 |
Rick Gaub
is
a career news vendor. He started selling newspapers in the Mission in 1965
at the age of 12. By the time the Chronicle
PM ceased publication in September, 2002, Rick was already an institution
in San Francisco for the newsstand he operated at the Embarcadero BART
station. That's where Rick reimagined the afternoon headlines in puns and
posted them on signs in front of his stand to the delight of amused - and
sometimes bewildered - BART passengers. Countless commuters rolled their
eyes over such gems as: "Oakland Coliseum Robbed During Ice Show - Heist
Capades," "Designer of New Building was A-Edifice Time," "Saddam Tells
Bush: You Mess with Me You Gonna Get U.S. Kicked" and "Judge Rules Kaiser
Plan Must Cover Viagra. Have a Geyser Permanente!" When the Chronicle PM
published its last edition on September 27, there was no other afternoon
newspaper in the City. It was no longer feasible for Rick to run an afternoon
stand at the BART station. Rick felt sentimental on his last day at Embarcadero,
but told well wishers he would continue to sell the morning paper from
his stand at the Castro Muni Station. So don't feel sad for Rick, or as
the pun master might have said (but didn't), "Stop the De-Presses." |
