From the Editor: Never Forgotten
I do a lot of thinking these days about those who are with us no longer. After my parents passed away, I went through their belongings, reading each note and card and reflecting on their lives and the time we shared.
In such a state of mind, it’s natural to also ruminate over others who have passed on, whose lives briefly touched mine. I’ve met many in-plant managers in my 30+ years as editor. Some were taken too soon, in the midst of their careers; some retired after giving years of their lives to their in-plants, only to leave us shortly afterward.
I wrote this column in 2020 and since then we’ve said farewell to several more of our in-plant friends. So I’ve updated this remembrance to keep them all fresh in our minds.
I was heartbroken when my old friend Tim Criswell died of cancer in 2022. He ran Sunkist Growers’ in-plant in Sherman Oaks, California, since 1996. We met at the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) conference in San Antonio and I enjoyed seeing him year after year. A humble man who was very conscientious about print quality, he loved printing so much he kept a Multi 1250 in his garage for years to print odd jobs.
In 2023 the entire in-plant community mourned the passing of in-plant hero Ray Chambers, who managed several in-plants over the years but was most well known for his time at the University of Louisville. A font of knowledge and a great guy to sit and talk to, Ray helped many an in-plant stave off outsourcing. A popular consultant and conference speaker, he wrote countless articles for IPI. But sadly, dementia and Parkinson's disease got the better of him, and we will all miss hearing his voice.
The real crusher was Former Colorado State Printer Mike Lincoln’s sudden death in 2024 of a heart attack after shoveling wet snow. He was only 58. He ran Colorado’s Integrated Document Solutions operation for 20 years before leaving in Oct. 2023 to become vice president of fulfillment service for Mortgage Connect. Despite his lofty position, he was never too busy to talk to fellow managers at conferences and offer advice. And he never turned down a request to talk to me for an article, webinar, or video, knowing his contributions would help his peers. Mike was just a real nice guy to talk to. I miss him at every IPMA conference.
2025 has also been a tough year for the in-plant community. We lost four well respected in-plant managers.
- Though retired for several years, Arizona State University’s Bob Lane was well known at Association of College and University Printer (ACUP) conferences, his British accent always ringing out above the din of conversation.
- Richard Griffin, former manager of Central Piedmont Community College’s in-plant, passed away after a battle with Multiple System Atrophy. Known for his ever-cheerful demeaner, Richard was a popular presence at ACUP conferences. I think I’ll most miss the upbeat way he always ended his emails: “Make it a grand day.”
- Then in September, Mark McCarty, manager of Missouri State University’s in-plant died of cancer at just 67. I last saw him at IPMA 2024 in Des Moines. He must have been in pain the whole time but he seemed as upbeat as ever around all his in-plant friends on what proved to be his farewell visit with us. If only we had known.
- In November we lost Garry Boytos, longtime director of Printing Services at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio at the age of 64. Remembered as teacher and a mentor, he brought a commercial printing mentality to his in-plant and made numerous improvements in his 17 years there.
In December 2019 many of us were heartbroken when Rodney Brown, director of the University of Delaware’s in-plant, passed away. A familiar face at IPMA and ACUP conferences, he was funny, easy to talk to, and a font of knowledge. He retired in 2016, and I expected he’d be out on his boat for years to come, but that was not fate’s plan.
Another painful departure was that of Dave Maloch, who served both Louisiana State University and Arkansas State and was well liked and respected as an advisor and mentor. After he retired he returned to train his replacement before retiring again — just two months before passing away in his sleep.
Even managers who left us long ago are still fresh in my mind. I can clearly remember the first in-plant manager to die while I was on the job, Chuck Okerlund of Boeing. He passed away during the IPMA 1997 conference in Reno, Nev., just hours before he would have accepted the Best of Show award for his in-plant. He never knew his shop had won. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that heartbreaking day.
Nearly as decimating was the death of poor Jim Kapp, director of North Dakota's Central Services Division, who longed to host a National Government Publishing Association conference in his hometown of Bismarck, N.D. He was taken by cancer while planning the event. The association met in Bismarck the next year in his his honor, to enjoy the town he was so proud of.
Cancer has taken other in-plant friends as well:
- Steve Goodman, who served both California State University in Fresno and the University of Illinois at Springfield, using his wealth of knowledge to help those in-plants flourish. His booming Bronx accent made him easy to find at ACUP conferences, and easy to miss when he no attended no more.
- Gary Williford, who retired from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 2006, but continued to attend the Southeastern University Printing and Digital Managers Conference (SUPDMC) until 2018, to share his vast knowledge with his in-plant peers.
- J.T. Sarantakos, who passed along his love of printing as a graphic arts instructor for many years (including to his son John, former head of the University of Oklahoma’s in-plant) before taking over as director of Central Missouri State University's in-plant. I can still hear his distinct, gravelly voice clear as day.
- Brian Wadell, a kind, customer-oriented manager who worked tirelessly to improve his in-plant at the University of California, Davis, and was always happy to share his knowledge with fellow managers.
As terrible as it is to lose friends to cancer, it was the unexpected departures that were most shocking.
- Stephen Berry, who made Columbia University’s in-plant a technology leader in the ’90s, died while on vacation in Ireland in 1998 at just 46.
- Michael Leighton, who worked hard to improve customer service and turnaround time at the City of Los Angeles’ in-plant, died suddenly at just 52.
- Lora Geionety, of American Fidelity Assurance, a well liked, outgoing presence at IPMA conferences, was taken at 52 after a short illness.
- The University of Virginia’s Scott Keeney, who wiped away the in-plant’s deficit in his 13 years as director, died in his sleep at 58, much too young.
- Missouri State Printer Gary Judd, a humble, hard-working man (and a big fan of this magazine, who wrote numerous letters to the editor), passed away in his home just as he was contemplating retirement.
Tragic accidents have taken others, leaving their work unfinished.
- Ray Burd, of the University of Scranton, who merged print and mail, took over the campus copier fleet, and brought VDP to his university, was hit by a falling branch on the tree he was cutting down.
- Dave Hadenfeldt, an enthusiastic advocate for 3D printing at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln's in-plant, was taken out by a distracted driver while enjoying a ride on the motorcycle he loved so much.
There are others too, whose stories I must leave untold for now: Kevin Field, Walt Leonard, Gene Wright, Gary Wolf, Mike Barbie, Delane Donithorne, Jon Rolie. I think about all of them from time to time, and tip my hat to them for a job well done — for doing their part to strengthen just one of the many in-plants that make up the network of in-plants in this industry.
Rest in peace, my friends. You’re not forgotten.
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited 200 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
