Open invitation for Publisher-Editor Meceal Smith's Retirement Party and Gueydan Journal's 27th Anniversary

Owners and staff members of The Gueydan Journal are extending an open invitation to the public to attend The Gueydan Journal’s 27th birthday celebration.

St. Patrick’s Day will also be the day that the editor, Meceal Smith, will begin her retirement.

March 17, 1983, the first Gueydan Journal newspaper rolled off the press with the masthead reading The Gueydan Post-Herald. The name was changed in the next edition to The Gueydan Journal by request of the late Conrad Kaplan, owner of The Kaplan Herald.

“Connie” Kaplan, as he was known to the numerous subscribers of the Kaplan Herald, let it be known that he feared competition with another small town newspaper so near to his home town. He complained that the readers would confuse the two papers both bearing the name “herald.” Out of courtesy to “Connie,” the Louisiana State Newspaper (Gueydan Journal) owners agreed to change the new newspaper to The Gueydan Journal.

Both newspapers thrived and lived and worked together in harmony -- except for the few times they battled for the parish legals -- each in turn winning out over the other.

But as fate would have it, “Connie” died after a struggle with cancer.

His newspaper came up for sale, and Louisiana State Newspapers purchased it. The Kaplan Herald then became a sister of The Gueydan Journal, The Crowley Post Signal and The Abbeville Meridional -- to name a few.

Meceal Smith has held the title of Publisher-Editor these past 27 years, but she has tendered her resignation to take place on St. Patrick’s Day, Wednesday, March 17.

Smith said, “Regretfully, the age is the reason. Our paper needs younger blood than mine. I won’t wait until senility sets in -- there’s a time for all things. Now is the time for me to move on, but I know I’m going to miss everyone. Our readers have been just wonderful. I will never regret having taken this job.”

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