Fallon
01-16-2002, 08:23 AM
Printing mistake a big shock for ad company
LAUDERHILL -- Gerald Wilcox and his employees at Adpro Specialties were in shock when they opened a package from Texas. Instead of finding a plaque reading "Thank you, James Earl Jones, for keeping the dream alive," it incorrectly stated "Thank you, James Earl Ray, for keeping the dream alive."
The plaque was a gift to the famed actor who will be the featured speaker for Lauderhill's Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations Saturday. Ray is the man who died in prison for the assassination of King in 1968 in a Memphis hotel.
The plaque was made by Merit Industries, a company in Georgetown, Texas.
"It had an immediate chill. It was eerie," Adpro owner Wilcox, 43, said Tuesday as he showed the plaque.
Wilcox, who 10 years ago founded Adpro to produce advertising and promotional items, is having a hard time understanding
how someone could confuse Ray with Jones, the Tony Award-winning actor and voice of Star Wars' Darth Vader, The Lion King's Mufasa and promotional spots for CNN.
Ray pleaded guilty to the killing in 1969, but he later recanted his story. He died in prison in 1998.
The Texas company got involved in the project because Adpro and Lauderhill officials decided that a plaque, featuring stamps with noted African Americans, would be a nice gift for Jones. Merit deals in limited-edition stamps. The plaque for Jones, which city officials say cost about $200, features stamps of King and six other famous African Americans.
On Tuesday, Merit owner Herbert Miller called the mistake a "copy error," not a "slur."
"We're down by the Mexican border. We have a lot of people who don't speak English. Accidentally, one of the girls who doesn't know James Earl Jones from a man on the moon accidentally typed James Earl Ray," said Miller, who offered to correct the plaque.
Wilcox is having the plaque repaired locally so it will be ready for Saturday.
Jones will speak to youngsters at the Boys & Girls Club at 1 p.m. Saturday before attending a 7 p.m. reception at Inverrary Country Club. (<a href="http://orlandosentinel.com/news/yahoo/orl-locking16011602jan16.story?coll=orl%2Dnewsaol%2Dhe adlines">OrlandoSentinel.com</a>
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<b>That F'n Good! <a href="http://www.geocities.com/wwfallon.com">WWFallon</a></b>
This message was edited by WWFallon on 1-16-02 @ 12:25 PM
LAUDERHILL -- Gerald Wilcox and his employees at Adpro Specialties were in shock when they opened a package from Texas. Instead of finding a plaque reading "Thank you, James Earl Jones, for keeping the dream alive," it incorrectly stated "Thank you, James Earl Ray, for keeping the dream alive."
The plaque was a gift to the famed actor who will be the featured speaker for Lauderhill's Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations Saturday. Ray is the man who died in prison for the assassination of King in 1968 in a Memphis hotel.
The plaque was made by Merit Industries, a company in Georgetown, Texas.
"It had an immediate chill. It was eerie," Adpro owner Wilcox, 43, said Tuesday as he showed the plaque.
Wilcox, who 10 years ago founded Adpro to produce advertising and promotional items, is having a hard time understanding
how someone could confuse Ray with Jones, the Tony Award-winning actor and voice of Star Wars' Darth Vader, The Lion King's Mufasa and promotional spots for CNN.
Ray pleaded guilty to the killing in 1969, but he later recanted his story. He died in prison in 1998.
The Texas company got involved in the project because Adpro and Lauderhill officials decided that a plaque, featuring stamps with noted African Americans, would be a nice gift for Jones. Merit deals in limited-edition stamps. The plaque for Jones, which city officials say cost about $200, features stamps of King and six other famous African Americans.
On Tuesday, Merit owner Herbert Miller called the mistake a "copy error," not a "slur."
"We're down by the Mexican border. We have a lot of people who don't speak English. Accidentally, one of the girls who doesn't know James Earl Jones from a man on the moon accidentally typed James Earl Ray," said Miller, who offered to correct the plaque.
Wilcox is having the plaque repaired locally so it will be ready for Saturday.
Jones will speak to youngsters at the Boys & Girls Club at 1 p.m. Saturday before attending a 7 p.m. reception at Inverrary Country Club. (<a href="http://orlandosentinel.com/news/yahoo/orl-locking16011602jan16.story?coll=orl%2Dnewsaol%2Dhe adlines">OrlandoSentinel.com</a>
<IMG SRC="http://wwfallon.homestead.com/files/RFnet19.jpg">
<b>That F'n Good! <a href="http://www.geocities.com/wwfallon.com">WWFallon</a></b>
This message was edited by WWFallon on 1-16-02 @ 12:25 PM