History, mystery & literary notes
Columnist hopes to carry on Buzz Storey’s historical work (Editor’s note: Local author and historian Marci Lynn McGuinness will be writing a monthly historical column for the Herald-Standard, starting today.)
I met Buzz Storey, the former editor of the Herald-Standard, on the Carnegie Public Library steps in Connellsville just days before Christmas, 1993. We were there to sign our new books. We became friends that day, exchanging history, mystery, and literary notes for years to come.
One morning, he phoned and asked me to write a book for another publisher so they would quit calling him. As Herald-Standard readers know, Buzz was a card. His knowledge of local history, spun in oftentimes humorous yarns, captivated us all. I refer to his book often.
The year 2011 marks 30 years of book publishing and 50 years of writing for me. It has been my privilege to be privy to the stories of our elders, local people who often say, “I don’t know much, honey,” and three hours later, exhausted, stop talking. Southwestern Pennsylvania is so endowed with history and mysteries, that in 30 years, I have only begun to learn and share. I am lucky to be in the position to relay our region’s remarkable legends in many formats and excited to become one of this historical newspaper’s columnists.
People call, write, and e-mail questions, photographs, and stories to me regularly. Of the 25 books I have written so far, half are on local history, others are on mysteries, cookbooks, and natural remedies, and one is a tiny outdated author’s handbook on how to take the mystery out of publishing. This column is being created to share and honor our historical uniqueness, and to discuss the importance of keeping reading and publishing thriving amidst the technology craze.
A tidbit Buzz dropped on me one day in 1995 about the Uniontown Speedway board track’s demise, planted the seed for the final scene in the upcoming film adaptation of my book, “Yesteryear at the Uniontown Speedway.”
The richness of his knowledge and generosity in sharing it live on. He was a storyteller. We recognized this quality in each other right away. I in no way compare myself to Buzz, but share with him the drive to persevere in the continual sharing of history, mystery and literary knowledge and to hand it down through the generations.
In this column, we will be discussing historical moments, mysterious murders, and book publishing today. Photographs will be included in some columns. Recently, the ancestors of Congressman Andrew Stewart paid me a visit. They bestowed on me a copy of the portrait he had painted of himself in 1825 and more. In my next column, we will discuss the congressman, and how his love of Fayette County drove him to acquire 80,000 acres, and to fight for decades to start the county’s first tourist boom.
Marci Lynn McGuinness is an author and publisher (Shore Publications) of 25 books and the “Around Ohiopyle Map & Gift Guide.” She also consults with authors about publishing choices today. Send history, mystery and publishing questions/stories or requests for book order forms to: Shore Publications, 145 River Street, Adah, Pa. 15410 or marci@ohiopyle.info
. Free book brochure and details at: www.ohiopyle.info
.