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The Best Editor I Ever Worked for

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[Editor’s Note: Mr. Fry, a longtime colleague of Glenn Esterly, composed this essay after Mr. Esterly’s death this week.]­

I had contributed reviews and feature articles to the Culver City News and Blue Pacific News from about 2002, after retiring from a long career at UCLA.

When Glenn was hired as editor of the News in 2003, he wanted to amass a panel of local columnists and news writers to create a paper truly reflecting the local community.

He asked me to contribute a weekly column on music, which we titled "Music To My Ears."

Subsequently, he drew a small army of columnists and feature writers to the paper, developing an excellent local publication and news source.

Glenn and I both grew up on farms, sitting on tractors 10 hours a day as kids, and subsequently leaving this environment for college.

We developed a personal friendship as well as a mutually appreciative working relationship.

I admired his writing ability, terse balanced style, and his vision. I was inspired by his editing skills and integrity.

Associated Press trained, Glenn had worked for a variety of newspapers and magazines.

He was most proud, I think, for his no-holds-barred interview of the notorious American poet Charles Bukowski in Rolling Stone ("The Pock-marked Poetry of Charles Bukowski: Notes of a Dirty Old Mankind," in Rolling Stone, no. 215, June 17, 1976, pp. 28-34.), and his editorial writing for TV Guide.

He also contributed to the TV Guide Collector's Edition: TV Celebrity Cookbook (News America Publications, 1994).

Glenn was the best editor I've ever worked with, and I will miss him greatly.


Mr. Fry may be contacted at smfry@ucla.edu