employees’ computerization traumas. The paper’s editor at the time was
Irving Leibowitz, a Lou Grant-like figure beloved by many in the
newsroom; I can recall Leibo once jumping up on the copy desk to lead
a “Happy Birthday” tribute to Jim Mahony and barely missing the cake;
that was Leibo. He died in 1979. Were he alive today, however, he
would probably be the first to admit that the paper mishandled Mahony
during the transition. Like many others, Leibo was in awe of Dapper
Dan. And so he’d suspended the skepticism that usually served him well
on the job.