The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1956-12-20
Fred Fritchie,
Veteran News
Printer, To Retire
(Continued from page ID

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Deciding to give up editorial aspi-
rations at least temporarily, Mr..
Fritchie returned to the composing
stone as a printer for Robert Par
menter at the old Parmenter Print
ing company located then across from
the old Manhattan hotel in Lima
This was about 1910.
There was one four-year interim
when Fred yielded to desire to
get out of the painstaking work that
involved putting together tiny pieces
of lead type. Cat that time every
character was hand set) This was
the period when printer turned mu-
Sician, and Mr. Fritchie accepted a
job as drummer for the orchestra
that played nightly at the old Or
pheum vaudeville house in Lima. For
four years he was the man who roll
ed the drums when the acrobats did
their most death-defying stunts or
played them gently for the soft shoe
dancers.
But by that time printers ink had
gotten into his veins, and Fred an
swered the call for printer in Ports
mouth. A former Presbyterian min
lister in his hometown of Columbus
Grove had written stating that his
son was in the business in Portsmouth
and asking Fred to come and give
him a lift. Mr.. Fritchie tried the
Portsmouth hill country for a while,
but wanted to return to northwest
ern Ohio and took job three years
later with the old Leipsic Tribune
when Frank Riley was its editor.
Fred was setting ads and job work
for the Tribune when he received the
call to the colors in 1918. Two months
at Camp Oglethorpe in Georgia and
Camp Green, N. c., in the medical
corps, and he was shipped overseas
as a sergeant first class. He was in
France when the war ended and saw
service in the Peace Commission in
Paris for six months afterwards.
Upon returning from the service,
Fritchie heard that B. F. Biery need
ed a printer at The Bluffton News.
He went to work here and has been
on the staff ever since.
Fred has seen a great many chang
es in the printing business in over SO
years. Hand composition of small
type was eliminated by the linotype
casting machines. The News was the
first shop in which he worked e.
quipped with the machines. The day
of the old gasoline engine long ago
passed with the use of electrical en-
ergy for operating the presses, and
new automatic presses have taken a
great deal of the hand feeding oper-
alton from the business.
Rearing a family of six children
including four boys, most of the boys
at one time or another have had
printers ink on their fingers. How
ever, it has stuck only to Byron's,
who for a time served as associate
editor for The Bluffton News and who
is now editor of the Ex-Cell-O
Corporations employee paper pub
lished in Bluffton. The Ex-Cell-O
Courier.
The oldest son, Fred, Jr., is travel
ing assistant auditor for The Good
year Co. at Jacksonville, Fla. 1t is
here that Mr.. Fritchie will stay for
period this winter, visiting more
southern parts of the state when his
SON is called upon to go there on
business.
Don is serving with the U. S.
Navy in Germany. and the youngest
Paul, is serving with the Airforce at
Albuquerque.
There are two daughters. Mrs. Fred
Brunn, Bluffton, and Mrs. ]. A. War
kentine of Huntsville, Ohio.
Employees of The News are hold