Feb 24, 2018 5 min read

Margie McKinley of Malden grew up in a newspaper family.

Her father, Charles W. McKinley, went to work as the general manager of the Brownsville Telegraph back in 1949, after his father-in-law, T.F. McDonald, a Cleveland attorney who owned the paper, asked him if he’d like to try his hand at the newspaper business.

“Dad learned the ropes from the ground up,” said McKinley, who later immersed herself in the business as a photographer, an advertising representative and in several other aspects of the family operation.

Around 1970, McKinley’s father decided to purchase the newspaper and became its publisher. He shortened the paper’s name to The Telegraph because it then served a much wider geographic area that extended beyond the confines of the historic town on the Monongahela River.

“We distributed the paper as far away as Waynesburg, Dry Tavern, Marianna, Clarksville, Roscoe, Smock and nearly halfway to Uniontown,” McKinley said.

Published Monday through Saturday, The Telegraph had its biggest circulation numbers in the early 1970s, when it employed a staff of 26. The paper was just one component of Brownsville Publishing, which also printed newspapers for other communities, special tabloids, class schedules and more.

Charles McKinley served as the paper’s publisher for the next 18 years, until failing health and advice from his doctors persuaded him to retire.

The fateful day came on June 1, 1988, when he sold The Telegraph to the Calkins family, which also owned the Uniontown Herald-Standard at that time. The daily Telegraph ceased to be published, although for a short time, the new owners published a Brownsville section in the Herald with the help of a few employees retained at the Brownsville location.

In his career as publisher, McKinley got to travel the world on newspaper junkets, and held the office of president of the Pennsylvania Newspapers Publishers Association in 1967. In retirement, his life slowed down considerably, although he enjoyed traveling to Iowa to visit his nieces and nephews.

He died in March 2010.

Just one year shy of a 40-year career at the paper, it’s ironic that the man who held such a long and significant position in Brownsville wouldn’t be included in the detailed historical writings on the municipality by Glenn Tunney, a native of nearby Blainsburg.

Margie McKinley said that when Tunney phoned her father to get information, he wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t up to talking.

“Now that the 30th anniversary of Dad’s retirement and the last publication of The Telegraph is coming up on June 1, I wanted his story to be told,” she said. “That’s why I’ve decided to compile a tribute to him, the newspaper and the hundreds of people employed by the paper over the years.”

McKinley is reaching out to past employees, paper carriers and distributors – anyone with a connection to the publication – seeking photos, human interest stories and other related information. Eventually, she plans to compile and publish the research material in some form.

“Originally, the project was just for me, but I decided to publish it online for others to read,” she said. “Hopefully, I’ll have it done by June 1.”

About 90 people, including some who worked for the Telegraph in the 1950s, have responded with stories, information and photos. With the anniversary quickly approaching, McKinley would like to hear from more people, especially from those with ties to the paper from the 1940s. She will accept submissions until May 1.

The earliest information she received so far is a set of photos and newspaper clippings from 1945, sent to her by the granddaughters of the Catterall family. When Charles McKinley first arrived at the paper in 1949, Walter Catterall was business manager and Charles Catterall was head of circulation.

“Of all the information I’ve received, the most intriguing came from several newspaper delivery boys and girls who mentioned the food perks that came with the job,” McKinley said. “They said that while the money they earned was good, customers would sometimes invite them in for dinner or give them baked goods, especially around the holidays.”

Many people have already contributed information via Facebook, but those with photos or information can email McKinley at Mymarque4@reagan.com or send material to her at Margie McKinley, 200 Indian Rock Drive, Brownsville, PA 15417. McKinley said that all submitted photos will be returned.

“Brownsville and the surrounding rural communities were fortunate to have a family-owned local newspaper,” McKinley said. “This is evident to me as it has been 30 years since our doors closed, and yet people still tell me how much they miss the Telegraph. I count it all as a tribute to my father, Chas McKinley.”