Jean Rudegeair, Rita Shealey and Dick Northway worked at Antioch Publishing Company during the company’s heyday. On Sunday, August 18, Rudegeair will give a presentation on the publishing company’s work and artistic achievements at the Senior Center. (Photo: YS News Archive, 1989)
What began as a clever idea by Antioch College students nearly a century ago has grown into one of Yellow Springs’ largest employers over the course of its 86-year presence in the village.
It was the Antioch Publishing Company that for decades designed and manufactured calendars, books, cards, diaries, stickers, scrapbooking materials, bookplates, and a variety of other reading accessories—some of which are still in circulation today.
On Sunday, August 18, at 2 p.m., former employees of Antioch Publishing will give a lecture entitled “It All Started with Bookplates…” in the Great Room of the Senior Center.
The talk will be led by Jean Rudegeair, long-time village resident, former creative director and board member of the YS Historical Society, and will focus on the history, work and artistic works of the publishing house.
“We will tell stories that many villagers may not know,” said Rudegeair. “People may have seen our books at school fairs or our bookmarks with our designs, but how were they made? By whom?”
In addition to a talk by Rudegeair, the historic event will also feature eight tables featuring numerous designs, original artwork and products from Antioch Publishing.
It all began in 1926 as the Antioch Bookplate Company, when students Ernest Morgan and Walter Kahoe came up with the idea of making and selling bookmarks from scrap college paper. Half a century later, in 1981, when sales from an ever-growing product line exceeded $5 million, the company changed its name to Antioch Publishing Company. That same decade, sales doubled and the company acquired Creative Memories, becoming one of the world’s largest direct sellers of scrapbooks and supplies.
Later renamed The Antioch Company, the Yellow Springs-based company reached its peak in 2003, when about 175 employees worked at the business facility at 888 Dayton St. In 2008, The Antioch Company sold its bookplate division, and in 2012, Creative Memories closed its manufacturing facility in the village and moved operations to St. Cloud, Minnesota, ending The Antioch Company’s physical connection to Yellow Springs. Today, Creative Memories generates an estimated $536 million in annual revenue.
Rudegeair said many long-time villagers and history buffs probably already know this story, so her talk will focus more on Antioch Publishing’s heyday – particularly how the business ran on a day-to-day basis and the creative and technical artistry that went into producing products found in stores and shops across the country.
“People knew about our huge building on the outskirts of town, but few knew what was actually going on there,” Rudegeair said. “We did a lot.”
During her 24-year career at Antioch Publishing, Rudegeair wore many different hats – like many of the company’s employees. She started as a staff artist in 1980, then rose to art director and finally creative director. Her best known and most used designs were cartoon bears – characters that appeared in children’s books, calendars and cards.
Rudegeair’s job often took her away from the drawing board. Due to the many licensing agreements Antioch Publishing had with movie studios and media companies – which produced many products featuring images from “Star Wars,” “Ghostbusters,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Garfield,” “The Beverly Hillbillies” and more – Rudegeair was on the road a lot.
“At one point I was at a Star Wars licensing meeting at the Lucas Ranch near San Francisco,” she said. “Paramount Studios, England, New York City, New Orleans – interesting places like that.”
Many of Antioch Publishing’s products resulting from these wide-ranging licensing agreements will be on display at the Aug. 22 presentation, Rudegeair added.
“It’s really going to be focused on the art and the products that we made,” she said. “The history that people may not know but have seen in stores all over the place.”
“It started with Exlibris…” will be presented on Sunday, August 18, at 2 p.m. in the Great Room of the Senior Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.
