Our Hometown
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Pennysaver history spans 70-plus years Monday's announcement of the sale of Ad Group to GateHouse Media is yet another chapter in the colorful story of the advertising and newspaper business in Newark. The Van Dusen family changed the way advertising was done in Wayne County, and was in the forefront of the latest methods for more than 70 years. What was started by Howard Wood in 1936, and taken over by Chester Van Dusen in 1937, is now part of one of the largest media groups in the world. While newspapers were the primary source of print advertising in all communities, the Van Dusens had a better idea. Why not sell advertising, print a flyer, and deliver it free to every business and home in the community? Thus, the Pennysaver was born. New business, small businesses, and individuals had an affordable way to advertise. Early on, the papers were delivered by youngsters with wagons, later by U.S. Mail, and when postage rates went up, carriers were again called upon to deliver the Newark Pennysaver to each and every household. It was a family operation, with everyone pitching in on deadline night, running the mimeograph, putting the papers together and stapling by hand. Much of this was done at the Van Dusen home, in the kitchen, collating pages on an ironing board. Harold Van Dusen would later invent and patent a collator for some of this tedious work. During these years, the Pennysaver was considered by the local newspaper as a 'second class operation,' but they soon tried to copy the success by introducing their own version of the weekly shopper. Like the story of the tortoise and the hare, they all failed, finding that their versions of the Pennysaver only drew ads from the main publications. The Newark Pennysaver plugged along and stayed for the long haul. Meanwhile, versions of the weekly free publication began to spring up all over the country. They were called shoppers, shopping guides, and even dollarsavers to honor inflationary times. With founder Chester Van Dusen's passing, his son Harold took over the business. He moved the operations to 613 South Main Street and adapted all the latest printing methods, taking on commercial printing jobs as well as advertising. Harold's son John, who had helped with the work as a youngster, re-joined the firm in 1970 after a stint in the Army and college. John promoted an expansion, adding the Ridge Road Dollarsaver, Sodus Williamson Pennysaver, and Clyde-Savannah Shopping Guide. The little Pennysaver operation had Wayne County covered much of Wayne County from Newark west, and to the south. North was not a problem as no one was selling advertising on Lake Ontario! In 1983, after several out of town owners, including media giant Gannett and had tested the waters in Newark and given up, the Newark Courier-Gazette, established in 1859, was for sale. Life-long Newark resident John Van Dusen was the buyer. The Courier-Gazette was now owned by the Pennysaver. The future of the hometown newspaper was assured for many years. The first order of business for Van Dusen was to find and rescue the files of old copies. This was done in the nick of time and the entire 'morgue' was saved on micro-film. The Courier-Gazette was itself a product of several mergers over many years. The turn of the 19th century saw the Newark Courier competing with the Arcadian Weekly Gazette and Newark Union Gazette. All three survived for many years. City residents, as well as farm families, saw that there was another world out there and wanted news. By 1938, the Courier merged with the Union and became the Courier-Gazette, adding the Lake Shore News, Clifton Springs Press, and Marion Enterprise along the way. Publisher Horace Greeley Howard guided the paper through Newark's golden years, aided by the popular and legendary Editor Charlie Ross. It is hard to imagine a progressive small town like Newark without a locally owned paper to chronicle all the goings on and events. It is also hard to imagine the Newark Pennysaver without a Van Dusen at the helm. Right up until last week, Harold was hand-delivering the paper to each and every downtown business, just like his father had done, as a way of thanking the business for advertising with them. 'I am honored to have had custodianship of the Newark Courier-Gazette for the past 25 years,' said John Van Dusen. 'It is said that nothing stays the same.' Harold Van Dusen said, 'It always changes!' Copyright
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