Longtime subscriber creates wall of 'TIME'

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Published: Tuesday, 10 May 2016 19:42

If it's important, you'll find it in TIME.

That one-time slogan for TIME magazine rings true for Mike O'Connor of Winamac who has subscribed to the venerable news magazine for over 40 years - since his college days at Indiana University.

And O'Connor has saved nearly every issue over those four decades. For years, he intended to make a countertop collage of the magazine covers in the basement recreation room of his home.

But recently, he and wife Sherry decided to "wallpaper" one wall of the rec room - and the result is stunning.

With the help of local interior designers Barbara Rausch and daughter Natalie Dickinson, the O'Connors used over 500 magazine covers to display across a 25-foot wall.

One of the earliest covers is of Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who won three gold medals at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

The O'Connors admit that storing the magazines all these years was something of a headache, but now there are no regrets.

Sherry was so tickled with the result, she sent photos to share with TIME magazine editors, telling them how she and Mike have always read TIME to keep up with national and international events.

D.W. Pine, creative director for TIME in New York City responded.

"I have been designing the TIME cover for the past seven years," he wrote, "and it always amazes me how much impact they have on people's lives."

He told Sherry her photos "inspired" him to create a new TIME "cover" (pictured here) which includes Mike and his wall, as a keepsake for their project.

He added, "Thank you for your support of TIME, and here's to another 40 years!"

By Karen Clem Fritz