July 6, 1938: Note the poor reproduction.

September 21, 1938: Note the improved reproduction.

May 8, 1997: Note the use of spot color.


Founding

The Greenbelt Cooperator was founded in 1937 by the 15-member Greenbelt Journalistic Club, which held its first meeting Nov. 11, 1937 (4). The club met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hayes, both 35, of 35 Ridge Road (It is interesting that Mrs. Robert Hayes was referred to only by the name of her husband in this first issue).

The group set a plan to produce six issues of a newspaper that was to serve as a non-profit enterprise, a remain non-partisan, remain neutral in religious matters, print the news accurately and regularly, make its pages an open forum for civic affairs, develop a staff of volunteer writers, create a "Good Neighbor" spirit, promote friendship, advance for the common good, and develop a "Greenbelt Philosophy of Life."

So The Greenbelt Cooperator was founded, and on November 24, 1937, it published its first issue. The first issue included church announcements, activity information and a letter to the editor asking for advice on what to do about a brazen outdoor clothesline.

But the content was not as important as the founding of the paper. The newspaper was formed based on the ideals that Greenbelt was formed, and it was produced through the volunteer efforts of its staff writers and editors.

The paper was funded through donations and advertising.


Content

Newspapers have many roles in society. If one looks at them on a very superficial level, all one will see is a medium for delivering the news. But newspapers are more than that. Newspapers also perform a socializing role in the areas they serve, and they perform a watchdog role. Additionally, newspapers contribute to the public record.

The Greenbelt Cooperator performed all of these roles by providing a diverse content.

The Cooperator clearly played a large socializing role in the young community. The second issue carried an article on where to put your trash cans (back door pickup vs. curb side pickup), a letter to the editor on living up to the ideals of Greenbelt and a women's section. The women's section carried society news, shopping news, household hints and recipes.

The Cooperator also provided news. The second issue also carried an article about a boy who was hit by a car (He wasn't badly injured), and the third issue was topped with the headline: "COUNCILMEN ELECT MAYOR!!!"

And the Cooperator also played a watchdog role: In the third issue's Mrs. Greenbelt section, Annis Murdock makes note of the fact Greenbelt lacks proper medical care (Greenbelt needs a doctor!). If you're wondering, yes, Mrs. Murdock remained on staff after criticizing the city's lack of medical care.

Sports coverage was also a part of The Cooperator's content (5). The Cooperator covered the local adult league softball and basketball games (with box scores) and Greenbelt High's games, also with box scores (Greenbelt beats Bladensburg, 31-14).

The writing in the Cooperator was clear and concise, more so in many ways than the writing at big city newspapers during that time. But like big city newspapers, the Cooperator's writing was filled with overstretched metaphors and editorializing.


Readers

The Greenbelt Cooperator covered Greenbelt like no other paper, giving news local newspapers typically give, like birth, death and marraige announcements. It is clear The Cooperator had its readers' backing.

On Sept. 7, 1938, less than a year after the paper first published, its format changed. The Cooperator published an 11 x 17 tabloid for the first time. Prior to that, the Cooperator had been published as an 8.5 x 11.5 mimeographed newsletter. The next week, it reverted back to its smaller format (6), but was more legible because the paper was typeset (rather than being produced on a typewriter) with justified columns, and it was multigraphed rather than mimeographed. "The big sheet lacked the warmth and informality of the smaller sheet," an editorial in the paper said.

The paper was filled with ads by that time. The ads were placed by the downtown Arthur Jordan Piano Company, the Harvey Dairy Company (a Hyattsville company with a three-digit phone number) and a vitamin manufacturing complany.

By the end of 1939, the paper was again a tabloid. "Faced with the pressure of more news than we could publish, the staff put the former center margins to work and doubled the size of the paper," a Nov. 23, 1939, editorial said.

In that issue, the Mrs. Greenbelt section featured ads for clothing, sewing machines, Kosher food and home appliances. This is the first signifigant recognition of the Greenbelt woman as a potential consumer.

That issue also features four ads from car dealerships.

The community news remained the most dominant part of the cooperator, however. The staff's decision to place the emphasis on community news makes it clear the cooperator was not the only newspaper Greenbelt residents read, however it is unclear whether the major Washington dailies delivered to Greenbelt.

Irene Hensel moved to Greenbelt in 1958, and although she didn't always have time to read the other metropolitan newspapers, she always made time to read the Cooperator and continues to make time for it now.

"It comes right to your door," said Hensel, who worked for the paper in 1959. "My favorite part is the "Our Neighbors" section. It tells you who had children, who graduated from college, and now, unfortunately, who died. It's a great way of letting people know what's going on. You can just let everyone know at once."

Read about Comic Books and The Saturday Evening Post to learn more about the mass media in Greenbelt from 1937-1945.
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