Past Paperboys and other Dispatch Employees

By Editor | January 30, 2020 |

Johnny Montgomery, Jerry Hays, Cecil Bullard and Kenith Bullard, all carrier boys for The Post Dispatch, were photographed with Dispatch Reporter Wendell Huddleston for Newspaper Boy’s Day.

The Post Dispatch has seen many employees throughout the years. Recently, Cecil Bullard and Tracy McAlister, both former employees of The Post Dispatch, have reached out and shared with us about their time working for The Post Dispatch.

In a past newspaper article given to us by Bullard, Newspaper Boy’s Day was celebrated honoring the boys who made the newspapers distribution possible. The article read:

“NEWSPAPER BOY’S DAY – is slated for the fourth day of National Newspaper week, which is being observed Oct. 1 to 8 and it is only fitting that The Post Dispatch carry the above picture of part of its carrier boys. Of course, it was impossible to get all the boys assembled at one time for the picture, now that football, cotton pulling, and a few other activities occupy a part of their time. The crew averages from six to 10 boys, who each Thursday afternoon pick up newspapers and sell them on the streets and in the residential sections of Post. Each boy averages selling from 25 to 50 Post Dispatches. Two boys, Herbie and Jerry Hays, with Herbie pictured second from left, and Jerry missing out on having his picture made so that he could participate in a junior football game, have been selling Dispatches for about four years. The brothers sell 90 or more newspaper each week over their routes in South Post. Others pictured are Johnny Montgomery, Cecil Bullard and Kenith Bullard. Standing behind the four boys is Wendell Huddleston, a dispatch reporter.”

Recently, Cecil and his daughter Judy Hatfield, stopped by our office to visit his former workplace where, alongside his brother Kenith, Cecil worked his first ever job as a paperboy. When the Bullard brothers made their debut in the newspaper industry, a newspaper sold for a dime and the office’s backroom still operated as a printing press.

Kenith, who remained in Post, recently passed away at the age of 80. Still, Cecil, who now resides in Fort Worth alongside other family and friends, fondly remembers their days delivering the newspaper.

Another former Dispatch employee Tracy McAlister graduated from Post High School in 1977, and during his time as a senior worked for The Post Dispatch.

McAlister was editor for a school page named “Antelope Tracks” where he would publish columns regarding that latest news at PHS.

“I worked for Jim Cornish back then and I loved him,” McAlister said. “He was a great teacher on how to write news reports, columns and headlines.”

McAlister also ran an editorial called “Youthoughts” where he discussed his car named Old Yeller who he eventually put up for sale and many other entertaining topics.

In one of his final articles, he wrote to his fellow classmates. The article read:

“Well, I’ve been through 12 years with most of these kids and now it’s time to call it ‘quits.’ It’s funny, but most of us will remember the things that we want to remember and will try to forget the things that hurt us. I can remember all the little things that make me feel the way that I do about my class. I can remember Mike Waldrip always seemed like a telephone pole to me. I don’t remember ever seeing his head before I was in junior high. I will always remember that Darlene Gunn and I were the first ones (we think) to go through all 12 years together in the same class. I will remember Kim Lott for being the female of the 6^th grade class favorites when I was the male. I can never forget Vickie Gannon because of the time that I stuck my head in her birthday cake. I’ll remember Dan Sawyers because of our height closeness, and how mad I was when he passed me. I will always remember that time that Rodney Teaff and I went to Six Flags and our Spanish babysitter taught us dirty words in Spanish. Nelda Leake will be remembered by me because of her undying willingness to help me understand that something that I couldn’t at the time. Mark Kirkpatrick will always be remembered because of his nickname, but it doesn’t fit anymore Mark. I’ll always remember Donna Ammons because of our many skips down yellow brick road. How could I forget the many times that Karen Williams and I played the Duke and the Duchess? These are not all of my senior friends, but I don’t have enough space and time to write something about every one of them.”

All who have worked for the newspaper, whether they were a paperboy like the Bullard’s or an editor like McAlister, continue to impact our paper even today through their constant loyalty and appreciation.

“I have taken The Post Dispatch by mail wherever I have lived,” McAlister said.

To all the current and former employees, thank you.

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know worked for The Post Dispatch in the past, feel free to send us your story at [email protected].