OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AND EXECUTIVES
- 2005 March 8
BARRY, THOMAS D MR.
3/18/2004 $250.00
STAMFORD, CT 06903
READER'S DIGEST INC./VICE PRESIDENT - ($ donation)
BUSH-CHENEY '04 (PRIMARY) INC.BARRY, THOMAS D MR.
7/24/2003 $250.00
STAMFORD, CT 06903
READER'S DIGEST INC./VICE PRESIDENT - ($ donation)
BUSH-CHENEY '04 (PRIMARY) INC.THOMAS D BARRY, age 38, 34 BUTTERNUT LN, STAMFORD CT 06903, (203) 595-9755;
THOMAS D. BARRY, 36 BUTTERNUT PL, STAMFORD CT 06903, (203). - 2005 March 8
BOARD, ELIZABETH MS.
6/10/2003 $2,000.00
WASHINGTON, DC 20007
READER'S DIGEST ASSOCIATES/EXECUTIV - ($ donation)
BUSH-CHENEY '04 (PRIMARY) INCE.I. BOARD, ELIZABETH I. BOARD, age 52, 1675 32ND ST NW, WASHINGTON DC 20007, (202) 338-1352.
- 2005 March 8
senior vice president Michael A. Brennan:
MICHAEL A. BRENNAN, 200 BEACON HILL Drive, DOBBS FERRY NY 10522, (914) 693-nnnn.
- Brizel
- Introduction
2005 March 8
Former senior vice president and general counsel Michael A. [Alan?] Brizel beccame a New York state lawyer in 1981. According to URL http://www.pace.edu/lawschool/aboutpace/vb_brizel.html of Pace Law School, Brizel and his wife, gynecologist Judy Schwartz (Judith W. Schwartz), have children Ilana and Alex, and live in New York city. Brizel used to work for management (not necessarily RDA management) as a lawyer whose specialty was labor law.
His RDA work concerns legal advice, litigation (for example, Postal Rate Commission docket number C2004-1, Complaint of Time Warner etc.), governmental affairs, and lobbying. This raises a question of what governmental affairs RDA has, and what RDA lobbies for. The only RDA governmental affair this website knows about is RDA's having covertly spread State Department and CIA propaganda, which has has been thoroughly documented in such works as American Dreamers (Simon & Schuster 1996), a book by former RD managing editor Peter Canning. Brizel's governmental affairs do not necessrily include RDA covertly spreading government propaganda. As for RDA lobbying, maybe RDA lobbies for postal laws and regulations favorable to magazines (see the discussion below of former chief executive officrer Thomas Ryder's political contributions).
In about April 2002, Brizel said in a Corporate Legal Times discussion that, in his work for RDA, he was concerned with, according to a roundtable discussion published in cltmag.com website, sleeper agents who have been planted in America. His work then concerned, among other things, frightening powder found on RD magazine, anthrax scares, and background checks on job applicants and contractors (for example, snowplowers).
He may no longer be at RDA. Perhaps RDA's bankruptcy is related to his having left RDA. In any event, in May 2011 he may have been executive vice president and general counsel, Saks Fifth Avenue; and on the board of directors of the Metropolitan New York Better Business Burea. We mention him in our article about that BBB, which is one of our New York City pages.
- Possible Addresses
MICHAEL A. BRIZEL, born January 1957, 1215 MUSEUM MILE [which is part of 5th Avenue in Manhattan], apartments 16E and 16F, NEW YORK NY 10029, (212) 427-2959;
MICHAEL A BRIZEL, born January 1957, 1215 5TH AVE, NEW YORK NY 10029, (212) 427-2959.His condos (16E and 16F) are in New York county (Manhattan) block 1608, lot 1. He may have agreed to several mortgages on those coops:
- SI BANK AND TRUST, 81 WATER STREET, STATEN ISLAND, NY 10304 (according to DOCUMENT 2003021901316013, CRFN 2003000026328, recorded 25 February 2003);
- CITIBANK, 15851 CLAYTON ROAD, BALLWIN, MO 10000 (according to DOCUMENT 2003072102229001, CRFN 2003000318736, recorded 29 August 2003);
- ASTORIA FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, 2000 MARCUS AVE, LAKE SUCCESS, NY (according to DOCUMENT 2003072102210001, CRFN 2003000310656, recorded 26 August 2003);
- JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, WAREHOUSING, 6 NORTH, MONROE, LA 71201 (according to DOCUMENT 2003040700708006, CRFN 2003000082169, recorded 4 August 2003);
- BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO, RES. MTGE. DEPT., 120 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10271 (according to DOCUMENT FT_1120008034812, recorded 1 March 2002);
- CHEMICAL BANK, 300 JERICHO QUAD, JERICHO, NY 11753 (according to DOCUMENT FT_1690006282969, recorded 22 September 1998). (By the way, there seems to have been a mortage on Daily News owner Mortimer B. Zuckerman's 5th Avenue home for the same lender.)
Someone named "MICHAEL ALAN BRIZEL" seems once to have lived at 1725 YORK AVENUE, #24H, NY 10128 (in Manhattan block 1569, lot 16); and at 130 EAST 12TH STREET (near 4th Avenue), NEW YORK, NY 10003-5312 (in what may be Manhattan block 556, lot 1005).
- Introduction
- 2005 December 25, BUlKELEY, director
JONATHAN B. BULKELEY, Born Oct 1960, 5 PETTIPAUG AVE., OLD SAYBROOK, CT 06475-3113, (860) 388-1203. If this address is right, he lives near Long Island Sound, maybe on the waterfront.
BULKELEY, JOHNATHAN; 1133 5TH AVE. (near 94th Street, a short walk from Michael A. Brizel's place), NEW YORK, NY 10128-0123, (212) 831-8690. 5/15/2003 $2,000.00. RETIRED, political gift, CAIN FOR US SENATE. This parcel is New York county (Manhattan) block 1506, lot 3. Bulkeley's home seems to be units 3B and 4B of a coop building (suggesting a 2-floor apartment?). There may be a mortgage in favor of MERRILL LYNCH CREDIT CORPORATION, 3000 LEADENHALL ROAD, MT LAUREL, NJ 08054 according to city register document 2005040700877001, recorded 25 April 2005.
Someone named "JONATHAN B. BULKELEY" seems to live in DELRAY BEACH, Florida.
- CAPASSO, 2006 January 30
Laura Capasso-Fiorenza, associate director of global publishing technology
Someone named "LAURA C. FIORENZA" or " LAURA E. FIORENZA", Born 1966, has lived at 215 WINDING BROOK RD. (near Tulip Lane), NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10804-1920, (914) 633-8854, (914) 633-0233. This is not necessarily the RDA computer executive.
- 1 January 2005, Lee Caudill, 56 in August 2005.
Ms. Caudill, director, is president of SeniorTrak Consulting, of San Francisco. Someone named "Lee L. Caudill" seems to have lived near San Francisco:
LEE L CAUDILL, 630 WOODSIDE WAY (near interstate highway 280 and Jefferson Highway), Woodside (near REDWOOD CITY), San Mateo county, CA 94062-4136. (650) 851-3873, (650) 851-4014.
Parcel 068-252-190, tax rate area 15-010. Homeowner exemption, which implies that owner claims to live there. Annual real estate tax $2,265.78 paid.
- Lynne V. Cheney, age 64 in 2005, wife of U.S. vice president Richard Cheney, was a director in 2002 but is not now. This web site guesses that she would not have become or remained an RDA director if there had been even a small risk that RDA would harm her husband or the president even slightly. We guess that she lives with her husband, whose address is reported elsewhere in this website. Through her husband, she is linked to Halliburton. Director Silas is also linked to Halliburton.
- 2005 March 8
vice president Richard E. Clark: RICHARD E CLARK, age 49, 93 HEMLOCK Road SOUTH, SALEM NY 10590, (914) 763-8358;
RICHARD E. CLARK, P.O. BOX 211, BEDFORD NY 10506.
- 2005 December 24, M. Christine "Chris" DeVita, director and stockholder, born in New York city, formerly deputy general counsel of RDA (under Brizel?), president of the Wallace Foundation. The "Wallace Foundation" may mean the two Wallace foundations, or may be a successor of them. The Wallace Foundation is in Manhattan at 5 Penn Plaza, a short walk to Pennsylvania Railroad station (which serves the Long Island Railroad, which serves Suffolk county). She may possibly be and have lived at:
M. CHRISTINE DEVITA, 427 ELDERT LANE (Kings county block 4184, lot 27), Brooklyn NY. This address may be obsolete.
M. CHRISTINE DEVITA, born 1946, 11 Fiddlers Green Dr. (south of Broad Path, east of C. State Park), Lloyd Harbor, NY 11743-9739, SUFFOLK COUNTY, (631) 421-6718, (631) 549-8770. - 2005 March 8
Giovanni di Vaio: GIOVANNI DIVAIO, 3 MELANIE Drive (a dead end street at Chappaqua Mountain Road), CHAPPAQUA NY 10514-2108, (914) 238-8351. This is less than three and a half miles driving distance to RDA headquarters. - 2005 March 8
Clifford H.R. DuPree: CLIFFORD R DUPREE, 136 E 64TH ST, NEW YORK NY 10021-7360, (212) 758-9246. This may be in MANHATTAN block 1398, lot 60, and may possibly also be 826 LEXINGTON AVENUE.
There seem to have been mortgages for EMIGRANT SAVINGS BANK, 5 E. 42ND ST, NY, NY 10017 (16 November 1993), to which director Daniel L. Kurtz also owed money; DOLLAR DRY DOCK BANK, 300 MERRICK ROAD, LYNBROOK, NY 11563 (4 June 1993).He was part of upper management of RDA during at least 1998-2005; for example, he seems to have been RDA's vice president, corporate secretary, and associate general counsel. As part of that upper management, he was sent a copy of a LENS letter about consideration of (according to former URL www.lens-inc.com/companies/rda/grune100998.html) the possibility of recapitalization.
RDA had a sweepstakes which some state attorneys general thought was illegal. RDA stopped the sweepstakes. Dupree, on behalf of RDA, seems to have sent an 8-K report about the matter to the SEC (filed on 3/9/1, 9:11am ET, SEC File 1-10434, Accession Number 858558-1-23).
He seems to have a long commute: from Manhattaan's 64th Street to the Chappaqua hamlet of New Castle. Because he seems to be associate general counsel, we guess he works under Brizel's supervision. Brizel lives in Manhattan too.
- Thomas D. Gardner, president of RD International and executive vice president, 2006mar21.
One or more people named "Thomas D. "Tom" Gardner" may have lived at:
THOMAS D GARDNER, 6 MUSKETT CT, BEDFORD, NY 10506, (914) 234-6945.
THOMAS D GARDNER, 1 BRONXVILLE RD (03/12/2002), BRONXVILLE, NY 10708.
THOMAS D GARDNER, 1304 MIDLAND AVE (08/17/2004), YONKERS, NY 10704.
- 2005 March 8
Geiger, Robert
3/4/2004 $200.00
Ardsley, NY 10502
Reader'S Digest/Systems Manager - ($ donation)
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC.ROBERT J. GEIGER, 21 OVERLOOK RD, ARDSLEY NY 10502, (914) 674-9377.
- 2005 March 8
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Michael S. Geltzeiler, age 45: MICHAEL S GELTZEILER, 152 NURSERY Road, RIDGEFIELD CT 06877, (203) 894-8225. - 2005 March 8
vice president Francoise Hanonik: FRANCOISE HANONIK, age 46, 746 MAMARONECK AVE, MAMARONECK NY 10543, (914); FRANCOISE HANONIK, age 46, 10 ROSEWOOD Road, WHITE PLAINS NY 10605, (914) 328-nnnn.
- Director Walter Isaacson: WALTER S. ISAACSON, age 52, 1314 28th Street NW, Georgetown neighborhood, WASHINGTON DC 20007, (202) 338-1343. He seems to own that address, which has SSL 1235 0834.
Land area 6,724 square feet; Sale Price $2,600,000; sale date 05/15/2003; instrument 59462; Building Type Row Inside (not the end of the row); Building Style 3.5 Story, Fin (fin de siecle?); Living Area 4,971 square feet; Year Built 1801; Bed Rooms 7; full Bath Rooms 5; 1/2 Bath Rooms 2; Total Rooms 11; Wall Common Brick; Floor Hardwood; Heat Warm Cool; Air Conditioning Yes; Fireplace(s) 6 (important in 1801). A real estate tax payment is due every 6 months. On 09/09/2005, $10,771.46 was paid as real estate tax. - Alice M. KIJAK, vice president for global operations shared services in 2004. 2006may1.
email alice_kijak@rd.com
In this page's article about Brizel, we mention a case before the PRC (Postal Rate Commission): Postal Rate Commission docket number C2004-1, Complaint of Time Warner etc. Kijak was involved in that case for RDA. Also, she is a Distinguished Trustee (the only kind of trusee there, we think) of the Mailers Council. According to the Council's website on 1 May 2006, "The Mailers Council is a coalition of over 30 corporations, nonprofit organizations and major mailing associations. Council members represent for-profit and nonprofit mailers that use the United States Postal Service to deliver correspondence, publications, parcels, greeting cards and payments. Collectively the Council accounts for as much as 70 percent of the nation's mail volume."
ALICE M. KIJAK, Born Jun 1946, 112 DEVOE RD (between Marshall Lane and Devoe Place, 10/06/2004), CHAPPAQUA, Westchester county, NY 10514-3616. Because she lives in Chappaqua, she has a short commute to work.
- 1 January 2005,
Daniel L. Kurtz, director. Born, New York, N.Y., 1944.
DANIEL L KURTZ, Born Dec 1944, 335 GREENWICH ST. (near Jay Street and West Side Highway), NEW YORK, NY 10013-3325, (212) 343-2001, (212) 334-8035. MANHATTAN block 143, lot 21.
Mortages for- CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, THE (1 CHASE SQUARE MC-4, ROCHESTER NY 14643) recorded 7 March 2001;
- CHEMICAL BANK (30 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA, NY, NY 10112) recorded 19 January 1994;
- EMIGRANT SAVINGS BANK (CO-OP LOAN DEPT, 5 E. 42ND STREET, NY NY) recorded 13 August 1991 (to which bank, director DuPree also seems to have owed money secured by a mortgage);
- CHEMICAL BANK (300 JERICHO QUAD, JERICHO, NY 11753) recorded 6 August 1991.
He got on the board as a result of a 17 March 1998 letter from William E. Mayer (mentioned elsewhere in this list of some RDA big shots) to C.J. Silas (also in this list). Mayer suggested Kurtz because Mayer wanted to, among other things, respond to , "... concerns [that Mayer did not necessarily share] about the Board of Directors' failure to resolve the conflicts of interest that impair the corporate governance and the value of Reader's Digest. It has been suggested that only a 'vocal minority' of Reader's Digest owners believe the Board of Directors has been accountable to no one [but Mayer disagreed]." When Mayer wrote that letter, he was general partner of Corporate Value Partners, L.P.
- 2005 December 25, director William E. Mayer.
He now seems to be part of HCM (Highfields Capital Management LP), RDA's biggest individual owner. According to the article once at former URL www.forbes.com/newswire/2003/06/04/rtr991200.html (Cyntia Barrera Diaz's 4 June 2003 Reuters article about RDA), HCM has a history of shaking things up at companies. HCM is in Boston. By the way, according to that article, "Reader's Digest has been facing tough times amid dropping sales of its books and magazines ....". Mayer got Daniel L. Kurtz on the RDA board.
If Mayer lives in Massachusetts, he may possibly be WILLIAM E. MAYER, Born 1947, SEEKONK, MA 02771.
RDA's Mayer may possibly be William E. Mayer, age 60 in 2001, 500 Park Avenue, 5th Floor, NY NY 10022. The building's name is "500 Park Tower".In a legally managed corporation, the officers do what the board (board of directors) wants, and the board does what the owners want. If no one person owns much stock, there may not be any real control over the directors. Once, the Wallaces owned RDA. After the Wallaces died, control of RDA passed to two foundations which the Wallaces had created. The foundations decided to sell their RDA stock. Now, we want to pause to explain something. Consider a hypothetical corporation with 100 shares. If you own one share, you get 1% of the dividends. If you own 2 shares, you get 2% of the dividends. If you own 51 shares, you get 51% of the dividends plus control of the corporation. If you own 51%, you run the corporation. You don't just get 51% of the dividends, you decide what the dividends will be, for example. Someone who sells a controlling interest in a corporation may be paid extra for the controlling interest (because he's selling control of the corporation, not just a lot of stock in the corproation). This extra payment is called the control premium. When the Wallace foundations decided to sell their stock in RDA (which was a controlling interest in RDA), those selling foundations could have been paid a control premium. If the two, selling foundations had sold the stock in one sale to one buyer, the two sellers would have been paid more than if they had sold the stock to many buyers (each buyer buying a small amount). Now, you know what a control premium is.
Thus we see a real conflict between RDA directors and the selling foundations. The foundations benefit from one sale of everything to one buyer. The directors benefit if no one person owns enough stock to control them. According to the Reuters article referred to above, RDA "... struck a deal with the ... [two foundations] to give up control.". The article does not say what the terms of the deal were (for example: what, or how much, the foundations gained from the deal in exchange for loss of control). Maybe possibly the deal is described on the Web; for example, in a document filed with the SEC and available at the Edgar website.
- 2005 March 8
senior vice president Albert L. Perruzza: AL L. PERRUZZA, 18 POND ST, GOLDENS BRIDGE NY 10526, (914) 232-8517.
- 1 January 2005, John T. Reid, director, age 65 in August 2005. He teaches in Manhattan. He was a powerful executive at Colgate-Palmolive Company, which has headquarters in Manhattan.
JOHN T REID, 66 ABRAHAMS LANDING RD, (south of, maybe across the street from, South Fork Country Club), AMAGANSETT (Long Island), NY 11930, (631) 267-6742.
JOHN T REID, WILSON ST, BOHEMIA, NY (631).
JOHN T REID, 66 ABRAHAMS LANDING RD BROOKLYN (not East Hampton), NY. We cannot find this address.
JOHN T REID, 66 ABRAHAMS LANDING RD (south of South Fork Country Club), EAST HAMPTON, NY 11937, (631) 267-6742
JOHN T REID, 66 ABRAHAMS PATH (near Morrell Street), EAST HAMPTON, NY 11937-2008, (631) 267-0224, (631) 267-6742.
- 2005 March 8
Senior Vice President, and President, QSP, Gary S. Rich: GARY S RICH, 412 LUKESWOOD RD SOUTH, SALEM NY 10590, (914).
- 2005 December 24, Lawrence R. Ricciardi
Director, gray hair, beard, often casually dressed.
LAWRENCE R. RICCIARDI, Born 1940, 2600 18TH ST., SAN FRANCISCO, CA.
LAWRENCE R. RICCIARDI, Born 1940, 45 VINEYARD LN., GREENWICH, CT, (203) 622-6986. - 2005 March 8
Thomas O. "Tom" Ryder, chairman of the board (and chief executive officer of RDA [Reader's Digest Association, Inc.] until about 1 January 20060, age 61 (in 2005), formerly president of American Express Travel Related Services International.RYDER, THOMAS O.
5/10/2004 $1,000.00
NEW CANAAN, CT 06840
READER'S DIGEST - ($ donation)
CARPER FOR SENATE. Democratic senator Tom Carper of Delaware sponsored and introduced s. 1285, the senate version of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (which would overhaul America's postal system). Getting a bill enacted requires House and Senate approval. Ryder also contributed to the ranking Democratic member of the appropriate House committee, Los Angeles county's Henry Waxman (who also co-sponsored the House version of the bill).RYDER, THOMAS O
3/12/2004 $3,000.00
NEW CANAAN, CT 06840
READER'S DIGEST - ($ donation)
MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS OF AMERICA PAC FKA MAGAZINE PUBLISHES ASSOCIATION PAC.Ryder, Thomas O.
11/14/2003 $1,000.00
New Canaan, CT 06840
Reader's Digest/Chairman - ($ donation)
CONGRESSMAN WAXMAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE. Federal, Democratic representative Henry Waxman, who represents much of western Los Angeles county, is the ranking Democrat of the House Committee on Government Reform, whose work in 2004 included unanimously passing HR 4341, the House version of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (which would overhaul America's postal system). Waxman also co-sponsored that House bill. The senate version of the bill was sponsored and introduced by Delaware's Democratic senator Tom Carper, to whom Ryder also contributed. This pattern of contributions seems to suggest the possibility that Ryder may have contributed for RDA. It is a federal crime for one person to politically contribute money that is really contributed by another.THOMAS O. RYDER, age 60, 208 WAHACKME Road, NEW CANAAN CT 06840, (203) 972-14nn, (203) 966-07nn.
- 2006 March 21
president, board member, and CEO Eric W. Schrier, 53 in October 2005: ERIC W SCHRIER, 33 ROCK SHELTER RD, WACCABUC NY 10597, (914); ERIC W. SCHRIER, age 53, P.O. BOX 283, WACCABUC NY 10597, (914). - 2005 March 8
Shahnaz, Durreen
6/17/2004 $1,000.00
New York, NY 10013
Reader's Digest/Pubisher - ($ donation)
KERRY VICTORY 2004DURREEN SHAHNAZ, age 37, 15 HARRISON ST, NEW YORK NY 10013, (212) 680-13nn, (212) 431-48nn.
- 1 January 2005, C.J. "Pete" Silas,
Phillips Petroleum
director who has chaired the RDA board's powerful compensation and nominating committee.
SILAS, C J. BARTLESVILLE, OK 74006; RETIRED from Phiilips Petroleum. Halliburton director.
C J SILAS, 2400 TERRACE DR (near Circle Drive and Price Road), BARTLESVILLE, OK 74006-6237, (918) 333-8707.
C J SILAS, 510 S Dewey Ave (north of route 60), Bartlesville, OK 74003-3512, WASHINGTON COUNTY, US (918) 336-6364.
- 2005 March 8
Simmons, Andy
3/23/2004 $500.00
New York, NY 10014
Reader's Digest/Editor - ($ donation)
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INCANDY B SIMMONS, age 44, 290 W 12TH ST, NEW YORK NY 10014, (212) 633-80nn, (212) 352-90nn.
- 2005 March 8
Jeffrey S. Spar (age 39, Sr. VP, Chief Information Officer): JEFFREY S. SPAR, 27 BOULDER RIDGE RD, SCARSDALE NY 10583, (914) 478-nnnn.
- 2005 December 25, director William J. White worked at Bell & Howell's headquarters. He works at Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, which is in Evanston, IL 60203. He may be about 67 in 2005. Maybe he lives in the Chicago area.
- 2005 December 31, president of North American consumer marketing Dawn Zier. She went to MIT. Her boss may be Eric Schrier.
DAWN D. ZIER, Born Jun 1966, PEACHTREE PKWY, PEACHTREE CITY, GA (770) 486-64nn. This may be obsolete.
DAWN D. ZIER, Born Jun 1966, GLEN HAVEN RD., SAINT JOSEPH, MI. This may be obsolete.
HEADQUARTERS
- Introduction
RDA corporate headquarters are on a campus in Chappaqua hamlet, New Castle town, Westchester county, New York state 10514. Photographs of the campus are below.
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Region including campus: top view of center of RDA campus region.
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Campus: top view of center of RDA campus
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Top view, with road names, of RDA campus.In the middle of the left side of the photograph, the word "RAMP" appears diagonally. Below the "P" in that word, is a ramp (shown by a straignt, red-and-white line) from Saw Mill River Parkway (shown by a solid, red line at the west end of the ramp) to Roaring Brook Road (shown by a irregularly curving, red-and-white line at the east end of the ramp). The ramp is Reader's Digest Road. We guess that the red blotches are areas that emit much infrared energy.
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Altitude map or RDA ccampus region.If our guess about color codes is right (namely, that dark means low, and light means high), the big RDA building and most of the rest of the RDA campus is on high ground compared to most streets east and west of the campus (for example, compared to Saw Mill River Parkway, which is in the black area west of the campus).
OLD PUBLICITY
