Posted May. 5, 2008
Wayne Lawton, ad director at the Bangor Daily News, retired on May 1, ending a 48-year career with the newspaper. Lawton said his reasons for retiring have more to do with allowing younger blood to take the helm than a desire to slow down or stop working.
Last Tuesday, nearly 200 past and present co-workers, Bangor-area business and community leaders, and members of Lawton's extended family gathered at a Bangor restaurant to celebrate his lengthy career.
Rick Warren,BDN publisher, called Lawton's career "truly remarkable" and said he leaves behind "a legacy that will be long remembered by all who have worked with him over the years."
Lawton's career spanned tremendous changes in both newspapers and the advertising business. When he joined the paper nearly 50 years ago, such downtown mainstays as Sears and Freese's department store accounted for much of the paper's revenue. Businesses also had few other venues in which to advertise. Lawton's co-workers credited him with bringing in new products to reflect changing trends while maintaining close relationships with advertisers.
Lawton said the Internet creates new challenges for the newspaper industry, but he believes strongly that customers will always want a printed product.
He and his wife, Anne, plan to remain in the Bangor area. (Bangor Daily News)
