20 Years of Akron Life: Our Founder's First Column
Founder | Don Baker Jr. | 1940-2018
Akron Life & Leisure's first Publisher's Page
{ Originally appeared in print November 2002}
It kind of snuck up on me. This cultural and architectural renaissance in Akron did not come as a complete surprise, but it took me awhile to recognize that the Akron in which I grew up wasn't the same city I live in today. I think it was the opening game at Canal Park when Jaret Wright pitched the first game for the Aeros in freezing April weather. The place was absolutely packed; there were no seats left and standing room was at a premium. I looked around and realized that well over 10,000 people had come downtown in winter-like conditions to not only watch a baseball game but to celebrate the new Akron.
There was a time in the mid-70s when I could not have conceived of Greater Akron as anything more than the typical, Midwestern, rust-belt city fighting to stay alive. ln 1976, this town was paralyzed by a massive United Rubber Workers strike that almost put all shopkeepers and merchants out of business. Then, one by one, the rubber companies left town to set up shop in greener, non-union pastures. When the rubber companies departed so did the movers and shakers that made things happen in Akron, and it appeared that the city and surrounding region would die a cruel and ignominious death. The rubber barons who founded this city had created a rich cultural environment in which to live. They funded the arts and charities and entertainment venues that reflected their lifestyle. The Seiberling mansion known as Stan Hywet was a symbol of what this area had once been: a savvy, culturally rich area in which many folks wanted to live.
So, there I was, standing in the middle of 10,000-plus freezing celebrants in downtown Akron, waiting for Jaret Wright to throw the first pitch, when I realized that the Akron in which I have lived and worked all these years, had changed right in front of my eyes. I could no longer smell even the faintest hint of that uniquely Akron aroma of burnt rubber and roasting oats; things had definitely changed.
The genesis for this magazine reaches back to 1968 on a business trip with the late Tom Babcox, president of Babcox Publications and one of the biggest Akron boosters I have ever known. He confided in me that he wanted to start a city magazine for Greater Akron, to celebrate all of the wonderful things he saw here. At the time, I couldn't see what he saw; I thought his idea was a daydream. If he were alive today, he certainly would be celebrating this wonderful city along with us.
Just look at what we have to celebrate: a rich and thriving downtown, Canal Park, the new Akron Civic Theatre, the new library, the art museum, the symphony, the Ohio Ballet, E.J. Thomas Hall, Blossom Music Center, Carousel Theatre, the Highland Theater, Kent State University, The University of Akron, Inventure Place, the John S. Knight Center, the Soap Box Derby, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Stan Hywet, Hale Farm & Village, Quaker Square and much, much more. But Akron Life & Leisure does not just celebrate Akron proper, but the surrounding communities in Summit, Portage, Medina and northern Stark we see as Greater Akron, a thriving community of almost a million people. Couple this with moderate housing costs and an adequate supply of decent jobs and you've got a community that is a model for the rest of the country.
This first issue is just the beginning. Our vision for future issues is to bring you the best that Greater Akron has to offer. From fine dining, theater, live performances, to elegant homes and how to create a way of life; we will also bring you the best in writing, photography and ideas. We invite you to join us in this celebration of the place in which we live and work and play. Let us know what you think of your new magazine, and by all means, subscribe for yourself and your friends. Your ideas are important to us, and your support is essential.