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Alma Mae Varner Martin

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Alma Mae Varner Martin

Birth	:	6 Mar 1912 Adams, Gage County, Nebraska, USA
Death	:	19 Oct 2000 Adams, Gage County, Nebraska, USA
Burial	:	Highland Cemetery, Adams, Gage County, USA
Coordinate	:	40.4580994, -96.5196991
Description	:	Lincoln Journal Star Lincoln, Nebraska Sunday, October 27, 1974 Page 47 People Section Alma – The Adams Weekly Glob’s Mrs. Everything By Jan Sack Adams-In this small town newspaper office, lit with bare bulbs and stacked with old newspapers, proofs and galleys of lead, the Linotype clanks under the hands of Alma Martin. Mrs. Marvin has been involved with newspapers about as long as she can remember. Her grandfather, L. A. Varner, a lawyer and surveyor in Johnson County, took over the mortgage of the Sterling Sun in 1887 and was editor until 1909. Her father,... Read More	Lincoln Journal Star Lincoln, Nebraska Sunday, October 27, 1974 Page 47 People Section Alma – The Adams Weekly Glob’s Mrs. Everything By Jan Sack Adams-In this small town newspaper office, lit with bare bulbs and stacked with old newspapers, proofs and galleys of lead, the Linotype clanks under the hands of Alma Martin. Mrs. Marvin has been involved with newspapers about as long as she can remember. Her grandfather, L. A. Varner, a lawyer and surveyor in Johnson County, took over the mortgage of the Sterling Sun in 1887 and was editor until 1909. Her father, E. W. (Ed) Varner, learned the printers trade at Sterling and bought the Adams Weekly Globe in 1907. She started helping her dad with the Globe in 1933. Since the first week in May of that year, Alma Martin has been The Adams weekly Globe. “Thats Me” She does everything: sells ads, sets type, proofs galleys, makes up pages, runs the press. Alma chuckles when someone from a larger paper calls and asks for the sports editor. “That’s me,” she replies. Another will want the advertising manager. “That’s me,” she repeats. Or a caller will want the society editor. Again, “That’s me.” She does have help from her husband Kenneth and another man who lift the cases, the frames holding ready type, from the makeup area ot the press. Kenneth, who is assistant to the director of Green Thumb, also helps fold and mail the papers in his extra time. But the Adams Weekly Globe with its letterpress operation is becoming a part of American history. Hot metal has given way to cold type or photo composition. The Globe is one of 43 letterpress operations left in Nebraska. She has to order engravings from Ord. Mrs. Martin talks about the Globe with enthusiasm, but getting her to talk about herself is about as easy as trying to catch a fish with bare hands. Instead, one of her favorite subjects is her father, an avid sportsman who won the national trapshooting championship in 1912 and took the state title several times. Ed Varner became the 40th member of the Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame in September 1960. The late Ed Varner had a strong influence on all his children. Mrs. Martin likes to tell the story about her four brothers. “Dad made them all learn the printing trade and they all vowed they’d never use it. Would you believe all of them were printers in Colorado? That’s where the money was,” she laughed. Of the four boys, only Keith survives. He’s with the Jefferson County Herald in Denver. But it was her dad’s only daughter, who chose to say at home and carry on in his footsteps. Says the Peppy woman who doesn’t look 62 plus, “I love to operate a linotype if it works well.” Not only can she operate the machine but services it most of the time. When there’s something she can’t fix, she calls Bob Fuller of Lincoln, formerly a linotype operator with the Journal-Star Printing Co. “Fortunately, I don’t need him very often,” she says. “No woman would do this unless they were born and raised in it,” she remarked. Mrs. Martin has known only one other woman linotype operator. She was in Colorado. But there have been several women linotype operators at the Journal-Star Printing Co. Over the years. She chuckles when referring to their only child, Marilyn. “She never did help me. She didn’t wat to get her hand dirty. I don’t think she even helped fold papers. The Association Asked what she likes best about being editor, publisher, Mrs. Everything of the newspaper, Alma replies: “The association with people. People are so good about bringing in their notes.” but she adds, “When somebody new moves into town, I have to educate them.” She relies on her correspondents for much of the news but makes some calls of her own on Monday mornings. Alma compliments the business people in Adams for their good support. “I don’t hound them for advertising.” She really doesn’t have time for that. As much as Mrs. Martin enjoys being a newspaper woman, it’s getting to be too much for one person and she would like to retire. “Kenneth has been after me for years to give it up. And maybe for my own sake I should do it.” Although she’s had several prospective buyers, what they really want is her subscription list. Each week she prints 725 papers and that’s hard work when the 1925 Babcock press will print only two pages at a time. The average Globe runs four pages and several times this year she has put out six pages. Tight Rein Alma Runs her newspaper with a tight rein. “When a subscription runs out, they’re cut off. It doesn’t take them long to come in and pay the bill,” she says. “Ninety-five per cent of the people in town take ti and those who don’t go to the neighbors and read it,” she says matter of factly. That’s pretty good circulation considering Adams has a population of 463, based on the 1970 census. In the 28 years she’s been running the Globe, two stories stand out in her mind. One was when a man was killed at the railroad tracks in town a number of years ago. “That really shook me up,” she says. The other occurred last December when a fire broke out in the barber shop and damaged the building next door. “It didn’t look like much and I was surprised at the amount of damage,” she said. Most of the news in the Globe wouldn’t be printed in a daily paper. But Mrs. Martin knows her readers and says they get the world and national news elsewhere. If something really outstanding happens, she will note it with a paragraph, usually on page one. She mentioned the moon landing and the resignation of former President Richard Nixon. Mrs. Martin is leaving a legacy to the people of Adams. She has given the Adams library bound volumes of the Globe since 1907 and will do so until she retires. “There’s one restriction,” she says. “They are never to leave the library.” But time is running short for The Adams Weekly Globe under Alma Martin. The machinery is old and securing parts is increasingly difficult. She could retire and find other things to occupy her time. But the Globe would probably die. It has been published for 81 years, 67 of them by her family. Undoubtedly, that’s the reason Alma Martin, six times a grandmother and twice a great-grandmother, stays on the job.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Alma Mae Varner Martin's memorial?
Alma Mae Varner Martin's memorial is located at: Highland Cemetery, Adams, Gage County, USA.
When did Alma Mae Varner Martin death?
Alma Mae Varner Martin death on 19 Oct 2000 in Adams, Gage County, Nebraska, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Alma Mae Varner Martin's memorial?
Latitude: 40.4580994
Longitude: -96.5196991

Family Members:

Parent

Edmund William Varner

(1880 - 1963)

Myrtle May Francis Varner

(1882 - 1924)

Spouse

Kenneth Martin

(1912 - 1980)

Russell S. Klein

(1910 - 1999)

Siblings

Twin Varner

(1907 - 1907)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Highland Cemetery
Adams, Gage County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4580994, -96.5196991

2. Hooker Cemetery
Adams, Gage County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4207993, -96.4732971

3. Grandview Cemetery
Gage County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4617004, -96.6091995

4. Granite Hill Cemetery
Johnson County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4180984, -96.4417038

5. Immanuel Cemetery
Sterling, Johnson County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4692001, -96.4253006

6. Latrobe Cemetery
Sterling, Johnson County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5151000, -96.4557000

7. Weber Cemetery
Sterling, Johnson County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4581000, -96.4177000

8. Saint Johns Lutheran Cemetery
Cortland, Gage County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5078300, -96.6252700

9. Firth Cemetery
Firth, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5250015, -96.6085968

10. Pella Cemetery
Panama, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5555992, -96.5014038

11. Saint John North Lutheran Cemetery
Sterling, Johnson County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4689500, -96.3878500

12. Sunnyside Cemetery
Cortland, Gage County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4799200, -96.6511800

13. South Saint John Lutheran Cemetery
Sterling, Johnson County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4355500, -96.3858000

14. Dietz Cemetery
Firth, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5449982, -96.6286011

15. Sterling Cemetery
Sterling, Johnson County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4585991, -96.3582993

16. Panama Cemetery
Panama, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5821991, -96.5255966

17. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
Pickrell, Gage County, USA
Coordinate: 40.3456001, -96.6147003

18. Christ Lutheran Church Cemetery
Pickrell, Gage County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4079410, -96.6848370

19. Saint James Cemetery
Cortland, Gage County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4886050, -96.7036050

20. Cortland Cemetery
Cortland, Gage County, USA
Coordinate: 40.4879200, -96.7041250

21. Crab Orchard Cemetery
Crab Orchard, Johnson County, USA
Coordinate: 40.3274994, -96.4366989

22. Solon Cemetery
Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5917015, -96.4436035

23. Holland Cemetery
Holland, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5957985, -96.5997009

24. Rosehill Cemetery
Douglas, Otoe County, USA
Coordinate: 40.5845940, -96.3867900