Arizona republican., 1920-11-01
LOCAL SCR|BES
 HONOR DEAN OF
 THEPROFESS|

heNelnlS Tn the unWonted pleasure of attending a dinner without the ne- cessity of making notes of the decora- tions or scribbling on the back of the place-cards a summary of the speech of the guest of honor, the fourth es- tate in Phoenix assembled at the Ranch House last evening to give concrete expression of appreciation to the dean of the profession in Arizona. J. w. Billy" Spear, editor Of the Arizona Republican, the best known and best beloved knight of the typewriter in the southwest, sat at the head of the table, the recipient of the congratulations of his assembled friends, all of whom, whether members of the editorial staff of The Republican or of other papers, had profited by the advice and the ex- ample of the leading newspaper man of the state.
 The dinner had been planned as a surprise to Mir. Spear. and so carefully had the ringleaders carried out their task that 1t was only with the greatest difficulty that MT. Spear was lured away from his editorial writing and duly seated at his place at the table. There was no hint in the appointments of the dinner of any special significance in the affair and it was not until the coffee had been brought that Henri
 
 ice, introduced c. G. Hansen. editor of the "CamelbaclS,'' who in turn ad vised MT. Spear of the purpose of the dinner.
 From the beginning of the party however, the talk had run along the line of newspaper reminiscence, and the announcement of the real meaning of the affair did not disturb this cur rent. Newspapers in Arizona, and particularly in Phoenix; the men whc worked on them in the days when the presses were run by water power rns a strike of one printer meant a tie-uT of the entire activities of the "sheet, stories of those who in one way or an other, made newspaper history in the state, were the burden of the talh: after the announcement as they haC been before.
 Everybody Was Speaker. | With the little stories, humorous anC otherwise, but all replete with thu human interest that every editor de sires. which were told by the younge members of the profession, there wer' the fascinating tales of earlier days A s. Mills, editor of the Phoenix Mes senger. who welcomed MT. Spear t this city 30 years ago and who intro duced him to newspaper work here and Col. J. II. McClintock, Arizon l correspondent for the Los Angelo Times and the Fl Paso Herald, who's achievements as a historian were for gotten in the gathering of news writer yesterday, linked the past to the pres eRt in accounts in which the genia editor of The Republican was a cen tral figure.
 All who were present were give l p1o f,t @f q { |, fact that all were newspapermen cam out but with greater distinctness whe each protested that he was no make of speeches, for the fourth estate used more to writing addresses fo others than delivering such themselve The Halloween place cards and tn table decorations, arranged in a orange and black color scheme, wer the results of the consideration of Mis- Sallie Jacobs. of The Republican whose unavoidable absence was re marked by a toast and a little speec in her honor.
 A feature of the dinner which wa unexpected by the greater part of tn guests was the reading of several let ters of congratulation which had bee sent to Mir. Behoteguy by newspape friends of Mir. Spear in other parts ( the state. The first of these was froi Jean Spear, son of last evenings que: of honor, who is owner of the Evenin Bulletin of Miami, and who made sex eral touching references to boyhoo ], sessions with his father in the wooC 3 shed in bygone years. Another lett. : came from Col. Fred s. Breen. edits ] of the Coconino Sun; another fro : Major George H. Kelly, owner of u : Douglas International and anoth. : from Earnest Douglas, owner of u 2 Verde Copper News, Jerome
 When the round of talks and stori n had been completed, Ralph Rollins,