Like the passing of Vincent (Butch) Maher, whom I wrote about last week, I was equally saddened to learn of the recent loss of Helen S. Rattray. She was a local legend in so many ways.
Rattray, who died on April 16 at the age of 90, was a big influence on this humble fishing scribe when she was the publisher and editor of The East Hampton Star for several decades. How’s that?
Well, first, for better or worse, I’m old school. She was a great editor, writer, and a staunch advocate of the free press. In my six decades living out here, I always admired her skill and dedication to true and honest journalism, which sadly today in many print and online publications has devolved into sensationalized, poorly written drivel.
Rattray, to me, was a perfect illustration of the proper practice of professional journalism, where manual typewriters, which I learned on, were de rigueur. She was hard-core to the core. I respected that.
The stories and commentary she edited were solid and well-researched in their reporting and accuracy. As well, the open letters to the editor policy was another significant plus.
People have always been allowed to voice their opinions in that section no matter the length of the letters. I recall that I wrote my first and only letter to the editor back in 1987. Despite my now foggy recollections of its content, it was printed in its entirety. Thank you.
That said, I only met Helen once way back in 1983, when I applied for a summer internship at The Star the summer before my junior year at the University of Buffalo. My ultimate desire at that time was to get a job as a reporter at the paper.
I don’t recall the exact date, but Helen invited me in for an interview at the Star offices at the south end of Main Street. Needless to say, I was beyond nervous.
I arrived early. I’ve always made it a rule to be punctual for any appointment. After walking in the front door, I sat for a few minutes in a chair on the ground floor before I was summoned to head upstairs for our meeting.
At the top of the old wooden staircase, she greeted me with a smile and had me sit down opposite her. I had just turned 20. I was young and inexperienced and Helen was incredibly imposing to me. I could barely speak.
I shared clippings of stories I penned for The Spectrum, the college newspaper I wrote for in between classes, and I told her that I had written a few fishing columns as a teenager for The Shelter Island Reporter, where my sister served as managing editor for many years. I thought that local tidbit could possibly help as I looked for much-needed summer employment.
Helen was most gracious, but she drilled me hard in her questioning as she sat behind her desk. At the end of my interview, she had me write an obituary on an old Royal manual typewriter to prove my writing skills. Long story short. I failed.
About a week later, I officially received a “Dear Jon” letter from Helen. I had not been invited to join the staff. It hurt deeply at the time, but looking back, I completely get it. I still had much to learn. She knew better.
I still have that rejection letter I received from her nearly 50 years ago. It illustrated that I needed to persevere and push forward. Nothing in life happens easily. I needed to work harder and mature as a person.
As for the local fishing scene, the waters are still cold and very little is happening. Few boats are berthed at their moorings and docks, but that will soon change with the warming temperatures over the next few weeks. Be patient.
“You are not missing much at all,” Sawyer Clark told me in a text. Clark tends to several box traps in addition to captaining a trawler he purchased last fall at his home base on Shelter Island. “It’s still early.”
Clark has picked up a few spawning weakfish, as well as some porgies and a fluke or two of late. The catch should quickly pick up over the next few weeks.
As for weakfish, don’t be afraid to buy its highly prized roe if you are fortunate to come across it at your local seafood market or stand. Weakfish have tender flesh, and the roe, fried with bacon, is a special local spring treat for those in the know.
Clark had some of the roe at his roadside stand on North Cartwright Road on Shelter Island a few days ago. Check it out if you’re in the neighborhood.
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Fishing tips, observations, and photographs can be sent to [email protected].