My first introduction to letterpress printing was in 1964 when I was in the 5th grade. My brother Chris got a Golding Pearl #11 Improved Treadle Driven 7" x 11" Letterpress. I soon learned the California job case, how to handset type and started printing.
One of the first jobs I ever printed on the 1912 Pearl were these bookmarks which we left at the Linden Hills Library to try and earn some money printing. It was a lot easier and way more fun than mowing lawns or shoveling snow off sidewalks.
I also produced some very nice elevator passes which I sold to the incoming 7th graders for $.50 I didn't want to mess up my karma by getting to greedy
There was in fact, no elevator. A thank you to my mother for signing the pass to make it look more authentic.
When I graduated into the 7th grade I went to Minneaplois Southwest High School and I got to take my first real printing class. I was already a seasoned 'printers devil' so I progressed quickly into the job shop and to the head of the class. This was where I meet Robert F. Papas my first Graphic Arts teacher.
