Frank Romano Will Turn 80 Soon!

Did you know that industry pundit, printing professor, and prolific author Frank Romano is about to turn 80? I won’t reveal the exact day, but I can tell you, it’s this month. As part of the festivities, the Museum of Printing (where Frank is president) is celebrating ‘A Year of Frank’ in his honor. Check out their press release and start thinking about what you can do to help Frank mark this momentous occasion.

I can’t remember exactly when I first met Frank Romano in person. Of course I knew who he was many years before I actually met him. I worked at Linotype for seven years in the late 1980s/early 1990s and his magazine, TypeWorld, was required reading. It wasn’t until I left Linotype (by then it was Linotype-Hell and about to become Heidelberg Prepress) that I really got to know Frank. I was a newly hired Senior Consultant at CAP Ventures and Charlie Pesko sent me to cover a Polaroid press event in New York City. This event was particularly memorable since Polaroid had hired New York Yankee great, Yogi Berra, to speak to the gathered editors and market analysts. I know that Frank was there because I have seen a photo of him with Yogi Berra in front of a Polaroid sign (and I have one exactly like it).

Later on I remember sitting next to Frank on a tour bus at some analyst briefing and realizing how much we had in common, including having worked at Linotype and sharing a love of print. We also share a connection to Rochester Institute of Technology, where I got my Master’s degree in Printing Technology. I was at RIT in the days before he started teaching there, yet over the years I and many other alumni enjoyed the gatherings that he hosted at his home when he lived in the South End of Boston.

When I left InfoTrends in 2017, I offered to volunteer at the Museum of Printing. Because I live about an hour and a half from the Museum I wanted to find something I could do remotely. I said I could help with social media. Before long, I was offered a spot on the board. During my time volunteering for the Museum I have seen just how important it is to Frank, and even more importantly, how much Frank does every day to help the Museum achieve its goal of "preserving the rich history of the graphic arts, printing & typesetting technology, and printing craftsmanship."

So here’s my pitch to you: Read the press release and act on one or more of its recommendations (which I have included below).

Let’s make Frank’s 80th birthday celebration a truly special one!

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• Share a congratulatory message on social media (an example follows): The Year of Frank has begun! Join in and celebrate the legacy of Frank Romano and his 80th birthday. Info here: https://museumofprinting.org/news-and-events/frank-turns-80  #HappyBirthdayFrankRomano
• Share your Frank Romano stories on social media using the hashtag #HappyBirthdayFrankRomano
• Send a birthday card to Frank in care of the Museum of Printing, 15 Thornton Avenue, Haverhill, MA 01832
• Send a birthday e-card to Frank at [email protected]
• Become a member of the Museum of Printing (for details see www.museumofprinting.org/join-us/) – The Museum's newsletter is one of the great benefits of membership and is something folks can enjoy even if they don’t live near the museum
• Make a financial donation to the Museum of Printing to help with the Museum's annual expenses and allow them to build an endowment – Look for the big red DONATE button on the upper right-hand corner of the Museum of Printing's web site
• Contribute to one of Frank’s favorite initiatives, the Linotype Legacy Fund (also through the Donate button on the Museum of Printing web site)
• Donate artifacts to the Museum – You may have a piece of printing history that should be shared with the world; the Museum of Printing would love to have it!
• Volunteer at the Museum – The Museum can always use an extra hand on site (and there are also projects that folks can help with remotely)