Sylvia Rector, 'tough editor' in Twin Cities who became beloved food critic in Detroit

Joe Kimball remembers it as a tense period in his career at the Star Tribune: The time when his paper squared off against the rival Pioneer Press with an aggression it had never shown before. Suddenly it wasn’t just the Minneapolis paper; it aspired to embrace the entire metro area.

A Star Tribune news bureau materialized in St. Paul, amply staffed and led by Sylvia Rector, a journalist who had been battle-tested in cities such as Dallas and Washington, where newspaper wars were the norm.

“We felt like troops landing on the beach,” said Kimball, now retired. “It was a landmark moment for the paper, and Sylvia was our field general.”


Rector, who joined the Detroit Free Press in 1992 and became well-known there as the newspaper’s food critic for 17 years, died of colon cancer on Dec. 20 at the age of 66.

Her husband, Charles Hill, a retired Associated Press bureau chief, described her as a “force of nature” as a journalist but also “a very sweet and kind person,” whose passing drew a torrent of appreciative memories from a culinary community that cherished her constructive approach in what can be a cutting line of work.

Rector grew up on a farm in Fancy Gap, Va., and attended a one-room schoolhouse. Scholarships paved her way to college.

She landed first at the Associated Press, then made a number of stops at different newspapers, including the Washington Star. She was state editor at the Dallas Times Herald, supervising reporters at the State Capitol, Austin and other big cities.

She arrived at the Star Tribune in 1984 as an assistant city editor. The move to St. Paul two years later to lead the newspaper’s new bureau there was a dramatic moment in the life of the family, Hill said. A top editor stopped by the house during her maternity leave to ask Rector to take it on, and “she came back early from that leave to do that job.” Editors asked the family to move to the east metro, he said, and they did.

She both applied pressure and felt it, Kimball said. Reporters dreaded the vision of a Pioneer Press laid out across Rector’s desk with “stories we missed, circled in bright orange. She was tough.” But he also remembered her occasionally retreating into her tiny office and shutting off the lights to gather herself.

“We later figured out she protected us [from impatient home-office criticism] more than we knew,” Kimball said.

Journalists who recalled Rector as a driven hard-news leader, demanding of herself and others, may have found it puzzling to see her fetch up as a food writer in Detroit. There was an explanation, her husband said: She was a mother seeking more family time. But she worked hard there and was a formidable presence in the field, said Brenna Houck, of the website Eater Detroit.

“She was definitely the scoop-maker most of the time, especially with big stories. She had made dining into her own space,” Houck said. “If I could ever beat out the Free Press, that was a fun day for me.”

Star Tribune Taste section editor Lee Dean said of Rector: “Food is a wonderful medium for storytelling, and Sylvia embraced it wholeheartedly, weaving tales of her childhood and more into reviews and reports from the kitchen, hers and others. ... Detroit readers were better fed because of her work.”

After Rector died, Houck described her online as “beloved.” In an interview, she said that Rector was never snarky or destructive, and plainly cared about leading readers to great food and bringing out the inner lives of the chefs who cooked it.

Attribution: David Peterson Star Tribune

John Sherwood, Columnist and Features Writer in Baltimore, Washington and Annapolis - December 7, 2016

John Sherwood, who for more than 50 years crafted profiles on an array of working-class characters and fringy eccentrics as a columnist and features writer in Baltimore, Washington and Annapolis, died Dec. 7. He was 84.

Sherwood spent almost 20 years at the former Washington Star newspaper capturing the lives and personalities of ordinary, captivating people in print — most of whom had no idea that they were anything but ordinary. With a Runyonesque flair he brought alive the likes of ferry-boat operators, tea room waitresses, pigeon racers, Linotype workers, tool-booth trolls, tug boat drivers, and hundreds more such ilk who likely never dreamed they were important enough to decorate the pages of a big city newspaper or a magazine — as well as individuals with delusions of grandeur. Better yet, he made the reader understand their importance, too.

Consider Vera — "who won't discuss her age," — the late owner of a Polynesian-style Tiki bar and restaurant on the Patuxent River in a Sherwood piece entitled "Empress of the White Sands."

"Vera upstages everything when she materializes nightly, as if in a vision…She has a vast wardrobe that changes with her moods… Sometimes a huge brass gong is sounded upon her arrival. One of the bartenders immediately pours a shallow glass of champagne as Vera glides inside and settles down on a vinyl, leopard skin bar stool across from a grand piano. When the piano player strikes up a Vera favorite, the outdated 'Sheik of Araby,' it's as though someone has waved a wand and commanded the evening to begin."

Sherwood's great gift was the ability to discern hidden, intriguing facets from the hoity-toity to the hoi-polloi. He could make them talk about themselves, often by asking innocently outrageous questions. Take Tony, an 81-year-old Italian bread baker in Baltimore's Little Italy, who spurned retail customers wanting to buy a loaf from the bake shop below his dingy row house apartment, which his father, "Poppy-pop," had started in 1914. Sherwood asked him about retirement.

"We sell 1,000 loaves a day, that's enough," Tony replied furiously. "We could bake and sell 5,000 loaves a day if I expanded, but what for? I don't wanna be a millionaire. I ain't married. I ain't got children. I want to stay here until I die. Poppy-pop liked it here. I like it here."

John Sherwood was born in Baltimore on Nov. 9, 1932, the son of a physician, and graduated in 1951 from Calvert Hall, a private Catholic prep school. He attended "numerous colleges," including the University of Maryland, before enlisting in the Army and serving a tour in Korea after the war had ended. In 1956 he married Elizabeth "Betty" Cronin, who died in 2000.

He began his writing career with The Baltimore Sun newspapers in 1960, then joined the Washington Evening Star in 1962 as a features reporter. Soon he was one of the writers of The Rambler, a popular daily column dedicated to profiling regional people and places. During his days at the Star he'd become a passionate sailor. When the Star folded in 1981, Sherwood migrated to work at the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, then moved on to the Miami Herald, but he deeply missed the Chesapeake Bay and the Annapolis area, where he had a home in Severna Park.

He returned to the region in the late 1980s, writing for a variety of sailing and boating magazines. Single-handing his sleek, classic Sparkman & Stevens-designed 22-foot Sailmaster sloop called Erewhon, he became as familiar a feature to people around Annapolis and the Eastern Shore as the great Bay Bridge itself. Up and down the bay and its many tributaries, people knew and always waved when silver-haired "Capt'n Jack" came gliding by with tiller in hand.

In the 1990s Sherwood began writing a regular monthly column, Bay Tripper for the boating magazine Soundings, which featured the wide variety of people who derived their living, sport and pleasure, from the Chesapeake and its environs, and continued writing it until earlier this year. He never missed a column deadline in all those years.

In 1994, Johns Hopkins University Press published Sherwood's well-received "Maryland's Vanishing Lives," illustrated with photographs by Edwin H. Remsberg, which chronicled the ways of life of Marylanders who, like Tony the baker, worked at tasks that were fast becoming antique. The book is a compendium of the many crafts, occupations and skills which are vanishing not only in Maryland but throughout the country — a testimonial to a disappearing world. It remains in print today.

Attribution: Winston Grooom, Capital Gazette
Full story: Forest Gump author remembers Severna Park sailor and journalist Jack Sherwood

HARRY BACAS 1922 - 2016

Harry Bacas, a longtime Arlington, VA resident and World War II veteran, who rose from copy boy to become a top editor of the Washington Star, died on Thursday, November 17, 2016 in Santa Rosa, CA after a brief hospitalization at age 94. An Arlington, VA resident for over 50 years, Harry had moved to California in 2007.
Born on November 11, 1922, in Washington DC, the son of a Greek immigrant, Harry graduated from Eastern High School and served in World War II as part of the 461st anti-aircraft battalion that stormed Omaha Beach during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. He fought in all five European campaigns and was awarded two Silver Stars.
On the GI bill, Harry received his BA in English from the University of Maryland, and studied English Literature at Stanford University. While teaching at Mills College in Oakland CA, he met his future wife, Eliza Goddard Weeks, a native Virginian. They returned to Washington, DC and were married in 1952. Eliza died in 2005.
Harry joined the Evening Star (later renamed the Washington Star) in 1951 as a copy boy and was soon promoted to reporter. As chairman of the Star unit of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, he led the first successful strike at the paper in 1958. He went on to serve as editor of the newspaper's Sunday Magazine, City Desk, and Portfolio sections. After the Star folded in 1981, he wrote for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Nation's Business magazine as a special assignment reporter until retiring in 1988. From the 1960's until the 1980's Harry was an avid auto-enthusiast, competing in road rallies and auto-crosses throughout the greater Washington DC area. His passion for bicycling led to numerous cycle tour vacations in the U.S, and Europe and he was a dedicated swimmer at the Washington-Lee Aquatics Center.

Attribution: Legacy.com
Obit: Harry


Edgar Henry Lichty Jr., 87, Composing Room Manager of The Washington Star,subsequently The Washington Times

Edgar Henry Lichty Jr., 87, of Huddleston, beloved husband, father and grandfather, died Friday, October 21, 2016 at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. He was born on Saturday, August 3, 1929 in Bethlehem, Pa., a son of the late Edgar Henry Lichty Sr. and Evelyn Mae Fehnel Lichty. Ed was a retired Composing Room Manager of The Washington Star,subsequently The Washington Times and was an active Masonic member.Ed was born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where he started his printing career with his father. He married Evelyn Jean Blanchard on August 9, 1950, and was married to her for over 66 years. Soon after he was drafted to serve in the Korean War in the Army Corps of Engineers. Upon returning, he moved to the D.C. Metro area where he continued his printing career at the Government Printing Office. He would soon move to The Washington Star where he worked for 26 years. Ed helped start The Washington Times and worked there for 10 years before retiring to Smith Mountain Lake, where he played in the Kazim band for 22 years.He was a Master Mason at the District of Columbia, Grand Naval Lodge No. 4 attaining 32nd degree status, with memberships in Shriners International, Tall Cedars of Lebanon, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry and Almas Temple.

Attribution: The Roanoke Times

Lewis Liberty “Lou” Bennett, Washington Star 1955 to 1971 Route Manger & Mechanic

Lewis Liberty “Lou” Bennett, 85, of Charlotte Hall, MD passed away on October 12, 2016 at the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home.

Lou was born on July 4, 1931 to the late Frank and Olive M. Earnhardt Bennett in Norfolk, VA.

Lou’s professional endeavors expanded across careers providing public service and a great spirit of entrepreneurship. He served as a Master Mechanic 2nd Class on the U.S.S. Great Sitkin from January 1952 to April 1955 where he was deployed to the Mediterranean supporting mobile ready reserve fleet ammunition, and later in fleet maneuvers in the Atlantic (New York) and the Caribbean. His career included working at the Washington Star from 1955 to 1971 as a route manger and mechanic in Southern Prince George’s County, MD. He also worked for Buck Distributing, Upper Marlboro, MD, and as an Engineer for The State Department, Washington, D.C. where he retired at almost 71 years of age. The Southern Maryland community knew him as owner/operator of Williams Package Goods, Hughesville, MD; and several other small businesses over the years. Lou loved spending time with his family and many friends, especially on his 4th of July birthday. He also loved camping, riding his Harley, and tinkering with mechanical things. He was a member of the American Legion and Moose Lodge.

Attribution: Southern Maryland News Net

Shirley Elder Lyons, 85, reporter and Tip O’Neill biographer

Shirley Elder Lyons, 85, of Portsmouth, N.H., a former Washington political reporter, died on Sunday, September 18, 2016, of complications of Parkinson's disease.

Born in California, she was raised in Seattle. She graduated from Stanford University in 1954 and went to Washington, D.C., as a reporter, first for The Washington Post, later for the Washington Daily News and the Washington Star. She was co-author of two books: Tip, a Biography of Thomas P. O'Neill Jr., Speaker of the House and Interest Groups, Lobbying and Policymaking.

She moved to Sandwich, New Hampshire, in 1981 with her husband, Richard L. Lyons, but continued working part time as a reporter for the Boston Globe's New Hampshire Weekly.

In Sandwich, Shirley was president of the Friends of the Samuel Wentworth Library, a member of the Bearcamp Valley Garden Club, the New Hampshire Music Festival, Sandwich Historical Society, the Society for the protection of New Hampshire Forests and the Over the Hill hikers. She worked as a writer and co-editor on the book of Sandwich history published in 1995 by the Sandwich Historical Society.

When Shirley Elder Lyons received the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Print Media Award in 1993 for the second consecutive year, she had already spent four decades in a career that took her from California to covering Congress to the Granite State.

As a correspondent for the Globe’s New Hampshire Weekly, she examined campaign funding, interviewed politicians, and profiled top judges and lawyers – only to subsequently report on ethics woes some of them faced.

She also reported on the achievements of women who pushed for gender parity in New Hampshire’s elected offices and legal community. Mrs. Lyons’s profile of the first woman to serve as president of the state bar association was among the pieces that led to the award.

“My philosophy is we have a responsibility to educate people and to tell people in simple terms about complex legal issues,” she told the Globe in a January 1993 interview.

Attribution: Bostonglobe.com, Legacy.com

Richard Stakes, Former President/CEO, 1923-2016

Richard Stewart "Dick" Stakes, age 93, of Hilton Head Island, passed away September 11, 2016 at home surrounded by his family and caregivers. Born June 27, 1923 at the family home in Luttrellville, Virginia to the late Nettie Lee Reynolds and the late Thomas Edward Stakes. Dick served in the U. S. Army during WWII winning the Bronze Star Medal as an artillery forward observer. He graduated from Benjamin Franklin University in Washington DC with a BS degree in Financial Management. Dick was recalled during the Korean War and served in Germany as a lieutenant in the artillery. After returning to Washington, DC, he worked for WTTG(TV), in the accounting department subsequently becoming business manager. He left WTTG in 1956 to join Evening Star Broadcasting, ultimately becoming president and chief executive officer. In 1976 he moved from the broadcasting arm when he was elected president and chief executive officer of the Washington Star newspaper. In 1977, he left the Star to become executive vice-president of WSPA, Spartanburg, SC. Dick retired from Summit Communications, Winston-Salem, NC in 1988 when he and his wife, the late Christine Beuchert of Washington, DC, came to Hilton Head Plantation. Dick was a founder and board member of the Institute of Broadcast Financial Management (now MFMA), and belonged to numerous industry organizations. He was a founding member the South Carolina Yacht Club. Dick loved boating the waters around the Northern Neck of Virginia and Hilton Head, dining out with friends and rocking in his favorite chair on the back porch in his Hilton Head "paradise".

Attribution: Legacy.com

Stephen Scott Hershey (1938 - 2016)

Stephen Scott Hershey, age 77, of Ormond Beach, passed away on Wednesday May 11, 2016. Steve was born on June 22, 1938 in New York city, and was a long time resident of Ormond Beach, Florida. Steve was a devout Catholic, a dedicated veteran of the Marine reserves, a lover of life, travel, and all things sports.
He was the life of every party, with a personality that was boisterous and was always ready with a story to tell about his unique and well traveled life. His career as a sports writer for USA Today took him to every corner of the globe, and his countless published articles, and book, "The Senior Tour," will be steadfast reminders of his true passion for and connection to the sporting world. Steve himself, was an avid golfer for many years, and was a past member of Ocean Side Country Club, where he served on many executive committees.

Attribution: Legacy.com

Kevin A. Tatum, 64, former Inquirer sportswriter

Kevin A. Tatum, 64, of Voorhees, N.J., an Inquirer sportswriter for almost three decades, died Friday at Cooper University Hospital in Camden of throat cancer.

Before joining the Inquirer's sports staff, where he covered college teams, Mr. Tatum worked for several other newspapers, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the now-defunct Washington Star in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Tatum was one of the first African Americans to become an Inquirer sportswriter, and wrote more than 4,000 article for the newspaper.

Mr. Tatum retired five years ago. He did so after the sports website Deadspin reported that he appeared to have plagiarized five paragraphs from a fan site and used them in a blog item.

His colleagues recalled him as a versatile beat writer whose main game was hoops.

"Kevin was a great basketball player himself, and he wound up being closely connected with a sport that he loved," recalled Jim Swan, the Inquirer's deputy sports editor. "He spent years on the college basketball beat in a town where that was a premier assignment, covering the game night in and night out. He was able to make a career out of covering a sport that he treasured."

On and off the job, Mr. Tatum was a shy man who nonetheless cherished camaraderie and friendship. "Kevin has a plethora of friends, all of whom I adopted as my own brothers," older sister Joyce Brown said.

With his brother Rodney, Mr. Tatum for 32 years hosted an annual Father's Day picnic in Washington, D.C., where he was born and raised.

"He was just open, welcoming, and had an awesome sense of humor," Brown said. "He never forgot anybody."

Mr. Tatum excelled in sports while attending Taft Junior High School and McKinley High School in Washington. Under the tutelage of his father - an athlete himself - Mr. Tatum first played baseball, but later became a star basketball player and a noted playmaker in high school.

Mr. Tatum studied journalism at Indian River Junior College in Florida and Minot State University in North Dakota.

Attribution: Sofiya Ballin, philly.com
Full article: Kevin Tatum

Long-serving ex-president of UM ‘Tad’ Foote dies

Edward Thaddeus ‘Tad’ Foote II, who transformed the University of Miami from Suntan U into an academically rigorous university with a growing national reputation during his 20-year tenure as president, died Monday night, University of Miami officials announced. He was 78.

He died from complications of Parkinson’s Disease, his daughter Julia Foote LeStage said Monday night, adding he died peacefully at East Ridge nursing facility in Cutler Bay.

“This is a sad day, but also a day of celebration for an extraordinary life,” she said.

Professional: Reporter, Washington Star, 1963-64; Washington Daily News, 1964-65; associate, Bryan, Cave, McPheeters & McRoberts, St. Louis, 1966-70; vice chancellor, general counsel, Washington University, 1970-75; Dean, School of Law, Washington University, 1973-1980; special advisor to chancellor and board of trustees, 1980-81, Washington; president, University of Miami, 1981- present.

Attribution: Joan Chrissos, Susan Miller Degnan and Rory Clarke - MiamiHerald.com

Full Story: Tad