Newspapers & Special Publicity Projects

Steve Hannagan at the founding of the Quiet Birdmen

Steve Hannagan at the founding of the Quiet Birdmen

Steve Hannagan found himself at an early meeting of the Quiet Birdmen, a club of twenty aviators many of them who had flown in WWI. The group met at Marta, an Italian restaurant located at 75 Washington Place in Greenwich Village. Steve brought a guest artist who recorded the Quiet Birdmen. The article and sketch appeared on February 21st in his byline column “This Little World” that was carried by NEA news services. The following picture is a reprint from the original article.[1]

Aviators included in the picture are: Harry Bruno, S. H. MacKeon, Wallace James, Richard R. “Dick” Blythe, Earle D. Osborn, Charles S. “Casey” Jones, Harold T. “Slim” Lewis, Ernest Loftquis, Paul G. Zimmerman, Donald Mcllhenny, Ladislas d’Orcy, Richard H. DePew Jr., George Hubbard, R. B. C. Noorduyn, and J. E. Whitbeck.

When the Quiet Birdmen grew too large (or perhaps because the noise bothered other patrons) Marta prohibited any further meetings at the restaurant. Subsequent meetings were held in a different location each time at a restaurant.

The Quiet Birdmen originated in France in November 1919, when a group of World War I aviators started a drinking club called “The American Flying Club”. After returning to America, they reconvened in New York City, only to be barred from their first clubhouse by the bailiff. In January 1921, between ten to twenty aviators began meeting fairly regularly on Monday nights in New York City at the Marta restaurant.

Harold Hersey, the editor of Aces High magazine, ironically called the group The Quiet Birdmen as a wisecrack about their boisterous meetings. The cost of a lifetime membership in the 1920s was one dollar. In the 1920s the emblem of the club was created – a blue shield with the letters QB in silver, the shield being flanked by silver wings. “In 1938, the club’s meetings settled into the building owned by the Architectural League of New York.”[2]

Hannagan’s attendance at one of the meetings may not have been an accident. During the prior year he had flown with Captain Eddie Rickenbacker as he toured the country in a 15,000-mile trip to market his new monoplane (See picture below). Rickenbacker named Steve honorary Captain and guaranteed that Steve would not be injured regardless of what happened with the airplane.[3] Rickenbacker’s was good for his word, because the plane made four emergency landings, and Hannagan walked away each time.

Steve had met Rickenbacker at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and they became fast friends. Later, Hannagan would be Rickenbacker’s best man and Rickenbacker would be the executor of Hannagan’s will after his death in 1953.

“From the left – Lloyd Bertrand, a prominent flyer; Belvin Maynard, called the ‘Flying Parson’; Eddie Rickenbacker; Eddie Stinson, his co-pilot; and Steve Hannagan.”[4]

Endnotes

  1. Reprint of Picture from Steve Hannagan’s article in 1922 (March 1922); Beam Magazine ↑
  2. Article in Beam Magazine (March 1922). ↑
  3. Hannagan Steven; (March 1922); “Thrills and Laughs with Captain Eddie Rickenbacker; Illustrated World; p. 828. ↑
  4. Hannagan Steven; (March 1922); “Thrills and Laughs with Captain Eddie Rickenbacker; Illustrated World; p. 829. ↑
/by

Steve Hannagan: News Editor Part 2

Boy Editor Charms Society Editor

Dorothy (Dot) Rice, the Society Editor at the Journal & Courier, worked the night shift with Steve. Dot joined the newspaper’s night gang on their Monday excursions to the Vaudeville Theater, where Steve usually sat next to her. Dot was a year older and more mature than Steve. She liked his enthusiasm and humor and thought that Steve was handsome with his striking blue eyes and thick eyebrows. Many of Dot’s family and friends could not see what she saw in Steve Hannagan, a newspaper hawker from the wrong part of town and without the sophistication needed to succeed in executive suites.

While the War was good to Steve (because of the war, he became City and Sports editor with hefty raises), it nearly left Dot’s father destitute. During World War I, her father, who was a shirt manufacturer, borrowed money to buy cotton at high prices for his shirt factory. When the war ended sooner than expected, he could not pay back the loan when demand for cotton shirts collapsed, and her father had to declare bankruptcy.

At a time when religion mattered more than today, Dot Rice, a Jew, attended Christmas mass with Steve. However, Steve never accompanied her to the synagogue. It is not known if Aunt Jo or Uncle Billy knew that Dot was Jewish, but her family knew that Steve was Catholic. The differences in religions began to wedge apart their relationship, especially when they discussed marriage and children. While Dot was not inflexible about religion, she did not want to be a Catholic. Although they amicably discussed marriage and children, they could never surmount the obstacles that their respective religion placed in front of them. Eventually, they decided that continuing the relationship would not work.

Rice and Samuel Insull and His Infamous Ponzi Scheme

In the late 1920s Steve went to work for Lord & Thomas, a major advertising firm in Chicago. While there Albert Lasker, President of the Firm, assigned Steve to work with Samuel Insull who was under indictment for financial fraud. Insull’s legal problems began when his investment empire of utility companies collapsed at the start of the Great Depression. Insull’s wealth was built on the sale of stock to his 30,000 employees and to thousands of small stock investors.[1] Sadly, many of Insull investors dumped their modest savings into his stock.

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4855581853155985&pid=15.1

Samuel Insull[2]

During the time that Steve was working with Insull Steve ran into Dorothy Rice who angrily charged that Insull had defrauded her uncle out of his life’s savings.[3] She was appalled that Steve was helping Insull and asked him how he could possibly defend such a horrendous person. His answer was simple – “Money.”[4] More of this story is in the Hannagan biography that covers, Steve’s campaign that kept Insull from jail.

Samuel Insull, Jr. - Insull Utility Investments Inc.

. A Worthless Share of Insull Stock[5]

Steve Missed His Chance with Dot Rice

After Steve’s mother’s funeral, he told Paul Sullivan, his cousin that he would have been happier staying in Lafayette and marrying Dot Rice. Dot Rice and Steve remained close friends for the rest of his life.[6] However, Steve would not have been satisfied staying in Lafayette

Edward Ross, who interviewed Steve’s friends and family in made this trenchant analogy in his notebook. Steve was like the ancient Cuban fisherman in Hemingway’s, The Old Man and the Sea, who was asked why he couldn’t bring home the big fish that he landed; he replied: “Nothing, I went out too far.”[7]

Contribute Stories to the Blog – We are looking for pictures, comments and stories from our readers about Steve Hannagan. You can submit your stories, etc. to Michael Townsley at: mtown@dca.net. If you know someone who would like to receive the blog, send their name to mtown@dca.net

 

END NOTES

  1. Ross, Edward Ellis; Hannagan Research Document; source; New York University Archives; p.140-A. ↑
  2. Photograph of Samuel Insull (Retrieved July 3, 2013); Chicago-L– Historic Figures; http://www.chicago-L.org/figures/insull/. ↑
  3. Ross, Edward Ellis; Hannagan Research Document; sourc;: New York University Archives; p. 145. ↑
  4. Ross, Edward Ellis; Hannagan Research Document; source; New York University Archives; p. 145. ↑
  5. Photograph of a Share of Insull Stock (Retrieved August 20, 2013); http://www.glabarre.com/item/Samuel_Insull__Jr_Insull_Utility_Investments_Inc_/2121/p20c4. ↑
  6. Ross, Edward Ellis; Hannagan Research Document; source; New York University Archives; pp. 30 – 32. ↑
  7. Hemingway, Ernest (1966) The Old Man and the Sea; Scribner Classics; New York; p. 172. ↑
/by

Steve Hannagan: News Editor Part 1

Steve Hannagan, the Newsboy

Steve Hannagan first ventured into the news business in high school as a newspaper delivery boy. However, when the sun set on his first day, he dropped his papers, and ran home. Before long he returned to selling newspapers for the Lafayette Journal & Courier, but he wanted to be a reporter. Quickly realizing that the paper’s Managing Editor William Robertson was the key to becoming a reporter, Hannagan approached him. Years later, Robertson said the conversation with Hannagan went something like this:

“’I want to become a reporter.’ ‘How old are you’, asked Robinson? ‘Fourteen! Well, son, I’m afraid that’s a little too young to become a reporter.’ ‘Do you run the paper,’ Steve enquired. ‘No!’ ‘Well, who’s your boss;’ ‘Mr. Henry W. Marshall Owns is Publisher of this paper,’ said Robinson. ‘Where’s his office;’’ Right around the corner!’”[1]

http://www.monon.org/people2/07-L-ThayerWL-RRobinsonBillie.jpg

William Robertson[2]

(Foreground of the picture)

Steve Bullies His Way into the Newspaper Owner’s Office

Chaffing at Robertson’s brush-off and propelled by the brashness that would set him apart from his friends, Hannagan marched down to Marshall’s office and informed the secretary that Steve Hannagan was there to see the Publisher. Marshall’s first question was:

“Who are you,” asked Marshall? ‘Steve Hannagan!’ ‘Any relation to Steve Hannagan, who runs the saloon?’ ‘Yes, he’s my uncle.’ ‘Well, what can I do for you?’ … ‘I want to become a reporter.’ The publisher was unimpressed. He told Steve there was no opening for him. ‘All right,’ said Steve, ‘but I’ll be back two days from now at 5 o’clock’”[3]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51u7ubYW2eL.jpg

Henry Marshall

(Marshall is in the center of the picture) [4]

Although Marshall also gave Steve the brush-off, he persisted with daily visits to the Publisher’s office. On the thirteenth knock on Marshall’s door, the Publisher said, “Give this boy a job; anything, so he’ll quit pestering me.”[5]

Steve Star Orator at Jefferson High School

Steve juggled being a reporter for the Journal-Courier and being a student at Lafayette’s Jefferson High School. There he saw himself as a mediocre student. Despite his poor showing in most subjects, Steve did have a silver tongue attested by his winning regional and state speech contests.[6] The title of one of his prize winning speeches for which he received a $5 gold piece was “The Power of Conviction,” which asserted that “Conviction … is the result of the mind’s earnest attention on idea.”[7]

Steve developed another skill in high school; he could take a random subject and turn it into a well-written report (much like a news report). Bernard Sobel,[8] his English teacher at Jefferson High, said this about Steve:

“Highest honors in this exercise (extemporaneous report) always went to Steve Hannagan, a smiling sophomore with a knowing look on his Irish rotund face. He met the challenge of this game of words and wit with the same skill, which helped make him, eventually, one of the three or four greatest public relations stars in America.” [9]

http://looking-for-mabel.webs.com/009%2010%20OCT%20PIXS/LFM%201953%20Bernard%20Sobel.jpg

Bernard Sobel[10]

A comment in Steve’s senior yearbook demonstrated his classmates’ belief in his destiny.

“Steve is another of one of our brainy guys, who is gradually… becoming famous as a reporter, at which position he has ample scope to exercise his talent. He has always been a loyal supporter of all school activities and has always had enough self-reliance or conceit … to pull through his studies. We sincerely hope that Steve may be what he thinks himself to be.”[11]

Full-Time Reporter at the Journal & Courier

When Steve enrolled at Purdue University, he joined the Journal & Courier as a full-time reporter, reporting on local high school basketball teams. He happily took on the role as a tout for the mystique of “Hoosier Hysteria.” Where every team no matter how large or small had a chance to win the state title.

Steve at Purdue University

Although Steve was a lackluster student in high school, he was accepted by and attended Purdue University for two years. His experience there was not without its merits as it gave him an opportunity to further develop his journalistic skills.

As a reporter for Journal & Courier interviewed the Hoosier columnist, humorist, folklorist, and playwright, George Ade., who was to be a Purdue commencement speaker.[12] Ade wrote about the “little man “often using the American and Hoosier colloquial vernacular in his narratives.[13] Ade’s favorite remark about life was “to insure peace of mind ignore the rules and regulations,”[14] a saying that might fit well in today’s world.

Image Detail

George Ade 1928[15]

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2470/4039063433_1cdfa331d6_z.jpg

George Ade’s Home in Brook, Indiana[16]

George Ade and Steve eventually became good friends. They corresponded regularly their letters showed mutual admiration for their unique contributions. George Ade introduced Steve to John McCutcheon,[17] who illustrated many of Ade’s books and short stories One of McCutcheon’s illustration was for Ade’s story of the folk legend Injun Summer.[18] Ade’s story was based on a Hoosier folk tale in which corn shocks transformed into teepees and the spirits of Native Americans celebrating their harvest.

Image Detail

Illustration by John McCutcheon

From George Ade’s Book on Hoosier Folktales[19]

McCutcheon, who founded the Delta Delta chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity at Purdue, encouraged Steve to join the fraternity. Steve joined the fraternity, but he was not much of a fraternity man being more interested in getting ahead in life than being involved in frat parties with campus sororities. In 1948. Sigma Chi named Steve Hannagan a “Significant Sig: for his contribution to his profession as a press agent.

After two years at Purdue, Steve left the University because reporting was more fun than his studies, and he made more at the Journal & Courier than his professor made teaching.

Steve – City Editor at Nineteen

During the last year of World War I, the Journal & Courier lost it City and Sports editors to the army. As a result, Steve was named the Sports Editor and the City Editor at the Journal & Courier. When Steve was named City Editor, his pay grew from a measly $1 a week as a cub reporter to $28.50 a week. In addition, he earned another $25 a week as a stringer for the Indianapolis Star and as a free-lance reporter for other regional newspapers

Hyper Steve

Even while Steve attended high school and later Purdue, he worked around the clock. If he was alive and in school today he would probably be branded as hyperactive. His ability to go full blast for nearly twenty-four hours a day would be an essential ingredient in his life. Few people realize that some successful people often survive with little sleep, and their hyperactivity is a definite advantage because they quickly react to new opportunities. Their fast and furious life style often makes staid mid-level managers uncomfortable.

Contribute Stories to the Blog – We are looking for pictures, comments and stories from our readers about Steve Hannagan. You can submit your stories, etc. to Michael Townsley at: mtown@dca.net. If you know someone who would like to receive the blog, send their name to mtown@dca.net

 

END NOTES

  1. Ross, Edward Ellis; Hannagan Research Document; source; New York University Archives; pp. 24 and 25. ↑
  2. Photograph of William Robertson (Retrieved July 14, 2012); http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoS8LBgFQMmkAfnaJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DIMAGES%2B%2BLAFAYETTE%2BINDIANA%2B1900S%26n%3D30%26ei%3Dutf-8%26y%3DSearch%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D16&w=226&h=312&imgurl=www.monon.org%2Fpeople2%2F07-L-ThayerWL-RRobinsonBillie.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.monon.org%2Fworker6.html&size=28.1+KB&name=Robinson+William+G+Lafayette%2C+Indiana+Died+09-5-1964.&p=IMAGES++LAFAYETTE+INDIANA+1900S&oid=449f5301a7692850ade280ef71fa78b3&fr2=&fr=yfp-t-701&tt=Robinson%2BWilliam%2BG%2BLafayette%252C%2BIndiana%2BDied%2B09-5-1964.&b=0&ni=21&no=16&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=1117er2pp&sigb=144u6t3nv&sigi=11ns1jlk3&.crumb=oum7ZQ9AEIY. ↑
  3. Ross, Edward Ellis; Hannagan Research Document; source; New York University Archives; pp. 24 and 25. ↑
  4. Photograph of Henry Marshall, owner of the Journal & Courier newspaper (Retrieved July 14, 2012); http://www.amazon.com/Photo-Watson-Henry-Marshall-Wood/dp/B004JTQA0C/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_2. ↑
  5. Ross, Edward Ellis; Hannagan Research Document; source; New York University Archives; p. 25. ↑
  6. “Speaking Contest Won by Hannagan” (1916); Lafayette Journal & Courier. ↑
  7. “Speaking Contest Won by Hannagan” (1916); Lafayette Journal & Courier. ↑
  8. Photograph of Bernard Sobel (retrieved July 12, 2012); http://looking-for-mabel.webs.com/bernardsobel.htm. ↑
  9. Sobel, Bernard (1953); Broadway Heartbeat; Hermitage Books; New York; p. 49. ↑
  10. Looking for Mabel Norman” (Retrieved April 18, 2017); http://looking-for-mabel.webs.com/bernardsobel.htm. ↑
  11. Ross, Edward Ellis; Hannagan Research Document; source; New York University Archives; p. 23. ↑
  12. Ross, Edward Ellis; Hannagan Research Document, source; New York University Archives; p. 26. ↑
  13. “George Ade” (Retrieved June 5, 2012); http://www.focusdep.com/biographies/George/Ade; p. 1. ↑
  14. “George Ade” (Retrieved June 5 2012); http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0011748/bio; p. 2. ↑
  15. Photograph of George Ade (Retrieved June 5 ,2012); http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoQzxtc5P0T0AUuKJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dgeorge%2Bade%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=345&h=450&imgurl=www.antiimperialist.com%2Fwebroot%2FPEOPLEdocuments%2FMembership%2FPictures%2FGAde.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.antiimperialist.com%2Fwebroot%2FPEOPLEdocuments%2FMembership%2FLiterature.html&size=26.1+KB&name=George+Ade&p=george+ade&oid=95936dcf92f7fb1c57a40d08ebe54250&fr2=&fr=yfp-t-701&tt=George%2BAde&b=0&ni=21&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12hnkebu5&sigb=138k0g16c&sigi=12cbhiepq&.crumb=IYAF8NqUPhh. ↑
  16. Photograph of George Ade’s home in Brook, Indiana (Retrieved July 14, 2012); http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoVxTEwFQ_ngA1fSJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dbrook%2Bindiana%26_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dbrook%2Bindiana%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D225&w=640&h=480&imgurl=farm3.staticflickr.com%2F2470%2F4039063433_1cdfa331d6_z.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fshushmuckle%2F4039063433%2F&size=145.1+KB&name=Brook%2C+Indiana&p=brook+indiana&oid=957fc3cf74bea1fc36e7a3c6ebc6a131&fr2=&fr=yfp-t-701&tt=Brook%252C%2BIndiana&b=211&ni=112&no=225&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11kib7ibg&sigb=13tiipvnj&sigi=11nmhlfeb&.crumb=oum7ZQ9AEIY. ↑
  17. Rosa, Julia (Retrieved June 5, 2012); “John McCutcheon Encounters Lifetime of Adventure after Purdue Years;” Purdue News; http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html3month/McCutcheon.lifetime.html. ↑
  18. McCutcheon, John T. (September 30, 1907); “Injun Summer;” Chicago Tribune; http://www.tkinter.smig.net/Chicago/InjunSummer/index.htm. ↑
  19. McCutcheon, John T. (September 30, 1907) “Injun Summer;” Chicago Tribune; http://www.tkinter.smig.net/Chicago/InjunSummer/index.htm. ↑
/by