Was Q. Salter's first name really Quasimodo?

New Year’s Day will come to pass this coming Monday and with that in mind last week, I took a look through editions of The Monroe Journal that were published a hundred or so years ago to see if we had any significant anniversaries ahead of us in the coming year.

On the front page of the Jan. 4, 1923 edition, editor and publisher Q. Salter told readers that the “world has built for itself a fine thing in establishing the custom of felicitations at this season, and none would deny to another the good cheer and cordiality pouring its gentle spirit into the heart. Yet the turning of a new calendar means little of itself. The greatest achievements do not show that days, months, years or times have been obstacles or advantages.

“Let us look forward always and in all ways and not alone at any particular season. It is not improper to remind one who may wonder what (the coming year) may bring that nothing is ever so hard as it may seem. To those who fondly hope for a turn for the better the fruition of years of effort, let the good word be: Act well your part, there all the honor lies.”

Salter would have been 54 years old in January 1923 and at that point in his life he had owned the Monroe Journal for 35 years and had worked there for nearly 40 years. No doubt that during all those years, the wise old editor had seen many things come to pass in Monroe County, and his words would have carried much weight for his loyal readers.

Salter died on Feb. 8, 1938 at the age of 69. He was “stricken as he was leaving his office at The Monroe County Bank and died in a few minutes without speaking a word.” His death illustrates how quickly life could be taken from us.

With that said, Salter set a good example for all citizens. His obituary noted that he “spent a long and useful life at Monroeville, where he was identified with most every material move of the town and county looking toward progress and improvement for the past fifty years.” As editor of The Journal, he was described as “fearless and outspoken, yet careful of the proprieties.”

One enduring mystery about Q. Salter is his first name. In every reference that I’ve ever seen to him, his first name was always abbreviated as Q. His obituary gives his name as Q. and that’s also what’s on his tombstone in the old Methodist cemetery on Sumter Avenue.

Very few names start with the letter Q, so was his name Quincy, Quentin or Quinn? Perhaps it was Quasimodo? Maybe his mother, Ellender, was a fan of Victor Hugo’s novel, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

In the end, we would all do well to heed Q. Salter’s wise words about the coming new year. While it’s okay to celebrate and enjoy the passage of another year, let’s remember that nothing is as hard as it may seem when it comes to accomplishing worthwhile. We all have some part to play in the success of our community, so let’s remember to act well our parts.