Pioneer,
and he was one of the most able in
his part Of the state.
A short time afterwards the Leon
Journal was established and Mr.. San
ford assisted in getting out the first
number. He then worked sometimes
in one office and then in the other
until early in 1870, when he went
to Burlington and entered the large
establishment of Acres, Blackmar &
Co. Here he was taught the art of
printing under some of the best
printers this country ever produced,
an opportunity he was not slow to
appreciate and to take advantage of.
He remained there until the late
seventies, when he went to Lacona,
Iowa, where ne ran paper until
the summer of 1880, when he came
to Humeston and established the
New Era, getting the first number
out on September 1, and he has
since.
That is a remarkable record when
one considers the great progress this
country has made in that time. The
printing business he says has been
practically revolutiOnized. The
printer of today has so many con-
veniences that were not dreamed of
then, that he accomplishes every day
what would have taken him a week
forty-fve years ago, and it is done
great deal better at that. Progress
has been made along every other
line of human endeavor as we'll
When we stop to think that when
Mr. Sanford began his work as d
printer, Andrew Johnson was presi~
dent of the United States and that
ten different presidents have succeed
ed him; that fourteen different men
have been governor of Iowa; that the
ocean cable, the telephone, the type
setting machine, the electric lights,
the talking machine, the automobile,
the aeroplane, and hundreds of other
things have come to us we begin to
realize something of his experience,
for in the capacity of editor and
printer he has made the types tell
of these things, together with thous-
ands of other events that do not
find place in history. No wonder
that December l is an interesting
event with him for it calls up cherish
ed memories of a useful life.
Mr.. Sanford considers the printing
office the greatest of all schools, for
in no other capacity is one kept so
in touch with every field of human
knowledge. Everything from orthog-
raphy to craftsmanship passes in re-
view before him every day, and he
has only to be observant to acquire
a good practical education. Besides
this he becomes a skilled mechanic
and artist, for he must be these to
be a successful printer
Era.