Classic Mode

Play Meter

Issue: 1985 January 15 - Vol 11 Num 1

IN MEMORY OF
kept reminding himself of the fact. If it
had been the big 40th, his repeated
reminder might have passed as the
usual reaction by someone who had
just officially joined the middle-aged
crowd. But 38?
Ralph talked like 38 years old was
old. And those who were celebrating
his birthda y with him were left to
shake their heads . Didn't he recognize
what he had accomplished in his 38
years? Was it that he saw there was so
much more that had to be done? Why
all this melancholy? Especially since
his 38th birthday was also a
celebration of so rts for his first ten
years in business.
He had started Play Meter in 1974
and, in so doing, had created a
magazine to serve an industry which ,
before, no one believed was even an
industry.
Under his guidance , the magazine
had grown to become a major success
story in the publishing field. Writers,
editors, and publishers in this and
other fields had oftentimes expressed
their admiration for his bold approach
to trade magazine publishing. That
bold approach was simply to report
the truth to his readers, even when that
meant running afoul of an advertiser.
He would often say, "I want the
truth , the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth"; and that had resulted in a
magazine that had double the
readership - and 20 times the
respect- of any magazine serving the
coin-op amusement industry.
His competitors would privately
acknowledge that they could compete
only for advertising pages against him ,
but they didn't have the unshakeable
editorial integrity to report the truth ,
not if it meant losing advertising
revenue .
And publishers in other fields had
many times expressed similar respect
for Ralph Lally and his daring
publishing philosophy. He showed
that a truthful publication and a
profitable publication could be one in
the same, that they weren't mutually
PlAY METER. January 15, 1985
Ralph Lally on the phone in Play Meter's
early days, selling ads and writing articles.
exclusive. The important thing to
remember is always to put editorial
integrity ahead of advertising dollars ,
he said .
The editor of a major general
interest magazine once called the
editorial offices of Play Me1er during
the height of the video game boom for
the single purpose of commending
Play Meter for its editorial position.
Other publications take all the credit
for adhering to strict editorial
principles, he said , but none of them
had ever stood against the pressures
Play Meter had stood against. Not the
Ne w York Times. Not Time magazine.
No one. And he wanted Play Meter to
know the publishing world had truly
taken note of what Ralph Lally was
accomplishing.
So it made no sense why Ralph
would be so melancholy at his
birthday party . He had already
accomplished so very much .
Less than a week later:, however,
his staff was left to wonder if perhaps
Ralph Lally was subconsciously
acknowledging that his life's dock was
winding down. For on a foggy
December I Oth night, Ralph C. Lally
II was killed in an automobile
accident.
Of course, tragedies always seem
senseless, and those who die suddenly,
Ralph and Carol Lally on their first overseas trip to cover the international market.
7
IN MEMORY OF
Little Leslie and Carol Ann with their dad.
almost always seem to have died so
young. But that's the way it was with
Ralph .
He created something where there
was nothing before, and now it wasn't
even his to enjoy.
Ralph Lally was a New Orleans
native , a graduate of Jesuit High
School, one of the city's premier
schools.
He attended the University of
Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette
while working his way through school
with a fulltime job at a Lafayette
vendi ng machine company. While still
a student he married Carol Pearce,
also a New Orleans native . And after
he was finally graduated from college
with a degree in Management, he and
Carol returned to New Orleans where
he took a job as executive vice
president and general manager of
Operator Sales, a distributing arm for
one of the city's largest operating
companies, T AC Amusement.
In early 1974 , he started
developing his idea to start a magazine
that served the coin-op amusement
industry exclusively.
8
After only a few months, it became
apparent the magazine was going to
take all his energies; so he left his
position at T AC and started working
fulltime at Play Meter writing articles
and selling advertising.
From the very beginning, he
decided to forge a magazine that
would depend upon operator
subscriptions more so than manufac-
turer advertisements.
Some years later, he wrote, "It is
not our intention to produce a vanity
publication that is designed to
generate as many advertising dollars
as possible. Play Meter is aimed at
helping the operators of America
become better and more profitable
businessmen ."
To others , that might ha ve
sounded trite , but not to Ralph Lall y.
In the same way, it might sound
trite to say life wasn't fair to someone,
because it's hardly ever fair to anyone .
But life was especially unfair to him .
He built a magazine which did
more for the industry than it did for
him.
Suffice it to say Ralph C. Lally II ,
38 years old, is survived by his wife ,
Carol ; his two daughters , Carol Ann ,
14, and Leslie Ann , 8; his mother
Mildred; his brother, Jack ; and his two
sisters, Milly Steigner and Pamela
Senac. He was buried at Lake Lawn
Mausoleum in Metairie, December
12th in a private ceremony for the
immediate family and close friends .
Those wishing to express their
condolences are asked instead to make
contributions to the American Kidney
Fund ; 7315 Wisconsin Ave .;Suite 203
East; Bethesda , Maryland 20814.
Carol Lally has assumed the
position of editor and publisher of
Play Meter and has announced her
intention to continue both the
magazine and the AOE in the tradition
her husband set.
After her husband's death , she
said, "The most important things in
the world to me right now are my kids,
Play Meter magazine , and the AOE!"
In his memory, we the staff of Play
Meter dedicate this issue and this
yea r's AOE . Also in his memory, we
are not publi shing the econd of the
two-part series co mmemorating Play
Meter's fir t ten yea rs of exi tence .
In s te a d , th a t t e n- yea r
pecial
anniversary report will be published in
the ne xt is ue.
Next to Play Meter, golf was his passion.
PLAY METER. January 1 5. 1985

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