The tragedy continues rounding up the journalistic community of Las Tunas. On the afternoon of August 22, Elmer Almaguer, a retiree of 26 Newspaper, passed away here, who dedicated several decades of his life to the job of formatting since the times when journalistic texts were composed in lead letters before being printed and the publication had its venue in the workshop on Colón Street.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Elmer was quite a character in the guild, mainly because of his keen sense of humor. In the most incredible circumstances, he was able to construct a clever joke and to make it public with an astonishing economy of words. Some of the funniest anecdotes of the group had him as the protagonist, and they have been repeated for years without any of them having been worn down by use.

At 26, it was a familiar image to see him at his work table, while he calculated the spaces and distributed the materials for the next edition on a blank page with the help of his inseparable typesetter, a graduated metal ruler that no one like him knew how to handle. "Elmer, I want my work to go here," a colleague pointed out on the page."The photo, instead of there, put it here," asked another. And he pleased everyone; never a bad face nor a grim gesture.

He took into retirement about a decade ago. In appearances he was fine, but he knew he was not, and the ailment did not take long to appear: Parkinson's disease. He was never the same again. Many of his co-workers visited him and even celebrated a birthday. But the physical deterioration continued until this Saturday when the sad news reached us. He was 76 years old.

The 26 collections - including the daily newspaper era - thank Elmer's industrious and creative hands for their design. The example and the stories he left will survive him. His colleagues, co-workers and friends wish him eternal rest.