In Loving Memory of Louis “Studs” Terkel

Dear friends,

We’re sad to hear our good friend Studs Terkel died today. He was 96.

In addition to being a rabid Cubs fan, Studs was an author, radio host, actor and activist. He was well-known and well-loved in Chicago, where he lived most of his life.

I last saw Studs this spring at his Edgewater home, where he was watching baseball. He wasn’t in the best of health, but his mind was still sharp. We talked about the loss of history, including what he often called the United States of Alzheimer’s.

Over the course of our 20-year relationship, Studs was a dear friend. He spoke at our 25th anniversary in 2001 and regularly contributed to In These Times. You can find many of his In These Times’ articles here. And a little more than a year ago, Senior Editor Laura Washington interviewed him for the magazine.

If there’s anything I’ll remember most about Studs, it’s his good humor and his fight for the little guy.

He will be missed.

In solidarity,

Joel Bleifuss, Editor and Publisher

P. S. If you would like to make a donation in memory of Studs, you can do so here. All contributions will help In These Times keep Studs’s fight alive—his determination to challenge entrenched power, to give voice to ignored people and perspectives, and most of all, to advocate for the little guy.