Evening star., 1939-05-28
BY JOHN LEAR.
Associated Press Stan Writer.


TORONTO, Canada, May 81
"The Old Man" set the red queen
down with click and said check"
The thought wrinkles smoothed
from his forehead. His green eye
shade inched up toward his fine
gray hair. He fixed an intimidating
look on the harassed white king,
sucked the flame from a dying
match into the bowl of his straight
briar pipe and added, in the manner
of an afterthought:
There's nothing to say about him.
He's only the chore boy for lot of
other people"
For the first time in his long
career, j. F. B. Livesay C"The Old
Man" to his staff was attempting
to suppress story. He was break
ing his lifetime rule to tell the
news and let the chips fall where
they will" In short, he was trying
to keep his name out of the papers.
1t Is remarkable how he has been
able to do that. Most Americans
do not know who he is and few who
recognize him as general manager
of the Canadian press are aware of
his true Importance.
Let it be made clear from the
beginning, then, that Mr.. Livesay is
no ones "chore boy" He is an en-
pire builder More than that, he
built an empire with a spool of cop
per thread.
Due to Retire June 30.
Mr.. Livesay has been general
manager for 19 years. He has built
1t from mere idea in the minds
of three publishers to a cooperative
combine embracing almost all of
Canada's daily papers. And now
they say he is going to retire on
June 30
The reaction of his fellow workers
is Identical: TT won't be quite the
same without The Old Man He's
been like a father to us all"
Certainly he has done his utmost
to cement the bond. He has pro-
NOTED staff gatherings and inter-
Office hockey, baseball and football
games. He has set aside a locker
room in the Toronto headquarters
for the playing of chess. The ten
mis- court at his home at rural Clark,
son is open to staff competition.
In this Office family" he not only
encourages promotions, he insists
on them. An Office boy may not
remain an Office boy after his 10Th
birthday; he must quit if he has
not advanced himself in the oper-
ating or editorial departments by
then. But The Old Man" expects
results, and is likely to explode if
he doesn't get them quickly.
He fired copyboy once for fail
ure to make an immediate answer
to call buzzer, but rehired him at
an increase when he learned, a few
minutes later, that the boy had been
busy on another errand.
The old mans" language at such
crises is, as one Staffer put it, like
ly to shock Junior Lacquer"
Wrote First Story at 16.
The old man" was born with
newsprint in his blood His ia
ther. an architect, was local corre-
spondent for the London Times,
and it was on THE Thunderer" the
boy was nurtured. He wrote his
first story at the age of ia re-
port of steamer which foundered
off the Isle of Wight, England, in
view of his home.
But there were heartbreak years
ahead. For Fred Livesay stammered
terribly; at times he was quite in
articulate.
Il am afraid" Sir John Wilt
son, editor of the Toronto News,
once told him, your affliction makes
it impossible for you to become a
journalist"
But the boy could write, and when
at 20 he came to Canada to work
on the farm, at prospecting and
in the lumber camps, he kept on
writing, for the London Outlook,
/ the New York World, and odd jobs
for Toronto papers.
In 1902 he harvested in the West
ern Canadian prairie, fell sick, and
went home to England as a cattle
man. Coming back with a bit of
money to farm in Saskatchewan, he
got into a poker game on the boat
and arrived in Winnipeg fiat broke.
So there was nothing for it but
return to newspaper work.
His first full-time Job was as