Estabrook turns 90, community to celebrate

LAKEVILLE — Bob Estabrook was trying to knock out his weekly column on Monday when a reporter pestered him, using the excuse of the man’s 90th birthday party this Saturday, Oct. 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Town Grove.

It was awkward — for everybody. Estabrook is a man of many accomplishments who prefers not to talk about them. A former editor and foreign correspondent at the Washington Post, he is perhaps best known in the Northwest Corner as editor and publisher emeritus (and former owner, with his wife, Mary Lou, and current owner, with an investor group) of The Lakeville Journal. He continues to write the Perambulating column for the paper weekly.

“Are newspapers doomed?� he was asked.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people who think they are,� he replied. “But the answer is no. 

“I do think newspapers will have to find new venues, and I believe community papers — usually weeklies, although there are a few dailies — have the best chance of surviving because they perform a function others don’t do as well.�

Estabrook turned back the clock to his days as a foreign correspondent for the Washington Post, in a valiant effort to get the in-house interview over with.

“Harold Macmillan [British Prime Minister from 1957 to 1963] was a truly Edwardian figure. Only man I ever saw who had muscles in his mustache. You could tell when he had contempt for the House of Commons: it drooped.

“But he was the only surviving member of his college class. They lost a whole generation in the war. 

“It gave me a real insight into the antecedents of contemporary British society.�

The birthday party is open to everybody who wishes to come. There will be food and drink, a jazz combo and exhibits chronicling Estabrook’s remarkable career.

There will also be the opportunity to chat with a seasoned pro about the past, present and future of newspapers, the Northwest Corner and the world.

The Lakeville Journal encourages anyone who would like to attend to call 860-435-9873, to help get an estimate of how many people to expect.