(Updated 6/9/21) I answered the call of journalism for 40 years, most of the time covering technology, engineering and business. While I’ve run large magazines and newsweeklies, reporting and writing are what I enjoy most. I have plied my talents at the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, PC Week (now eWeek), EDN, Design News, Electronic Business, Bio-IT World, Health-IT World, the Lowell Sun, Haverhill Gazette and Newburyport Daily News. My blogging credits include Thinking Tech at SmartPlanet.com, Green Engineering at engineering magazine Design News, and for many years my personal blog, The Dodge Retort.
I would have liked to have been around when Boston supported seven or more newspapers and steam locomotives still pulled trains, but that era was nearly over by the time I entered the world. Still, I managed to be a newsman and columnist for more than 40 years, most significantly for PC Week/eWeek, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal and several Merrimack Valley (Mass.) daily newspapers (see Career Timeline). I retired professionally in 2015 and since then have spent time on public service.
Public Service
I have served on the West Newbury Open Space Committee(OSC) since 2014, the past two years as chair during which time we conserved three parcels totaling 80 acres with another 51 acres in the offing. The OSC works closely with Essex County Greenbelt.
I also served as campaign manager for Wendy Reed, who was elected to the West Newbury Select Board in May, 2021. In 2019, I managed the digital and social media presence for Rick Parker, who was elected to the Select Board in a hard fought campaign with record voter turnout.
As admin, I grew West Newbury People, a Facebook community, from 450 to 1,557 members. Also, I was a West Newbury call firefighter from 2009-2014 and left when I hit the mandatory retirement age.
On the charitable side, I rode in the Pan Mass Challenge from 2011-14 and raised $30,851 for Dana Farber Cancer Institute, achieving “Heavy Hitter” status all four years. I will cycle in my sixth Prouty cycle ride this summer and in doing so have raised more than $20,000 for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center. My wife and I have also made substantial donations to the Stepping Forward capital campaign at Anna Jaques Hospital, Essex County Greenbelt and Community Giving Tree where my wife Ann Dooley serves on the board. We donate regularly to local charities including Jeanne Geiger, Emmaus, Lazarus House, Pettingill House, Krempels, Our Neighbor’s Table, Pennies for Poverty and others.
The Dodge Retort
TDR is my third blog, preceded by a yearlong stint at Thinking Tech at CBSi site SmartPlanet.com (defunct) and two years at Green Engineering (born Design Engineering-at-Large) at engineering magazine Design News where I was editor-in-chief from 2006-09.
Until my retirement, I was the community manager at the EnterpriseCIOForum.com, a custom online web community for Chief Information Officers sponsored by Hewlett Packard and produced by IDG. After five years of that, I pulled the plug on full time employment. In actuality, I retired, but was afraid to admit it. I occasionally wrote articles for the Boston Globe magazine until 2018, but now it’s 2021 and I am retired except for public service and recreation.
Who should read TDR? My 2021 answer is anyone who feels like it for the occasional posts I make now. The 2015 answer was those wishing to take advantage of technology insights accumulated during my 37 years following engineering, IT and business. Topics included consumer electronics, social networks, Newburyport history, IT, tractor repair, products that fail, IT, the reinvention and challenge of newspapers, trains and eclectic other subjects. As always, your comments are welcome. jdodge349@gmail.com
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11 comments On About John Dodge and TDR
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Just stumbled and submitted your site to Viralogy. Hope you get some great traffic from it. Your blog is here http://www.viralogy.com/blogs/my/13727
– Josh
John, I will look forward to your blog updates and when twitter starts working again tonight I will follow you there.
Your Blog on Bernie Madoff reminds me of the great presentation given by Frank Casey to the Boston Irish Business Association meeting in November what a story! Frank mentioned they tried to get the WSJ to print and investigate the story for 3 years!.
Happy New Year say Hi to everyone for us.
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Hi John,
I sent you an email at jdodge349@gmail.com with a story about my Dad’s last mission in a P38 and with some details about pheasant hunting. Did you get it?
I hope you and your family are doing well.
Best wishes,
Jay
Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It’s very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
We just found your fantastic article on your April visit to Cuba. We returned this past Monday from Cuba. Jorge was our guide and he made thr trip for us
Thank you John for your beautiful report on Cuban visit. We just returned and found your article after searching for “Jorge Perez Soria (on Google) who was also our fantastic guide! My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed your
clear, accurate descriptions and sensitive insights. We hope one day, soon, Jorge will be able to attend a baseball game with you in Boston and then come to NYC so we can show him around!
Muchas gracias.
S & R Atkins
Simmy, thanks for the note. We adored Jorge, but I am reluctant to send him my post even though things surprisingly seem free and easy in Cuba. But maybe I should…don’t want to get him in trouble…what do you think?
John, I think you can send your article to his e-mail. I don’t think it will cause him
any problems .We too felt there has been great relaxation on various
restraints. If you are concerned about any particular comments, can you edit
those out before sending? If you need his e-mail address, you can e-mail me for it.
Well, yes…maybe I will. Did you go to the re-union?
John, I just emailed you after reading your article on the shoe industry in Newburyport. You mention my “grandfather” Donald I. Perry. I hope we’ll hear and read more!
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