Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 2, 1994 TAG: 9404020079
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LEWISTON, MAINE LENGTH: Medium
He died in a nursing home, where he had lived for about a month, said his son and successor, Peter. Geiger, who retired last fall, had Parkinson's disease.
Under Geiger, the almanac's circulation grew from 86,000 in the 1930s to 4 million. He became editor right out of college. His almanacs were full of weather forecasts, planting and gardening advice, recipes and jokes.
Geiger once estimated that he traveled 5 million miles, delivered 3,500 speeches and gave 18,000 interviews to pitch the almanac's virtues.
The almanac's New Hampshire-based rival, the Old Farmer's Almanac, was founded in 1792 and is sold in stores. The Farmers' Almanac came a quarter-century later and is sold in bulk to banks, insurance companies and others who imprint their names on it and give it away.
"We admit they're older, and we're a Johnny-come-lately," Geiger once said. "But a Studebaker is older than a Cadillac, and who would buy a Studebaker?"
Among Geiger's editorial campaigns was a successful one to restore place names on postmarks. The Postal Service tried to replace the names with codes. His unsuccessful ventures included moving Thanksgiving to October.
"I've had a merry old time," he said as he passed the job to his son last year.
Geiger's funeral, set for Wednesday, won't be his first. In 1990, he invited family and friends to an early funeral to unveil his tombstone. He recited a poem about reaching the "plateau" of his life.
Beneath his name was carved the epitaph: "May It Rain Just Enough."
The poem, in part, said:
"Friends, I am delighted and really quite excited
That you came to this unusual grave event.
For I'd rather have you gather as I write it
Than have you come to see me when I'm dead."
by CNB