The Tico Times began after a group of Lincoln School seniors approached veteran U.S. newswoman Elisabeth (Betty) Dyer and asked her to teach them something about journalism. She told them, “The best way to learn about journalism is to put out a paper.” So on May 18, 1956, The Tico Times was born.
The newsstand price was ¢1 and remained the same until the ‘80s. The first staffers were Isabel Moncy, Eleanor Hamer, Sidney Newcomb, Kenneth McCormack, James Cook, and Gretchen Horn. The first advertisers included Schmidt’s Bakery (which became the longest-running advertiser in the paper’s history), the Gran Hotel Costa Rica, La Gran Vía grocery store, La Casa Dinamarca gift shop, Holtermann & Pechtel paint distributors, Chez Marcel restaurant, and Pan American World Airways, which boasted “Fastest service to Miami” in its DC-6 planes.
The first edition, an all-volunteer, nonprofit effort, was only 8 pages. It included stories about plans to turn Costa Rica into an oil exporter, the Mediterranean Fruit Fly threatening local crops, congratulatory statements from U.S. and British envoys, community news, sports, and photos. Printed on letterpress at Imprenta Borrasé, The Tico Times was eagerly welcomed by the expat community, then mostly composed of pioneer settlers, diplomats, and employees of Compañía Bananera (United Fruit Co.) and subsidiaries of foreign oil companies and airlines.
It Was a Hit
Within a month, the paper expanded to 12 pages and gained two more talented community members on its volunteer staff: Shirley Harris, a mainstay until her death in 2002, and Florence Lloyd. A June 15, 1956, editorial read, “Your overwhelming acceptance of THE TICO TIMES is the most encouraging thing that ever happened to a new paper… we are awed by the number of unsolicited subscriptions we are receiving.” The staff urged readers to support the paper by patronizing advertisers and offered an open-door policy at their new office in the Costa Rica Press Club building.
Off and Running
The community responded enthusiastically, and The Tico Times was off and running. Rex Benson, a retired U.S. Navy man, writer, and naturalist, joined the staff, contributing colorful yarns in his popular column, “Of Tropic Trails and Jungle Tales.” Known as the “Old Timer” and the “Trail Hitter,” Ben helped The Tico Times become one of the first newspapers in Costa Rica to focus on environmental issues, writing about the rainforest and endangered sea turtles long before these topics became popular. Another early environmentalist, Harry Haines, wrote a long-running column on local flora.
During its first year, The Tico Times covered events such as the construction of El Coco International Airport (later renamed Juan Santamaría), the demolition of the old Casa Presidencial, and the arrival of Costa Rica’s millionth citizen, Elver Núñez Artavia. Community news was also a vital part of the TT from the beginning, covering groups like The Little Theatre Group, the Women’s Club of Costa Rica, and the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center.
A Community Paper In the World
World news in English was hard to come by in Costa Rica in the ’50s, so The Tico Times filled the gap by publishing humorous news items collected from foreign papers and collaborating with old newspaper friends from other countries. Notable contributors included New York Times Latin America correspondent Paul Kennedy, George Chaplin from The New Orleans Item, and New York Latin America expert Sally Sheppard. The paper also included a variety of columns covering topics from fashion trends to local issues such as health concerns about polio and rabies.
Car Wars and Highway Reports
The Tico Times featured popular columns like “Lady Talk,” offering recipes and entertainment tips, and “Your Child’s Health” by local pediatrician Miguel Ortiz. The paper even covered a humorous dispute over the merits of the Hillman Minx versus the Volkswagen Beetle, sparking a challenge to a race up Irazú Volcano, which ultimately was declined. Travel reports on the Pan American Highway were regular features, and one of the best-read travelogues, “Two Wheels and a Shoestring,” recounted the two-year journey of Inez and Freddy Boler from California to Tierra del Fuego by bicycle.
Pioneers, Vanishing Oaks, and Culture Shock
In 1957, The Tico Times interviewed Hungarian refugees who fled their country following the uprising, and ran a series on U.S. Quaker pioneers in Monteverde. The paper reported on disappearing steam engines of the Northern Railway and urged readers to see the majestic oaks of Cartago’s cloud forests before they vanished. The TT also published a groundbreaking series on culture shock by Brazilian anthropologist Dr. Kalervo Oberg, introducing the then-novel concept to many foreigners.
A Happy Bus, a Subliminal Photo, and Sputnik
In 1957, the TT interviewed Costa Rica’s “human bus” Cristobal Garro, or “Cazadora,” famous for making the round trip between San José and Cartago barefoot daily. The paper also became the first in Costa Rica to publish a “subliminal photograph,” sparking reader curiosity, and covered the launch of Sputnik with a report on radio enthusiast Ted Westlake’s personal experience tuning in to the satellite’s “beeps.”
A Paper with Heart
The Tico Times actively supported local causes, urging readers to contribute to initiatives like the “March of Homes” for low-income families and campaigns to support children with polio. As always, readers responded with generosity.
How It Began Again
The Tico Times suspended publication in 1960 when the Dyer family moved to Chile. When they returned to Costa Rica, Richard Dyer founded Artes Gráficas de Centroamérica and hoped to restart the paper, but Betty’s health prevented it. After her passing in 1971, The Tico Times was reborn in 1972 with many original collaborators, advertisers, and loyal readers. The paper resumed its original mission with the same spirit and Apartado number — and once again, it was a hit.
