Ron McCrea -- senior news editor

The Capital Times  —  4/25/2008 12:23 pm

Ron McCrea is one of Madison's best known journalists. He has actually had two careers with The Capital Times, the first starting in 1970 when he came to Madison from Boston for a volunteer summer project and wound up as the paper's news editor, back in the days of lead type and Linotype machines.

The paper was located on South Carroll Street then and in 1976 moved to Fish Hatchery Road. Ron returned from a year way on an Alicia Patterson Fellowship to find a printers' strike brewing. He went out as a union officer in 1977 and was instrumental in founding, naming and serving as editor of the Madison Press Connection, a newspaper produced primarily by the striking workers. When the PC folded in 1980, he went to work briefly at the Washington Post and the Washington Star before heading west to the San Jose Mercury News. Newly-elected Gov. Tony Earl brought him back to Wisconsin in 1983 to be his press secretary.

Following his four years with the Earl administration, Ron joined the copy desk of New York Newsday, where he edited some of the country's top journalists, including Jimmy Breslin. But, after 18 years away, The Capital Times was able to lure him back to Madison in 1995. He soon became the city editor, responsible for local news coverage, a job that complemented his creativeness and mastery of the English language.

That skill was given full flower in 2006 when he was placed in charge of the newspaper's copy desk where headlines are written and mistakes and language are corrected. Many of the paper's catchy front-page headlines have been his work.

Ron now will be devoting more time to his passion for history and biography, particularly 7on Frank Lloyd Wright. He and his wife, Elaine DeSmidt, a member of the Dane County Board, will continue their busy lives in Madison.

From Dave Zweifel, editor emeritus

The Capital Times  —  4/25/2008 12:23 pm