It is with terrific sadness that we announce the passing of a member of the AJN family. Josephine (Jo) Esposito, a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, New York, worked for AJN for a remarkable 61 years. Her career at the journal began when she was only 16, at an equally remarkable time in American history, some seven weeks before the end of World War II, in June 1945. Jo and her AJN colleagues even participated in the famous end-of-war celebration in Times Square that August. She worked her way up to the position of production manager, which she held for decades.
Everyone understands what it means to lay out a page, but Jo was the one who laid out the "book." She figured out precisely where articles would go in an issue, especially in relation to the ads-which is a great deal harder than it sounds. But Jo devised an ingenious visual aid to allow her to view the whole book at once, a board made of wood, roughly 4' wide and 21/2' high, with metal pockets into which she placed markers for every page, part of a page, and ad. The board hung on the wall and was in use for more than 45 years. No one could spot mistakes or handle last-minute changes like Jo.
One of the most delightful things about Jo was her singing voice. A coloratura soprano who would likely have had a singing career had she pursued one, Jo was a great supporter of the small opera companies in her borough and sang at her church for many years. Most of us felt blessed even to hear her sing "Happy Birthday."
Those of us who worked with Jo remember how elegant she was and how deeply she cared for her family and for the journal. We have missed her enormously since she retired from AJN, and now the world misses her. We are grateful, though, to have many years of memories to cherish.