Letter to the Editor

I was sorry to learn that former Daily Pilot Managing Editor Steve

Marble is going to the Los Angeles Times.

Not that I have anything against the Times; it is just that I dislike

losing a journalist who knows this community as well as Steve. We shall

miss him but I accept the fact that our loss is their gain. However,

before he goes I want to share an experience I had with Steve some time

ago.

Years ago, I was the president of the Mariners Community Assn. You can

probably guess that our main issue back then, as it is now, was the

growth of John Wayne Airport.

Money to deal with the issue was also a problem and after some urging,

my late wife, Celia, agreed to sponsor a fund-raising event in our home.

We planned the event, tickets were printed, people were volunteering but

it just was not happening.

To help build enthusiasm, I had ordered some red buttons on which I

had printed the inscription “Support John Wayne Arboretum.” those buttons

infuriated the late county Supervisor Tom Riley and I suspect others.

Still, others thought they were quite clever. However, in spite of our

best efforts the event was just not catching on. Then Celia came to the

rescue.

She convinced me to take the button, attach my calling card to it,

place it into an old jewelry box and then wrap it up nicely as a gift.

She then instructed me to attach Steve Marble’s name on the outside of

the package and drop it off in the lobby of the Pilot. I did just that.

No press release, no pleading calls for publicity, nothing. The gimmick

worked. Steve bit.

I just arrived home when Steve was on the telephone to grill me about

what was going on. I filled him in. The next morning we had a banner

headline, complete with a picture of the button on the left side of the

column, telling Pilot readers about our event.

That story ensured its success in addition to being the cheapest

publicity we ever received for an airport fund-raiser.

In memory of Celia, I have enclosed a leftover button for Steve’s

personal enjoyment. Perhaps he can hang it onto the wall of those spiffy

new offices at the Los Angeles Times.

CLARENCE J. TURNER

Newport Beach