Publisher Dave Simpkins had had enough. His typesetting equipment was failing again. Getting out the local newspaper on time was up to the spinning wheels on a refrigerator-sized Compugraphic, driven by yellow punch tape, using plastic font strips and expensive photo paper. It was not doing its part.
Steve Jobs to the rescue. In 1984, he introduced the 128K Apple MacIntosh.
Dave saw its potential, replaced his broken equipment, and instantly became a Minnesota pioneer in plain-paper typesetting. Innovation after innovation, he gleefully reported his progress in the weekly Minnesota Newspaper Association Bulletin.
I eagerly took note of his reports, undergoing a transition of my own at the newspapers I ran, but my path went through Bill Gates, in the Microsoft world. I would compare progress in this race to innovate, experiment, simplify, increase the bottom line.
Dave Simpkins died last night. He’ll be remembered as a free-thinking, fun-loving extrovert, always seeking answers to difficult problems, never afraid to lead. Our thoughts are with his wife, Linda.
