50-year veteran reporter to address Salem Historical Society

SALEM — A program, “Memories of 50 years as a Newspaper Reporter,” will be presented by Salem resident Richard Wootten at 7 p.m. May 12 at the Salem Historical Society, 208 S. Broadway St. Wootten, now retired, spent nearly 50 years writing for a wire service, newspapers, and magazines on subjects that included crime, politics, and court trials. He also was an arts and entertainment writer for the Cleveland Press. He has interviewed actors John Wayne and Judy Garland and composers Darius Milhaud and Leonard Bernstein. While at the Press, he was nominated in 1981 for a Pulitzer Prize in the public service category. He also serves as president and founder of the Burchfield Homestead Society in Salem.