For 26 years, from 1956-1982, C. Dale Noah was the owner/editor/publisher of Brookline's weekly newspaper, the Brookline Journal, which began its 49-year circulation in 1933. Nary a week went by during Dale's 26-year reign that Brookliners did not check their local publication for neighborhood news, informative editorials and for the latest deals at the many Boulevard shops.

In the upper left corner of the paper was a photo of Mr. Noah, with the subtitle "Do You Noah". Well, most Brookliners were "in the know" about most everything that was happening in our community for a quarter century due to the hard work and dedication of C. Dale Noah and his small staff of helpers.

In many ways, this Brookline Connection website was inspired by Mr. Noah's Brookline Journal. As kids, we waited eagerly for each Thursday edition during the spring and summer months to read the Little League recaps. Those little news clips made us kids feel like real pros, and seeing our pictures in print was one of the important moments of the year.

When I returned to Brookline in 1994 from a ten-year hiatus in Ohio I was struck by the lack of a neighborhood news source. This website began in 1998 in an effort to rekindle some of the community spirit that was once inspired by Mr. Noah's noble efforts. Many of the items in our history section were culled from aging copies of the old Brookline Journal.

C. Dale Noah passed away on March 22, 2000, at age 83. Below is an article that ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette documenting his achievements in the field of community journalism, and lauding the man who not only was a fine father and husband to his family, but also a generous and caring man to the community he loved to serve, Brookline.

A final request: "Dale, I know you're up there, right next to another old newspaper man that I loved dearly, Dan McGibbeny. If it's not too much to ask, from time-to-time, as I sit here at my desk formating and scripting the files that make up this Brookline Connection, and I can't seem to find the right phrase or the correct words, please do your best to give me a helping hand. Thanks ... "

C. Dale Noah
Former Owner And Editor Of Brookline Journal

During most of his 26 years as publisher, owner, editor, advertising salesman and jack-of-all-trades at the Brookline Journal, C. Dale Noah wrote a personal column called "Do You Noah."

Simple and straightforward, it was an account of things he cared deeply about: his wife and children, and other relatives, including his father, W.P. Linn Noah, a longtime South Hills community newspaper publisher.

Mr. Noah's daughter, Kathleen Tamilia of Upper St. Clair, said her father liked to record special moments in his column, like the blustery March day when she was about 6 of 7 and he took the afternoon off so he could teach her to fly a kite in Brookline Park.

"We sat there watching the kite soaring," Tamilia said yesterday. "He later wrote about how special it was."

Mr. Noah, who lived, worked and devoted himself to Brookline for more than 60 years, died Wednesday (3/23/00) in Allegheny General Hospital from complications of a stroke and pneumonia. He was 83.

For the past two years, he had been living at Independence Court, an assisted living facility in Mt. Lebanon.

Mr. Noah was born on Beltzhoover Avenue in the Allentown section of the city. He graduated from South Hills High School and then started working for his father's newspaper, The Hilltop Record in Mount Oliver, which became the South Hills Record in 1952.

"He wrote stories, gathered advertisements. He was general manager. He learned circulation and advertising," Tamilia said.

At age 19, Mr. Noah married his high school sweetheart, Frances Nanista. They moved into her family home in Brookline and later bought it. The couple were married for 64 years and had three children.

In 1956, when W.P. Linn Noah sold the South Hills Record and retired after 53 years in the newspaper business, his son bought the Brookline Journal and began running his own paper. Mr. Noah ran the paper until 1982, when he sold it. The paper later went defunct.

Mr. Noah became a community leader in Brookline, serving over the years as president of the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs. In 1969, he was named man of the year by the local Chamber.

Jim Mongelli, owner of Brookline Jewelry, said Mr. Noah often would use his newspaper to campaign for issues that improved the community.

He said the Brookline business district experienced a crime wave in the 1970s, which prompted community leaders to begin monitoring court proceedings for anyone accused of vandalizing their stores, to ensure that justice was done.

Mongelli said that Mr. Noah not only participated in the effort but "backed us up with articles." The effort worked, he said.

For relaxation, Mr. Noah and his wife loved to go ballroom dancing. "They used to win contests," said son Linn Noah of McCandless.

Mr. Noah was also active in the Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Brookline Boulevard Presbyterian Church.

In addition to his daughter and son, he is survived by another son, Charles F. Noah of Brookline, and one sister, Vera Ziegler of Houston.

A funeral will be held at 11am today in Frank F. DeBor Funeral Home, 1065 Brookline Blvd., Brookline. Internment will be in Jefferson Memorial Park.

* Reprinted from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 25, 2000 *