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March 10,
2008, The Charleston Gazette
Innerviews: Writer, publicist moves to a new chapter in her diverse
career
By Sandy Wells
Staff writer
She's one of Charleston's
endearing characters, outgoing and outspoken, dashing here and there,
always wearing a hat, working on this and that, fueled by boundless
energy, resourcefulness and can-do creativity.
After graduating, proudly,
from journalism school at Marshall, Julia Sadd worked as a
reporter in Beckley and covered cops for the Gazette. Next, she moved
to New York and landed a job with public television. Tired of big-city
life, she returned to her Elm Street homeplace. During 11 years in
state government, she wrote speeches for Gov. Arch Moore. Then she
started her public relations firm, the Write Place.
Now, in the
"transition" phase of her multifaceted life, she's writing a
play and arranging animation for "Caleea the Christmas
Camel," the children's story she co-wrote with the late Kay
Adams.
The projects
won't stop until her heart does.
"I grew up on Edgewood and
then down here on Elm Street. The foot of the hill where the tennis
courts are now was undeveloped. Just big rocks and a creek. We'd go
over and sunbathe. We used to ride our bikes down into the woods. The
winos would be up on a little knoll there drinking their booze. Now
you've got two churches up there.
"We moved here on the flats
because Mom didn't drive and wanted something more convenient if
something would happen to my father, which it ultimately did. He died
of cancer when he was 65. He had the Sugar Bowl up on the East End.
After that, he had the Karmelcorn across from The Diamond Department
Store, where you could get soft drinks and sandwiches.
"In high school at Charleston
Catholic, I decided I wanted to be a writer. I had no idea why. For
the culture at that time, most women were either married or were
teachers or secretaries.
"I went to UC my first year.
They didn't have journalism, so I majored in English, but I really
majored in taking up space. I transferred to Marshall. I was on
academic probation my first year, but I ended up getting a scholarship
by the time I graduated.
"I majored in journalism.
Page Pitt was head of the department. He had all gray hair and a white
beard. He was phenomenal as far as law of libel. I was editor of the
Parthenon in the summer. I had decided to get serious.
"My first job was at the
Beckley Post-Herald. Brother Joe was in radio then at WSAZ and heard
of an opening at the Gazette for the women's department, and I turned
it down. No disrespect, but I'm not cut out for the DAR. The women's
department was very society oriented then.
"I heard later there was a
another job at the Gazette, and I was interested because it was city
side. I covered the police beat and went on vice squad raids. I loved
that. I wrote an in-depth story about the hookers. I went on a raid in
civilian clothes, and the madam of the house said, 'Who's that bitch
with you?' They just said I was undercover.
"The paper was over on Hale
Street. The newsroom was like a family, really. You heard the clatter
of the typewriters. The guys at the copy desk wore hats. Everybody
smoked.
"Lenore Rashid and Bernie
Wiepper had an art studio, and Lew Raines, the Gazette photographer,
was painting. We were like the bohemians. Bob Phillips had his
drive-in in Kanawha City and I approached him about having monthly art
exhibits, so we started putting monthly exhibits on. We had TV
coverage, everything. I was like the agent.
"I started liking PR. And
things changed at the newspaper when the merger took place. So I
resigned and decided to look into the PR thing. I ultimately got a job
working for a public TV station in Tampa. Then I went to New York with
the Education Television Network, now PBS. I did advanced promotions
and cultural and public affairs, trying to get publicity.
"My sister, Marie, was in New
York working for TWA, and we had an apartment in Long Island. But it
got to the point of been-there-done-that, and after about three years,
I was ready to come home.
"My mother passed away in May
of that year, a cerebral hemorrhage. I came back in August. I was
unemployed and in debt. My home here was a refuge. I started
freelancing and wrote my creditors and said I was unemployed but would
send them what I could.
"I ended up getting a job at
UPI. It was good pay, but the hours weren't conducive to a balance in
your life. I ran into Don Marsh - I'd worked with him on the newspaper
- and I asked if he knew of any work. He said to call so-and-so at the
Statehouse. It was a Title IX program, working with cities and
counties to help with their funding.
"Then Arch Moore comes in as
governor, and they wanted me to write speeches. Next thing you know,
I'm writing speeches for Governor Moore, and I did that for eight
years. I didn't read any books on writing speeches. I just figured,
you've got an opening, a middle and end, right?
"Governor Moore was very
professional. He didn't miss anything. The man knew his stuff. He
worked harder than you worked. He was there until 2 or 3 in the
morning working on the State of State addresses. He wrote most of
those himself.
"While I
was in the governor's office, I had the House of Coffee. Having lived
in New York and loving the coffee shops, I decided to open one. It was
at the Hotel Ruffner in the old barbershop. I had the bakery where I
lived in New York ship me pastries because back then, we didn't have
Danish pastries.
"We had art exhibits every
month. Robin Hammer, who just had an exhibit at the Clay Art Center,
was a struggling young artist then and used to come in. George Legg
would come by and have coffee before he did his gig at the Athletic
Club.
"We had entertainment on
weekends. Dave Morris would play. It lasted like a pregnancy, about
nine months. Then the building was razed. So we hung it up.
"I was in state government 11
years. I transferred to the Department of Motor Vehicles when Jay
Rockefeller came in. There was a public information section. We put
out a newsletter called Motor Mouth.
"I left state government to
open my own business, the Write Place. I was in public relations about
10 years. St. Francis Hospital and the Capitol City Arts and Crafts
Show were big accounts.
"I worked out of the house.
My brother, Joe, was doing advertising specialties for Mazzei and
Associates out of Summersville. Marie ended up doing travel junkets to
Atlantic City and Las Vegas. We each had our own shop in the house, he
in the kitchen, she in her bedroom, me in my bedroom. After my brother
died, my sister took on the advertising specialties. When she became
ill with cancer, she taught me the business.
"Eventually, I phased out of
writing for clients. I was taking piano lessons from Kay Adams. We
wrote a children's book for animation, 'Caleea the Christmas Camel.'
It was published by Weekly Reader.
"I want Caleea animated.
That's my interest now. I want her to become like Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer. Every Christmas, I want kids to enjoy that story.
There's more to it than just how camels get to fly on Christmas Eve.
It's how a little camel follows its heart and listens to its voice
from within. You've got to follow your heart.
"I'm not working for anybody
now, and people say, 'Are you retired?' I say, 'No, I'm in
transition.' Retired isn't in my dictionary. I'm writing a play. I'm
on the third act. I'm going to try to peddle it.
"I've written some memoirs
and short stories. The one about Duke III seeing the angels when Marie
died was published by Grit magazine and Venture Inward, a magazine of
the Association for Research and Enlightenment. Duke is the master of
the house. He's more than a dog. He's my best friend.
"Some people don't recognize
me without a hat. Henrietta Marquis and I had gone to Indiana to see
Chris Ringham, a former director of Kanawha Players. We went to New
Orleans, just schlepping around. We went in this store, and they had
these hats, and I bought one with a big, broad brim. I looked like a
gun moll from the '20s. And I just started wearing hats.
"I am a very blessed
individual. Good friends. Good family. My life hasn't been boring.
There are times when I've thought maybe I should have done this or
that. Then I think, forget the shoulds. If I hadn't taken the paths
I've taken, would I be where I am today in terms of the things I've
enjoyed? You can't change the past and hopefully, you learn."
To contact staff writer Sandy
Wells, call 348-5173 or e-mail san...@wvgazette.com.
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