At 12, a media mogul: Sixth-grader Sam Obar publishes his own weekly newspaper

WALPOLE -- It's not uncommon for Sam Obar to arrive at school with newspapers tucked under his arm, skip lunch in favor of copy editing or burn the midnight oil doing last-minute layout.

At age 12, Obar, a sixth-grader at Johnson Middle School, is without a doubt Walpole's youngest newspaper mogul. He is the publisher and managing editor of the "Walpole Gazette," a weekly newspaper now in its 26th issue.

Astonishingly, it's not Obar's first foray into the world of journalism. When he was 9 years old, Obar recruited his older sister Alice and some his friends and launched the "Lewis Ave Times," named after the street on which he lives.

The paper featured sports, science and animal news, as well as a "new things" section. Obar hand-delivered it to people in his neighborhood. But, over time, the paper devolved from a weekly to a monthly to a quarterly, before fizzling out.

"There wasn't enough news happening on Lewis Ave." Obar explained. His next venture was the boldly titled "Mass. Gazette."

"We had news about (the state) and national news. We didn't just have to talk about Lewis Ave," said Obar, who carries homemade business cards and wears a homemade press pass around his neck.

After a year-long run, the "Mass. Gazette," was replaced last fall by Obar's latest publication: "The Walpole Gazette."

"We liked the name better because we lived in Walpole," said Meg Petroski, a fellow sixth-grader at Johnson who writes arts and entertainment stories for the paper.

Each week, Obar - after consulting with his staff of seven - develops a list of stories for the upcoming edition of the paper, many of which he ends up covering. The paper's deadline is 5 p.m. Thursdays, Obar said. "Sometimes, it takes us until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m.," he said.

In addition to Obar, the Gazette boasts a vice president/sports editor, a subscription services supervisor/photographer/staff writer, a video game reviews editor, plus several reporters.

"I joined because Sam's one of my friends, and I wanted to help with the newspaper," said Jimmy Gillon, 12, the video games reviews editor.

After the outcome of Obar's first two papers, Gillon said he was skeptical about the Gazette's prospects. "I thought it would never get off the street," he said. "It's gotten a lot thicker, though."

Obar publishes about 20 copies of the Gazette Friday mornings from his home computer. He hand-delivers them to subscription-holders at his school and around his neighborhood. In addition, the paper, which ranges from six to eight pages, is sold for 10 cents a copy at Walpole Center Books.

The June 4 edition of the paper features Memorial Day coverage, a preview of the town election, a two-page photo essay on Camp Calumet, a Red Sox roundup, as well as arts stories and an editorial.

While balancing the demands of a weekly newspaper with homework is often tricky, Obar said the most difficult decision each week is what to cut out of the paper. If he had more time, Obar said he would like to publish an online version. "I'd like to do it soon, but I don't have enough time," he said.

If you consider his upbringing, it's not surprising Obar caught the journalism bug at a young age. His father, Bob, began sharing the Sunday New York Times with his son not long after he had learned to read. He also let him borrow a manual typewriter to learn to write. By second grade, Obar had written his first novel, "The Assassinators."

"Writing and editing was not out of the realm of possibility for him," said Obar's father, who is a published scientist. His mother, Betsy Dyer, is a biology professor at Wheaton College whose published works include "A Field Guide to Bacteria." Her father, E. Otis Dyer -- a retired surveyor and civil engineer -- is also a published author.

After high school, Obar said he hopes to pursue a career in journalism as both a writer and a publisher. To his friends and fellow Gazette staffers, this comes as no surprise.

"I think he'll be a writer or something," Gillon said.

Geoff Mosher can be reached at gmosher@cnc.com or at 781-433-8368.