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OKINAWA MORNING STAR
" ...for its staff the paper is a source of
pride and, I do believe, an object of affection and - yes,
love."
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger |
THE FACTS AS I KNOW THEM
The Morning Star provided
news and opinion from the major wire services, syndicated columnist from
the United States, and from its own staff of dedicated professionals.
The paper enjoyed broad circulation and claimed to be the largest
English language daily in the Far East.
Bob Prosser, was
editor of
the
Morning Star, and
was, according to
Peter van Wyk, “once
considered the best rewrite man at the Associated Press”. Prosser
coached a small
band of
expatriates in the finer points of newspaper craft and produced a
daily newspaper that was an unfiltered source of information for
thousands of English speaking residents throughout the Far East. |
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Bob
Prosser began his career in Omaha, Nebraska, with Omaha World Herald.
Many of Bob's funniest stories were from his days as a rookie with the
World Herald. Bob and his wife, Barbara, moved to Hawaii
after the Morning Star closed in 1972. Bob served as an adjunct
professor of journalism at the University of Hawaii until his death in
August 13, 1975. Barbara passed away in June, 1976.
Incidentally:
Bob Prosser's daughter was married to Bob Wales,
Chief Announcer for radio station, KSBK. I heard that when Johnny
Mathis came to Okinawa for a concert, he tried to proposition Bob Wales
after an interview. The concert was outstanding and Bob Wales had
a lasting memory of Johnny Mathis. |
GEMINI 8
ASTRONAUTS, NEIL ARMSTRONG AND DAVID SCOTT MAKE AN UNPLANNED STOP
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Jerry Heaster left the
Morning Star in 1970 and went to work in Dayton, Ohio. Jerry began
to write a column while financial editor of the Journal Herald in
Dayton, and continued it when he moved to the Kansas City Star in
1979. Jerry continued to write 3 columns a week until he retired
early in 2006. Jerry married a local girl while on Okinawa and has returned to
visit and reports that the Morning Star building is still there, but has
morphed into a machine shop.
Incidentally:
Jerry Heaster was in
the Army when Drew Pearson was trying to drum up a scandal in the Army
command. Jerry was featured in a Pearson's column as a Morning Star
puppet who edited the Army newspaper while working as a mole for the
local civilian paper (The Star) and feeding them classified info on
military affairs. Jerry says, "It was a hoot."
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