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About the Book

Since the 1850s, the name "McClatchy" has been synonymous with newspapers. That's when the Sacramento Bee took root, becoming the forerunner of The Fresno Bee.

The Fresno Bee's start came in 1922, with Carlos McClatchy at the helm. He had convinced his father, C.K. McClatchy, that the Central San Joaquin Valley, Fresno in particular, was the right choice for a second "Bee."

Carlos McClatchy proved to be right, and The Fresno Bee was an almost instant success. But Carlos, the heir- apparent to what was to become the far-flung McClatchy Company newspapers, died at age 41 and never got to realize to the full what he had started.

James McClatchy, the man who started it all, began his career in New York in Oscar Greeley's Tribune. It was Greeley who reputedly initiated the advice, " Go West, young man." Whether or not that was his reason, McClatchy did go West but not necessarily to pan for gold along with the prospectors. It's been said, with tongue in cheek, that he was prospecting, not for gold, but for lead, the kind used in those days by newspaper printers in making up newsprint pages.

About the Author

Robert Molander was born and raised in Brockton, Mass. He graduated from Brockton High School in 1941 and in December of that year joined the Navy following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He served four years in the Navy. His first ship was the battleship Wyoming, followed by transfer to the Naval Armed Guard, attaining the rank of Signalman Second Class. The Armed Guard consisted of Navy personnel -- gunners, radio operators, signalmen and medics -- serving alongside Merchant seamen on Merchant Marine ships. During World War II, 710 of these ships were sunk, and 1,810 Armed Guard sailors were killed in action. Following his honorable discharge from the Navy, Molander took advantage of the GI Bill and was graduated from Fresno State College with a degree in journalism. He was hired as a reporter on The Fresno Bee staff, and later served as executive sports editor, city editor and ended his career on the Bee as senior editor. He and his wife, Peggy, have two sons, five grandchildren and a dog named Sing Sing.