A Thousand Words
By Jock Lauterer
When Jim Shumaker died 10 years ago this week, it left a huge hole in local journalism, the J-School and my heart. “Shu,†who schooled many a wet-behind-the-ears lad (including Citizen editor Kirk Ross) at the old Chapel Hill Weekly was famous for his typewriter-throwing tantrums. Why, in a fit, the old editor could shot put his long-suffering Underwood eight feet across the office onto his leather couch. Often as not, yr hmbl svt was the cause of such exertion. So this week, we celebrate the life of my first editor and second daddy, who went on to more fame and tirades at Howell Hall (before the J-School moved into its posh new digs in Carroll Hall). Shumaker may be better known in pop culture as the inspiration for the late Jeff MacNelly’s curmudgeonous editor of the Treetops Tattler Tribune. I’m sure MacNelly would approve of us reprinting his cartoon from the 1989 book Shu – a collection of Shumaker’s stellar columns edited and published by the late, great Roland Giduz, who writes in the book jacket, “Most important to Shu are the frailties and virtues of the common man, the simple life, and a distain for pomp, puffery and pretense.â€
A THOUSAND WORDS
Do you have an important old photo that you value? Email your photo to jock@email.unc.edu and include the story behind the picture. Because every picture tells a story. And its worth? A thousand words.
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I miss Shu everyday. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years. One of the most memorable Shu conversations I was privy to went like this:
Young office worker in the school: Mr. Shu, how many children do you have?
Shu: 9
Young office worker: Wow, is your wife still living?
Shu: Hard to tell.
There’ll never be another like him.