Back around 1985, I sent Studs Terkel a letter. In it, I told Studs how much his work meant to me; personally as well as in my teaching.

With my letter, I enclosed a cigar. A fancy one.

Studs wrote back and told me it was the nicest letter he ever received; and that he read it to his wife, who said: "You gotta keep that one!"

He also said that if I was ever in Chicago that: "I gotta buy you lunch or dinner."

As for the cigar, Studs wrote back that he sliced it up and smoked it in two sessions.

For all these years, over 20 years now, I either didn't have the dough or else didn’t have the time to go to Chicago; but every year I sent Studs a book on his birthday. And always about Chicago. A book I carefully selected from the Chicago section of my local antiquarian bookstore.

While Studs was preparing his book “Race,” he wrote to me and said that he was trying to find an Italian-American who would offer their perspective on race relations in the United States. ... “But then," Studs wrote, "I thought, why not you. We could do it over the phone. I have all the equipment. You, me and the FBI!”

Studs never got back to me on that one. I like to think it’s because he never was very good with “equipment.”

There really isn’t one word to describe Studs Terkel, so I’ll have to use quite a few. ... Delightful. Energetic. Exuberant. Funny. Joyful. Simpatico. Brilliant. Enthusiastic. *Involved.* ... Yeah, involved. ...

In one of his books, I forget which one, Studs interviewed a 90-year-old black man who, together with Studs, was on a train headed for the famous 1963 “March on Washington,” the one in which Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

At 90 and no doubt frail in health, the man said to Studs -- my wife said I could stay home and watch this thing on tv. But I told her, no, I want to be part of this. I want to be *in* it! ... That, I think, describes Studs to a tee: he was *in* it!

When Studs was interviewing Arthur Miller on WFMT back in 1988, he said to Miller: “You are what the French call *engage* (accent mark over the e) -- engaged -- the engaged person being the involved person, the engaged person being the *alive* person.

Not only was Studs alive with energy and exuberance, he was also, hands-down, the most well-read person on the face of the planet. Studs not only *read* every book published, he also *interviewed* every author worth interviewing!

Once when I wrote Studs I suggested that the tapes of his WFMT radio programs be put on the Internet so that all of us could listen to them -- rather than where I believe they are now, the Smithsonian. Hopefully, some day they’ll be accessible to all of us via the Internet.

I always thought that one immutable law of nature was that Studs would make it to 100. Damn the Fates that he didn’t. But, you know what: he gave it one helluva shot. He left it all on the field, baby. "Ecco homo!" (Behold, the man!)

I recall about 6 or 7 years ago, Studs was on C-SPAN. It was a program that ran for three hours straight, no commercials, just Studs and the moderator. And Studs was telling story after story, offering insight after insight. … Talking about Bughouse Square, Eddie Gaedel, Murray the Camel and the waitress who waited on him. And, oh my word, so many wondrous things! ...

And towards the end of the interview, the interviewer (who, needless to say, was hardly able to get a word in edgewise for the entire program) said: "Well, Studs, we only have about 15 minutes left." To which Studs, fresh as a daisy, replied: "15 minutes! Is that all? Gee, I was just getting warmed up!"

Leonardo da Vinci once defined education as "seeing the world with fresh eyes." That’s what Studs means to me and how I will always remember him. He showed us the world. And with fresh eyes.

I remember once I was listening to an interview Studs did with Vittorio da Sica, and they were were talking about “The Bicycle Thief” -- with Studs blurting out to da Sica “I saw it 12 times!” ... Studs introduced the interview by saying that "The Bicycle Thief" was a movie that had influenced his life in ways he couldn’t even begin to explain. And you know, that’s how I feel about Studs’ work (what he called his “mission”) -- he's influenced my life in ways I can't even begin to explain. He wasn’t just "liebermeister," master of his work; he was more than that, much more -- he was my teacher.

I just plain love the guy.

Oh, by the way, you may have heard that Studs Terkel died recently. Forget about it. It'll never happen. His books, the audio and video we have access to -- all the things that remind us of his passion as well as his compassion -- comrade, just don’t believe it. The man lives!

Sad to have Studs Terkel leave us.
Your words are music to our ears, Congressman Kucinich and remind us that there are more still here carrying the torch of peace and justice.

Happy Trails Studs..Your words & interviews live on..
Kucinich rocks! Would love to see Dennis as Speaker of the House or in a Cabinet Position...Bush Jr gave us 'Dept. of Homeland Security'..the Dems better give us a 'Dept. of PEACE'!!

jgoodman

No doubt about it Studs was a good judge of character.