(Editor's Note: Al Sneed was the owner of the Highline Times from 1955 until Jerry Robinson bought it from him in 1974. He is now retired, living in Enumclaw and is collaborating with Jerry in a book on the history of this newspaper. From time to time we will bring you tidbits of the early years.)

There were four business leaders, in Burien, for whom I had the utmost respect. They were Joe Jaffe, Leo Thomas, Vin Menella, and Merrill Bell. Of these four, I was most in awe of Merrill Bell. Renton, where I spent my ad sales learning time during 1950 through part of 1952, had only one retail store that compared in size to Bells of Burien.

At first, Bell's operated out of a much smaller location than the retail palace that he constructed in the mid 1950s. On first coming to Burien, I was overawed by both Merrill, and his wife Miriam. Initially, as I made ad calls on the store I was treated with indifferent courtesy.

Occasionally Bells' would buy small ads in the Highline Times, but the time and technical difficulties of creating the correct "ad copy feel", was almost, over my head. This task was also beyond the ability of our hot type compositors.

During this period Bells did run advertising in the Seattle dailies.

Merrill Bell's retail clothing business background was gained as a buyer and department manager, of the Bon Marche. When Merrill Bell became one of the trio of local businessmen involved with Nick Schmitt's start-up shopper, During the period that this shopper existed, Merrill was always polite and courteous to all of the Highline Times staff. This was far different from the sort of condescension evinced by Clint West who had an appliance store he inherited from his dad Perry and one of our biggest advertisers

After Nick's shopper folded, Bell's of Burien, returned to using the Seattle Times, almost exclusively. For a few years after these events, our ad staff made only infrequent ad calls at Bell's. The ads that we did receive were small, and ran at very infrequent times.

When Bernie Klewin and Ron Mellinger decided to start their own, short-lived, shopper, I realized that Bell's advertising could be a linch pin to the successful launching of that shopper.

Reid Hale, my editor, and I decided to make a personal call on Merrill. I included Reid, because he was very active in Burien and knew Merrill well.

Our pitch to Bell was that a strong and successful business community needed a strong and vibrant newspaper. We said new outside competition, was coming to our area, and that Bell's, and Bell's advertising support was in our mutual interest. I told Merrill that I, as the newspaper publisher I personally needed his advertising muscle for the good of the community.

Our plea worked, and Merrill became a constant, large space, advertiser, and a good friend of the paper. At a Chamber meeting shortly after this event, Reid was told by a Chamber member, the following: He said that Merrill Bell had told him that he couldn't believe that Al Sneed had said that he needed him.

I should have said that to Merrill years earlier. I did need him and so did the town.

After Merrill sold Bell's of Burien, to Lamonts, he was still a relatively young man. He also had a good deal of money. At some time during that period, He briefly got into auto racing, with Bob Yokel and Alan Green.

Then he decided to take a trip, with his mother, to visit Nova Scotia, her youthful home. To make this trip, Merrill purchased a Winnebago motor home, and, accompanied by his mother, he drove cross country round trip to Nova Scotia.

The trip killed him. Driving this large vehicle for so many miles destroyed the veins in his legs. Merrill succumbed from a leg operation, shortly after he returned from his Nova Scotia trek.

It always seemed a shame, to me that Merrill Bell didn't get much time to enjoy his business success.