The very one. After he retired, redid his condo and traveled the world, Clarence was bored. So Bill Mullen suggested he mentor me. Head of department agreed. I was terrified until I met him.
And Clarence edited Bill. He covered the museum beat, including Shedd, for most of my time there. I will never forget his article on the death of one of the oldest gorillas at LP Zoo, and how the animal care people allowed the rest of the group to privately view his body and spend time with him. One of the most beautiful and graceful articles on an animal that I've ever read. Bill said he was sniffling through the whole writing process, afraid the whippersnappers pounding keys around him would notice. I told him if you cry writing an article like that, you've done your job because the readers will cry too. (I've written my share of obits for iconic animals--some of my favorites and long-time friends, so it was personal. I was usually a stuffed-up, puffed-up mess at the end of the day.)
This old editor loved a tough editor. Just shy of the age of 50, I got my first mentor. When my boss told me about it, I was terrified that I'd be found out as an imposter 10 years into my job. Instead, the retired Tribune editor (you might remember Clarence--editor of Pulitzer winners) convinced me that I was good. And he could be brutal when I wasn't (and I always told him that I knew it was poop [not the word I used], but I had to start banging out words to get started and flounder toward the right direction) and he guided me back onto the path. He made me work. And helped me learn. I still have some of his (coffee-stained) marked-up manuscripts. I've worked with others, some of whom wouldn't barter and others whose insights were so sharp that I never argued.
Great congrats on this new achievement. You are beautifully wabi-sabi.
Oh my gracious! You mean Clarence P?!?! A legend. Tough. Smart. As high a bar as there is. We don’t need him to tell us you’re a treasure in the literary department but Yowzer that is some gold seal!!
i am SOOOO happy you are my very first EVER comment on pull up a chair, the substack edition. you know fulll well what a luddite i am and you might well imagine this has taken me since 4:55 this morning to try to wheelbarrow my twenty years of chairs over to here. god only knows if i did it the right way. but you are the first sign of life, and how perfect is that?!?!?!
The very one. After he retired, redid his condo and traveled the world, Clarence was bored. So Bill Mullen suggested he mentor me. Head of department agreed. I was terrified until I met him.
Ohhhhhh my holy holy gracious!! Now how did you know B Mullen?!?! We are talkin’ the best of the best here!!!!!!!!
And Clarence edited Bill. He covered the museum beat, including Shedd, for most of my time there. I will never forget his article on the death of one of the oldest gorillas at LP Zoo, and how the animal care people allowed the rest of the group to privately view his body and spend time with him. One of the most beautiful and graceful articles on an animal that I've ever read. Bill said he was sniffling through the whole writing process, afraid the whippersnappers pounding keys around him would notice. I told him if you cry writing an article like that, you've done your job because the readers will cry too. (I've written my share of obits for iconic animals--some of my favorites and long-time friends, so it was personal. I was usually a stuffed-up, puffed-up mess at the end of the day.)
i remember that he became “the museum writer.” i am going to try to find that story……
This old editor loved a tough editor. Just shy of the age of 50, I got my first mentor. When my boss told me about it, I was terrified that I'd be found out as an imposter 10 years into my job. Instead, the retired Tribune editor (you might remember Clarence--editor of Pulitzer winners) convinced me that I was good. And he could be brutal when I wasn't (and I always told him that I knew it was poop [not the word I used], but I had to start banging out words to get started and flounder toward the right direction) and he guided me back onto the path. He made me work. And helped me learn. I still have some of his (coffee-stained) marked-up manuscripts. I've worked with others, some of whom wouldn't barter and others whose insights were so sharp that I never argued.
Great congrats on this new achievement. You are beautifully wabi-sabi.
Oh my gracious! You mean Clarence P?!?! A legend. Tough. Smart. As high a bar as there is. We don’t need him to tell us you’re a treasure in the literary department but Yowzer that is some gold seal!!
And ps I love being wabi-sabi so thank you!!
Can’t wait for this book and I know it’s going to be gorgeous.
i am SOOOO happy you are my very first EVER comment on pull up a chair, the substack edition. you know fulll well what a luddite i am and you might well imagine this has taken me since 4:55 this morning to try to wheelbarrow my twenty years of chairs over to here. god only knows if i did it the right way. but you are the first sign of life, and how perfect is that?!?!?!
My mistake, it was Brookfield Zoo. Here's the link: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/12/08/one-by-one-gorillas-pay-their-last-respects/