By KEVIN WALSH
AP Miami

Photos of Charlie Bruce

MIAMI, Fla. (AP) — Charlie Bruce, chief of communications for the AP in Florida, was honored by friends and colleagues at a brunch Feb. 3, celebrating his retirement after a 42-year AP career.

"I can depart with the satisfaction that there are no known pending member complaints for technical causes," Bruce proudly told the crowd.

Bruce started his AP career in May 1959 as an operator attendant in Montgomery, Ala. He transferred to New York in 1962 to train as a technician and worked in Los Angeles for the next three years.

Bruce spent the next five years in Georgia, Alabama and Iowa, where he met his wife, Celiene, who was covering the legislature for the AP. He came to Miami in 1970, where he worked as COC for the next 32 years.

Kevin Walsh, chief of bureau for Florida, told the crowd about the amazing changes that have occurred in AP technology during Bruce's career -- from the linking of teletypesetter news wires to simultaneously report John Glenn's obital flight around the Earth to the development of a satellite network and digital delivery.

"We like to think of the AP as the world's largest newsgathering organization, but we're also a communications company," Walsh said. "Our reporters, broadcast journalists and photographers couldn't do their work without the support of our colleagues in communications."

Phil Emanuel, communications executive in New York, praised Bruce and his staff for their work. "I get to issue the orders, but Charlie has the hard job of actually making sure the equipment is installed," he said.

Assistant Chief of Communications Tim Litsch and communications staffers from across Florida presented Bruce with a scrapbook of letters from colleagues across the country and a gift certificate for fishing gear.

On behalf of the editorial staff, Walsh gave Bruce a replica of a satellite dish mounted on a stand and a framed assortment of photos covering major events during his time in Miami — from the Mariel boatlift to the Challenger explosion and the Florida Recount.

Walsh read a letter from AP President and Chief Executive Officer Lou Boccardi praising Bruce for "42 years of dedicated service."

When asked about his immediate plans, Bruce said he intends to work on remodeling his house, travel and pursue his hobbies of flying, fishing and raising tropical fruit trees. (Feb. 3, 2002)