James Auer, Wisconsin newspaper journalist and writer, was born December 2, 1928, in Neenah, Wisconsin. In 1950 he received a B.A. degree from Lawrence College, Appleton, Wisconsin, and in 1953 he became a reporter for the Neenah Twin City News-Record. Auer then took a year off to write and travel and in 1956 briefly worked for the Hanford California Sentinel. He then returned to Wisconsin where he became assistant to the editor and later news editor for the Twin City News-Record. In 1960 Auer began to work for The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin) when that newspaper acquired the Twin City News-Record and its staff. Over the next decade he held several positions with the paper and eventually became its Sunday editor. In 1972 Auer left to become the art critic for The Milwaukee Journal.
Auer has been actively involved in the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors (AASFE), an organization designed to improve Sunday newspapers and weekend feature sections and magazines. He has served as its treasurer and in 1972 became president of the organization. In addition to these journalistic activities, Auer has written several articles, stories, and plays. Two of his plays, The City of Light (1961) and Tell It to Angela (1971), were produced by the Attic Theatre, an Appleton community theater. Since 1955 Auer has worked with this group and at various times has served on its board of governors and appeared in several of their productions. His coverage of cultural events for newspapers has led to his involvement with area art centers, historical societies, and symphonies. Auer has also produced occasional documentary films on such diverse topics as mental health and the traveling circus.
