Sun Flashbacks: When the sword is mightier than the pen

Saturday, July 1, 2000 | 2:34 a.m.

Burt Buy, advertising manager and director, general manager, vice-president of operations, 1965-83, on how Hank calmly and fearlessly handled a most frightening newsroom incident.

"In the mid-1970s there was not a whole lot of security at the Sun building -- people pretty much could walk through the front door, go into the newsroom and talk to anyone they wanted.

"Back then, the city editor was Dave Grubnick, a heavy-set, good-natured guy. One day a man walked in off the street and approached Grubnick and asked if he was the man in charge.

"The man then pulled out a Japanese Samurai sword and began chasing Grubnick around the newsroom because he was angry over a story that ran in the paper that day. As big as he was, Grubnick surprisingly ran with the speed of a 16-year-old track star to avoid being slashed by the sword.

"Just then, Hank walked into the newsroom and, without any fear whatsoever, walked up to the guy and told him to put his sword down. Hank then walked the man out of the newsroom with his arm around his shoulder and said words that comforted him. Then the man left the building.

Today, Burt Buy is owner of Print Merchants, a print brokerage firm.