Behind the Headlines: Ted Ladd Reflects on Beltsville and The Beltsville News

Ted Ladd, Advertising and Business Manager for the Beltsville News

Our profile this month is of our very own Ted Ladd! He is The Beltsville News’s Advertising and Business Manager.

·      When did you get started with The Beltsville News and what is your role now?

·      I was asked to help editor Walter Sadler during mid-1997 with ads in the paper. I visited Mr. Sadler and provided some limited aid until August 1997, when Mr. Sadler passed away at age 85. At this point, I became the advertising manager. I currently serve as advertising and business manager.

·      How has Beltsville changed and stayed the same over the years?

·      There have been changes in the demography of Beltsville. Traffic can be heavy at times. The small-town image remains.

·      What is a memorable memory of an event in Beltsville?

·      The TORNADO of September 24, 2001.

·      Any other stories you’d like to share?

·      Walter and Marion Sadler assumed responsibility for the paper when I first met them. Computers were not used.  Articles, letters to the editor, photos and other input would be mailed to them or placed in a box on the Sadler's front steps. The material would be organized, edited as necessary, and Walter and Marion would lay out the paper on their dining room table. When the paper was laid out, the resulting draft would be delivered to a Hyattsville print shop. There, the input would be physically transferred to a large linotype machine, letter-by-letter. I delivered the draft paper to the printer on one occasion and witnessed a worker atop the linotype machine. How times have changed.