BROOKVILLE — An announcement was made in November 1969 that long-time Brookville resident, Joe Gordon, was the new owner of the Brookville Star newspaper. Gordon purchased the Star from Harold and Caroline Smith who had owned it since 1950.

Gordon at the age of 10 began delivering papers for the Dayton Daily News in Brookville. During that time he learned to know and serve many of the businessmen and businesswomen in Brookville.

Upon graduating from Brookville High School in 1959, Gordon was employed by the Dayton Newspapers, Inc. During his career there, he worked in the dispatch department in the production end of advertising, and for three years in the National Advertising Department.

For the five years prior to buying the Star, he worked with some of the large retail stores as a Retail Advertising Representative. This involved writing copy and creating display ads for many major accounts.

Joe and his wife Jeanie, a 1961 Brookville High School graduate poured their time and lives into publishing the Star every week to ensure that it served the community as a source of local news and items of local interest.

Over the years many other Gordon family members worked at the paper and were involved in things such as printing, circulation, and shooting photographs. The Gordons gave back to the community through sponsoring youth sports teams and promoting local organizations and causes. They published, free of charge, the weekly BHS student newspaper Blue Blazer in the Brookville Star.

Upon Joe’s passing in 1998, the paper never missed a beat as Jeanie and her children continued the paper’s excellence. The Gordon’s owned the Star for 42 years before selling it to David and Emily Schloss in July 2011.

All information and the photo for this Look at Brookville article were supplied by the Brookville Historical Society. Do you have a photo or historical information to share or add? Please contact the Brookville Historical Society at 937-833-0285 or email to [email protected]