One of the unique features of being a magazine editor is that you never know what’s going to come in over the transom. Sometimes it’s an angry letter, other times a complimentary one. Some send newsletters, clippings, or single-sentence story suggestions. Starr Smith sends books. Not just any books. Good books.

So good, in fact, that one was selected to be taped and transcribed into Braille by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. It’s called Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot (Zenith Press 2005). It was authored by Smith, who, the book’s back pages tell us, was “a combat intelligence officer with the Eighth Air Force in England during World War II, later served on General Eisenhower’s press staff ..., has been a correspondent for NBC Radio [and] a reporter for Newsweek.” The book’s front pages contain a foreword by Walter Cronkite.

Smith, a member of the Rotary Club of Montgomery, Ala., USA, served with Stewart during the war and lately has become one of a handful of Rotarians with whom I communicate on a semi-regular basis.

Ostensibly, I call Smith to thank him for sending me the most recent book, clip, or story idea that invariably arrives in a legal-size manila envelope, secured with shiny packing tape and containing a letter that’s been pecked out on an old typewriter. I’m delighted by these packages and charmed when talking with Smith.

It’s not just that he’s a grade-A character with a sharp wit and sense of humor. I desperately miss the hard-boiled, straight-talking, worldly wise old-timers who used to hold sway in the newsroom. An all but vanished breed, they took seriously the tradition of passing on the craft to the next generation, charged with righting the world’s wrongs by telling compelling, true stories.

Mentors are an invaluable resource in any enterprise, whether it’s writing a story or heading up a new club. In this issue, we discuss starting new clubs as a means to attract a new generation. And we look at how it’s equally important for those newcomers to receive ongoing support from those with experience.

There’s a lot to be said for the experience of our elders – especially those who pass on practical knowledge and worldly wisdom that help us stay on track to do the right thing for the right reasons.