Studs Terkel, Oral Historian And Radio Legend, 96

[Oeditpus Rex]

Source: NPR

Legendary oral historian, author and radio personality Studs Terkel died Oct. 31 in Chicago. He was 96.





Read more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94573985&live=1

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:(

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Hell no! This too damn sad. nt

[MindPilot]

2. RIP

Working is one of the best pieces of literature ever.

[Tempest]

3. Rest in peace

He was always a pleasure to listen to.

He not only knew his stuff, he knew how to present it in a colorful and interesting way.

[gabeana]

4. Oh man

One of those people that I'd thought would never leave us

[dhill926]

5. Damn...

wish he could have made it until Tuesday. Especially being a Chicagoan.....and a great guy. R.I.P.

[Rainbowreflect]

32. That was my first thought when I heard the news.

:cry:

[fishwax]

83. agreed n/t

[jobycom]

6. Ah, Hell. Hard to mourn a life that spanned 96 years and was full to the brim.

Especially one who would probably see the next life as his next adventure. Somehow seems inappropriate to say "RIP." Maybe, "Rock On, Studs" would work better.

[Ken Burch]

51. As the Swede put it, years and years ago:

"Don't Mourn-ORGANIZE!!"

[mopinko]

7. oh damn. i knew this day was coming.

he has sounded very frail the last few times i have heard him. i am sure the loss of his wife made his life very difficult. i have been worried about him since then.
i am sure he would have made a good joke about dying on halloween. can't find one myself, tho.

rip studs. you made the world, and chicago, a better place.

[Bozita]

8. Oh no!

An American hero and legend.

[musette_sf]

9. a good man who did good work

rest in peace, Mr. Terkel.

[TygrBright]

10. What a shame he couldn't have hung on another five days....

...'cause I think Studs would have really, really liked seeing the results of this election.

Safe passage, storyteller.

A life well lived.

sadly,
Bright

[grace0418]

12. I agree.

RIP Studs.

[DinahMoeHum]

58. Somehow, I think Studs knew we the people and Obama

WILL turn things around for the better.

He'll be watching the results from up high.

:toast::toast::toast:

[roguevalley]

11. he was wonderful. I know he's sitting in a pub jawboning with my dad

and grandpas. :) RIP, good man. Now *there* was a socialist.

[grasswire]

13. noooooooooooooooooo

An American treasure.

[blueraven95]

14. ...

:cry:

[villager]

15. Damn!

I had the pleasure of meeting him once, in the 70's -- he came to our house to interview my dad...

Loved his work.

Rest easy, Studs...

[nichomachus]

16. He made it to 96 and he left a mark -- he was a good man -- good for him. n/t

[lostnfound]

17. .

Thanks for the great interviews on DemocracyNow.

[Muttocracy]

71. they have some gems archived...

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/10/31/studs_terkel_1912_2008

[Doctor_J]

18. Shit. There goes a vote for O

god speed, Studs

[lonestarnot]

62. No way! He voted an early ballot!

[redqueen]

19. So sad...

:cry:

RIP Studs... you will be so sorely missed. :cry:

[Pastiche423]

20. Peaceful journey, Studs

[VenusRising]

21. We'll miss you, Studs.

:cry:

[Cirque du So-What]

22. 'I hope for peace and sanity; it's the same thing'

One of my favorite quotes. Rest in peace.

[renate]

23. oh, what a shame

Not so much that he died after 96 years of what must have been one of the most interesting lives ever lived... but he would have been happy to see Tuesday.

We'll miss him.

RIP, Studs, and thanks for the many hours of fascinating reading.

[peacefreak]

24. A toast

to a man who lived his life to its fullest. Thank you for sharing your stories, Studs.:toast:

[BeatleBoot]

25. That's A Tough One

My Dad is pushing 90.

And as my Dad would say, "Studs was one of the greats."

I will have to break the news to my Dad after mass on Sunday.

I love that generation so much.

And here's something superficial, but they had the best names back then.

Studs, sir, you will be missed.

[Faygo Kid]

26. Great life, and a long one, too. Thanks, Studs.

We'll take it from here.

[stlsaxman]

27. God Bless Studs Terkel. Period.

[Raine]

28. What a bummer ... this is so sad

R-I-P Studs :cry:

[BrklynLiberal]

29. I truly thought he was immortal...

:(

[dawgmom]

30. "I want, of course, peace, grace, and beauty. How do you do that? You work for it. "

A wonderful man, who left a wonderful legacy. That quote seemed particularly timely.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/studs_terkel.html

[DrZeeLit]

31. OOoh... audible moan here on this end. What a loss to this great nation -- a great mind and man.

Now I'm totally bummed.

RIP, good soul.

[joeybee12]

33. The hero and historian of the common man...

...one of a kind. :cry:

[IntravenousDemilo]

34. I feel we've been blessed to have him for almost a century. RIP, Great Man! n/m

[mascarax]

35. Thank you, Studs

My faves were "Working" (1st one I read) and "Race" (which I've been recommending ever since).

He truly was a legend.

[workinclasszero]

36. Wish he could have seen Barack get elected

RIP Mr Terkel. :(

[Joszef Pelikan]

37. Studs will be missed.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

38. A Great Mind, and an even greater voice.

Now silent. :cry:

Goodnight Studs, you will always be a Hero of mine. :loveya:

[Lena inRI]

39. Great guy all-around. . .

Studs probably didn't want to stick around for the next Great Depression. . .one's enough!

His oral histories below here. . .great format. . .thanks a million Studs!

Rest in Peace.

http://www.studsterkel.org/

:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:

[JitterbugPerfume]

40. his books are on my shelf

he was a man of the people

[fla nocount]

41. Thanks Studs, for what we are and where we're at. You were a piece of the part...

a big piece.

[stevebreeze]

42. Quite a few years back I had the privilege to meet Studs.

He was as amazing in person as you would think.
I haven't stop telling about it since.

[PatSeg]

43. So sad.

[skooooo]

44. We love you Studs.

[senseandsensibility]

45. RIP

My condolences to his family and friends.

[progressivebydesign]

46. RIP. That's so sad to hear. He was a treasure. Sorry he couldn't be with us for Tuesday. n/t

[Canuckistanian]

47. He was a great voice for the working man

And quite a story teller, from what I hear.

[KoKo]

48. Rest Well , "Dear Studs......" We won't see your like again for Decades.....

Love Ya..for all your years you wrote your heat out about the failings of our American System and how you could see it getting better!

May the Angels Guide You..your heart and soul are at peace. Lovely man...and a person to read into the NEW CENTURY!

:cry:

[emilyg]

49. RIP

[rasputin1952]

50. One of our greatest citizens rests...

Studs was a phenomenal individual. He was one who cared deeply about the "Average American". If you ever get the chance to read, "The Good War" by Studs, please do. No generals, politicians and the likes, it's all about the Privates and Corporals he met during WWII.

I have seen many an interview w/Studs, his journey through life was amazing...right to the point where he thanked Joe McCarthy for "blacklisting" him, (he described it the moment when his career really took off...:D )

This country is lesser place now that Studs has joined his wife. If there is a heaven, Studs will be talking to the "lesser angels", the one's who do the work. I await his report.

Good Bye Studs...RIP. You will be missed my friend.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

52. One of the great ones, he always told it like it was

I heard him speak at the college where I was teaching in the early 1990s. He ragged on Reagan and Poppy Bush, and during the Q&A, someone asked him, "If Reagan was so bad, why was he so popular."

Terkel just snorted and growled, "Because he made it OK to be stupid. Stupid people recognized him as one of their own."

The president of the college, head of the county Republicans, was sitting on the podium behind Terkel, and you should have seen his face.

[Sequoia]

53. Oh how sad....just before Obama got elected President.

Both Chicago guys. Studs was great!

[non sociopath skin]

54. Sad. A great man. Really hoped he'd make his century.

Sleep well, Studs.

The Skin

[Botany]

55. Thanx for your book Working, Studs

RIP

[BuelahWitch]

56. We'll miss you Studs!

Godspeed dear friend!

[llmart]

57. One of his last books.....

or maybe even his last one, was about death and dying. It was very, very down to earth and so typical of what you'd expect from Studs. I've read every book he every wrote. They are all excellent. He lived a good, long life and gave us much to think about.

[bluesmail]

59. Goodbye Studs Terkel. You have influenced my life.

[deutsey]

60. Thank you, Studs, for all you've done. RIP. n/t

[lonestarnot]

61. Ahhhh Studs... Goodbye.

You almost made it to be as old as my Dad was when he died. RIP my man. :patriot:

[AnnieBW]

63. Aw, hell

Vonnegut, Carlin, and now Terkel. Damn. I was hoping that he'd make it to Tuesday.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

64. His books are among the best American history I have read ...

... "The Great War", "Hard Times" and "Division Street". I think "The Great Divide" should be required reading give better perspective of what was going on for most of us in the Reagan '80s.

"Race" and "Working" are great looks at how our society works, good and bad.

RIP, Studs. You made this a better place and I thank you for it.

[unkachuck]

65. sorry....

....to hear about your passing, Mr. Terkel, you were one the best and will be missed....RIP old warrior....

[helderheid]

66. oh NO!!! :(

[VoodooGuru]

67. Very sad. :(

I respected him greatly. One of the best things I ever heard on NPR was Studs relating an anecdote about dressing down a yuppie Reagan Youth couple after they said they didn't care for labor on Labor Day to Studs on the subway. Studs let 'em have it, telling them that so much of what they view as "civilized" today is the fruit of the efforts of organized labor.

[senseandsensibility]

79. Thanks for sharing that.

As the old warriors like Studs pass on, let's hope that there are others to carry on the tradition.:cry:

[Mnemosyne]

68. Way too young to go! Rest in Peace, Mr. Terkel.

:cry:

[mntleo2]

69. A Voice of Sanity in a Crazy World

RIP Studs. Your insight helped me a great deal to abide this greedy and selfish era, helping me to know I was not alone and furthermore, that other times were as insane as my era was, just over different things is all. When you come back Studs, would you continue where you left off? Please?

Cat In Seattle (descendent of WOBBLIEs)

[TomClash]

70. I feel sick

Ugh. I feel like I've been stabbed. :cry:

A Great American.:patriot:

[Overseas]

72. I loved him and will miss him ! Condolences to his friends and family.

Many thanks for the legacy he left us of all those oral histories and his interviews and writings.

96 !!

[Mari333]

73. what a kind man he was

years ago i wrote to him and not only did he write back to me, he sent me a bunch of his books and wrote all kinds of kind things on the inside of the book leaves.
what a nice man.
hey, mr. terkel, see you on the other side. i know you are infinitely happy now.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

75. He once held a bus for me when he saw me running for it

On Michigan Avenue, in front of Tribune Tower. It was so funny to realize that the nice old guy who was holding the door was a man who was already a legend before I was born. Thoughtful gestures large and small spoke to the humanity of this great man.

Sorry you can't be here for for the big day, Studs. We'll be thinking of you.

:cry:

[Mari333]

77. I really believe he will be there for the big day

what a lovely story..he makes quite a wonderful angel i am sure.

[senseandsensibility]

80. Wow.

Just what I would have expected of him. Thanks for sharing that.

[Oldtimeralso]

74. RIP Studs, The Voice of the Working Man and Women

i heard on a Chicago TV station that he once said "Curiosity didn't kill this cat"

[Blue_Tires]

76. r.i.p.

[rdmtimp]

78. Roger Ebert pays tribute...

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081031/MEMORY/810319997

[fla nocount]

81. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the post. Welcome to DU.

Louis Terkel is a big part of my subjective reality regarding what being American is all about, he was almost 40 years my senior. I await with interest what remarks BO will offer in his memory as Studs was often a thorn in the side of the Daley political machine.

[Democat]

82. A great man who lived a great life!

So sad to see him go. The world will miss him forever. RIP!

[farmboxer]

84. A True American Hero

Saw him on Free Speech TV not long ago. He was a great man. This is sad news.

[yowzayowzayowza]

94. Indeed. RIP. n/t

[harpboy_ak]

85. A genius with a microphone

I met Studs at a WFMT hospitality suite at one of NPR's annual conferences for stations, back when I worked in public radio. What a great raconteur --- he was in his element, talking about his most interesting interviews with a big crowd of radio interviewers and news folks and autographing copies of "Working". And whenever he was a guest on "Prairie Home Companion" it was obvious that he loved radio acting.

Time to hunt up my bottle of Irish poteen and have a shot to send him on his way.

[farmboxer]

86. I hope Free Speech TV will show the interview with him

soon.

[Gemini Cat]

87. RIP Studs!

I discovered Studs Terkel's writings when I was 22. He made an incredible impact on my life and
I think I became a better person as a result.
I wish I could have met him.

RIP

:cry: :cry:

[Laelth]

88. k&r for a great writer. I taught his works at one time.

He made the world a better place. He will be missed.

The United States is a LIBERAL Country.

:dem:

-Laelth

[quiet.american]

89. Never will forget him referring to Bush as the "wanton boy" on Phil Donahue. :)

I'm sad Studs isn't with us anymore, but grateful to have been aware of him while he lived.

[JCMach1]

90. An American cultural treasure has died...

:(

[BearSquirrel2]

91. RIP Studs ...

It's a shame that books like crooks like Anne Coulter and Rush Limbaugh sell so many books when you dispensed such great wisdom.

[bikebloke]

92. Crikey. He was writing till the end.

I'd never pass on reading Studs.

[Kurovski]

93. One of my favorite gentleman-radicals,

who was just about as Christ-like as one could be.

Rest in peace.