Michael Anderson
At Random Press
Port Republic, Maryland
[Written: April 2006]
How I Got Involved in Letterpress Printing: Like so many, I received the Swift rubber type printing equipment for Christmas when I was eight. In the mid 1950s while stationed
on Guam, M.I. with the US Navy, I worked part time for an advertising agency as an artist and copy writer and interfaced with the
newspaper. The interest mounted. After leaving the Navy for the first time in 1959 I became editor of a weekly in Parker,
Arizona. In 1961 I returned to active duty with the Navy, but when time and conditions allowed I worked on newspapers part time.
Retiring from the Navy in 1976 I became editor of a weekly newspaper in Priest River, Idaho, and eventually the managing editor for
the home office of one daily and five weeklies. Growing restless (a trait learned in the navy) I moved to Wyoming and
worked on the Green River Star for a spell, then moved to Utah (my home state) where I taught Graphic Arts and Printing at Utah Technical
College, Salt Lake. An offer to move to Alaska with the Government and an opportunity to hunt – a life long passion – came up
and I took the opportunity. In 1995 my wife, Suzanne, whom I met and married in Alaska, and I moved to Maryland. It was
here that I took up Hobby Printing.
Presses & Equipment: My presses consist of a Vandercook Universal I, a C&P
Pilot, a 8 x 12 C&P Old Style, a Pearl 9 x 11, a Washington Iron Handpress and a Common Wooden Press. My type casting equipment
consists of an English Thompson, an American Thompson, an English Composition caster and an American Composition Caster. My engraving
equipment consists of a Deckle pantograph and a Benton punch engraving pantograph (converted to cut matrices). The Deckle belonged
at one time to ATF and the Benton was used by Linotype.
Education: BS Industrial Technology; MS Vocational Education, Teacher;
EdD Vocational Education.
Other Interests/Hobbies: Building and shooting muzzle loading weapons. Hunting and competition
shooting with muzzle loaders and black powder cartridge guns.
Group Memberships: APA #708, ATF (active participant)
