Tribune editorial staff

An e-mail from a reader in Cleveland had me digging through the archives on Friday and with it, a trip into the past. Before me was the December 1954 bound volume of The Ironton Tribune.

Turning the pages, I couldn't help but chuckle at some of the differences in the newspaper then and now. And, at the same time, I could help admiring some of the similarities.

December 1954 was a popping time in the Ironton area. As residents and merchants geared up for the holiday rush, the world was a vastly different place than it is today.

Penny's sold men's dress shirts for $2. Gillen's was selling a "spotless" 1952 Chevrolet 4-door sedan for just $995. Burt Lancaster was starring in "Apache" at the Ro-Na theatre downtown.

The county's delinquent tax notices were less than two pages. This year's was nearly eight.

With more than 30 grocers in the area, hungry folks had no trouble finding food in the area.

Some of the advertisers from 50 years ago are still familiar names - Staley's Pharmacy, Unger's Shoes, Bartram Brothers Grocery. Iron City Hardware, Allyn's Jewelers and Higgins Chevrolet, just to name a few.

And, for those of us who did not live in the 1950s, the decade seems like the iconoclastic perfect world. But the pages of the newspaper show crime existed, too.

Across Ohio, Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard was standing trial in Cleveland for allegedly murdering his wife, Marilyn. Many of us too young to remember the trial, certainly remember the TV series and film Sheppard's escape inspired, both bearing the title, "The Fugitive."

Nationally, now infamous communist hunter, Sen. Joseph McCarthy, unphased by a censure from his Senate colleagues, vowed to keep up the fight against communism. America was still deep in the Cold War.

The world certainly has changed and this newspaper has changed along with it.

Today, we launch a minor change in our Sunday line-up. Beginning today, we begin including Parade magazine with the Sunday editions. Our hope is that readers will enjoy the change. Parade has a long, illustrious history of covering life in America. Each week's Parade will contain articles of interest on a number of topics, from health and fitness to parenting and finance. We hope you like the change and encourage you to let us know how you feel about it.

Hope everyone has a great New Year.

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Ironton Tribune. He can be reached by calling (740) 532-1445 ext. 12 or by e-mail to kevin.cooper@irontontribune.com.