Corrections or additions?
Published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on January 5, 2000. All rights
reserved.
Between the Lines
In the blur of editing last week’s issue — the
Survival
Guide for the new millennium — we left out one contribution that
seems even more relevant as we return to the day-by-day chores that
transcend any calendar change.
“The most valuable quality anyone could develop this year is
flexibility,”
writes Karen Kushner, pastor of the Religious Science Church of
Princeton
on River Road. “Oddly enough, the easiest way to become flexible
is to become clear about what never changes — your personal
reasons
for living. Those reasons can be served no matter how your activities,
your relationships, or your world are changing. They are fundamental
and unique to you.
“This new millennium each one should spend some time getting clear
about their purpose for living — what brings joy and satisfaction.
With this knowledge, the answer to how to respond to any particular
change will always be easy to determine.”
Hang around any newsroom long enough and you will hear
tales of legendary editorial exploits. At U.S. 1 we still talk about
the time we needed a last minute review of the movie, “I.Q.,”
the Einstein romance filmed in Princeton and starring Tim Robbins
and Meg Ryan. We had just printed a long feature on the filming of
the 1994 movie, a first-person piece by freelancer Peter Spencer,
who had worked as a stand-in and had wonderful vignettes to share.
Given that lengthy preview, we felt it paramount to include a review
of the finished movie in the very next issue. But the first screenings
would not be held until a Monday morning at around 10 a.m. in
Philadelphia. Given our Tuesday deadline at the printer, we needed a
writer who could get to Philadelphia and back and file a review before
the end of the day Monday. We couldn’t afford a case of writer’s
block.
Our first choice for the assignment was Robert Saxon, a retired
American Cyanamid chemist who was active as a scientific translator
(in a half dozen languages), and who had already impressed us with his
writing skills in reporting on New Jersey Transit rail commuter
problems and other technological issues. Saxon, whose interests also
included a detailed knowledge of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals,
was the writer to tell us how well the movie dramatists had captured
the eminent scientist.
No problem, said Saxon. He would take the train to Philadelphia and
write the review as soon as he returned. We asked him to call us when
he got home, just so we could check his progress.
At around 2 p.m., as soon as anyone could get back to Princeton after
that commute, Saxon called. He was back. Would he be able to get the
review done by the end of the day, we asked. Actually, Saxon replied,
the review was done and it was coming over the fax line as we spoke.
Saxon was as graceful a writer as he was fast: The piece was printed
virtually unchanged.
Bob Saxon, 75, died January 2. U.S. 1 extends its condolences to his
family and friends.
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