Every weekday morning, and late each Saturday night, a Goss Urbanite 500 Series press cranks up to produce another 13,000 or so editions of The Dispatch.
Jamie Morrison is usually there, adjusting ink, replenishing paper rolls and troubleshooting problems as they arise.
“They used to tell me I could set full color pictures better than anybody and make it look just like it was on the proof,” Morrison said. “My eyesight isn’t as good anymore.”
Still, Morrison knows just about all there is to know about The Dispatch’s press. He’s had plenty of time to learn. When he leaves work Friday, though, he’ll be officially retired from his 40-year career, and the newspaper will be saying goodbye to its longest-tenured employee.
“It’s sure going to be different,” said Tom Hudson, pressroom supervisor for the past eight years. “One thing we’ll be losing is his wisdom. Don’t much (new) happen down here but about every 25 or 30 years, and he’s been through it all. If something goes wrong, he can tell you about when it happened before and what they did to fix it.”
The Dispatch won’t feel the same without Morrison’s “quiet presence,” Publisher Peter Imes said.
“Jamie’s humor is something a lot of people miss,” he said. “He tends to be quiet and doesn’t insert himself into situations much, but at the most unexpected times, he’ll tell a story or make an observation that’s entertaining. I’ve always appreciated that about him. We’ll miss him around here.”
Born in Savannah, Georgia, Morrison lived in Kansas and North Carolina before his family settled in Columbus when he was 12.
With the exception of about 18 months in the late 1970s working on an offshore oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, he’s been in Columbus ever since.
“That made a man out of me,” Morrison said of the oil rig job. “It was hot during the day and cold at night. I always helped unload the (supply) boats sent out to us because I was one of the only ones who never got seasick.”
Though Morrison had helped friends with their paper routes as a child, he said he never stepped foot into The Dispatch building until he reported to the mailroom for his first day of work in 1982. His ex-brother-in-law told him about the job opening, and Morrison spent the next 10 years on the team that stuffs the advertising inserts into the freshly printed newspapers.
In 1992, Morrison was asked if he wanted to move to the pressroom.
“I didn’t have to think about it,” he said. “… Since then, I’ve had chances to get other jobs. But I got to liking what I was doing.”
His mechanical mind, which he has honed from youth, made him a natural.
As a teenager, Morrison said he bought a 1953 Chevy for $65 and learned how to rebuild the engine and fix the starter. He soon started helping others repair their vehicles, as well.
“I’m not a mechanic, but I can help you with it,” he said. “I’ve always done my own brakes and stuff.”
In the pressroom, Morrison is “a character,” Hudson said. He’s also “very punctual.”
“He doesn’t miss work,” Hudson said. “He’s here.”
Oh, and there’s one other thing.
“Jamie loves sports,” Hudson said. “Especially football, baseball and NASCAR. … He remembers stuff that happened in games in 1969 and can tell you everything about it.”
Morrison has seen races at Talladega, and he also cheers faithfully for the Atlanta Braves and just about any sports team at Mississippi State. Maybe his strangest, and most passionate, rooting interest is the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. Oddly enough, he picked the Browns in the late ‘60s so he could cheer for a winner.
“The year after Joe Namath (and the Jets) won the Super Bowl (in 1969), they opened the season against the Browns, and the Browns won,” Morrison said. “After that I thought, ‘That’s my team. They beat Namath.’”
In retrospect, Morrison admits, he didn’t know what he was in for.
“They’ve been perennial losers,” he said. “(Bernie) Kosar should have taken them to the Super Bowl (in the ‘80s), but you had The Drive, the fumble. It’s always something. They’ve broken my heart a bunch of times.”
Morrison has raised two children during his time working at The Dispatch and watched the press double in size over the past four decades. Now it’s time to take his grandchildren fishing. But first, he’s got to get through the last walk from the pressroom to his vehicle on Friday, something he’s already thinking about.
“It’s been a great experience, and when I walk down that alley for the last time, I’ll have a grin on my face,” he said before pausing briefly.
“Well, I say that. I might get a little choked up,” he continued. “I’ve worked with some good people over the years.”
Moments later, he revisited the subject.
“I probably will get a little choked up,” he said.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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