A Lifelong Obsession

Over the next seven years, the shop grew, adding two people. When its supervisor left in 1978, Tonoff was picked—above two others with more seniority—to replace him.

"There was a little bit of resentment," he recalls—but it didn't last. "We worked together well anyway. We were all friends."

He was selected, he says, both because of his training in the "votech" school and his extracurricular printing experience—in his off hours, Tonoff worked for several local commercial shops. When they needed help, they knew they could count on him.