Obsolete Desk Item Inspires Glimpses of the Golden Age of Journalism
December 2020 — When you work for newspapers for over forty years, writing books may not be a huge leap. At least not for author Beverly Stoddart. She began her newspaper career at the Ft. Myers News-Press in Florida where she held several positions including retail sales. In 1987, she moved with her husband to Windham, NH in search of better-paying jobs. Before long, Beverly landed a retail sales position with the Boston Herald. It was there that she found the muse for her newly released book, Stories from the Rolodex.
The inspiration for Stories from the Rolodex came from an actual ancient, giant metal cardholder that spun through the alphabet with contacts on cards. The rolodex was discarded by the United Press International (UPI) when they went out of business and vacated the office space, they held in the Boston Herald building. “The cards go back to the 1960s, 70s, and 80s,” said Stoddart. “I walked into their office on the day they were packing up and leaving forever. The Rolodex sat on a desk, and I was drawn to its size. I began to go through the cards and saw names like Daniel Ellsberg, Ted Kennedy, Red Auerbach, and Baby Fiske.”
The Baby Fiske card read ‘liver transplant.’ “What I discovered about this child was she became the catalyst for transplant databases when none existed. The cards became lives. The cards had stories to tell,” said Stoddart.
Stories from the Rolodex are mini-memoirs of UPI journalists who passed through the wire’s Boston bureau. The sixteen stories are told through interviews in a Q and A format. “I wanted to use this format so that when you read the interview, you hear their voices,” said Stoddart. “You hear Don Davis’s Georgia drawl. You hear New Hampshire in John Milne. You will hear Karen Gray Houston’s voice as she describes what it was like to be a young, black woman in Boston in the time of school busing.”
Stories from the Rolodex tells incredible stories by journalists who may not have the notoriety of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, but are equally talented — journalists who worked at a time known as the golden age of journalism. “What I want readers to get from Stories from the Rolodex is the devotion, professionalism, and determination of the journalists interviewed. They come from a time when journalists were respected and read for facts,” Stoddart explained. “I also want readers to get to know their names. UPI journalists rarely got a by-line or any recognition for their work. I’m certain you read them; you just didn’t know it,” she said.
During her years at the Boston Herald, Stoddart put her daily commute to good use. “With an hour plus commute each way, I would write my novels in my head and then eventually get them down on paper,” she said. She has written four novels, including one action drama, one love story, and a two-part horror series.
Stoddart also writes children’s books and currently has four available on Amazon. What started as Christmas presents for her family and friends turned into a way for her to write books with a philanthropic focus. Her newest is Snidely Eyelash and the Dogs of the Gym. “We printed, sold, and donated all proceeds to the Greater Derry Humane Society. Copies of my flag book, My Name is Glory, were donated to the local American Legion to help them raise funds for their scholarships at a time when they couldn’t get out in public to secure the funds,” said Stoddart.
Over the course of her career, Stoddart also worked at the Nashua Telegraph and the Union Leader in sales. She lives with her husband, and their two rescue dogs from the Derry Humane Society, Amber and Buddy. She is also a member of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project.
