Studs Terkel--A Sage

Studs Terkel, the father of oral history died in October 2008 at the age of 96.  According to the New York Times,Terkel was the voice of the American worker, a pre-eminent listener, the sage of Chicago, and a champion of the underdog. 

When I was working on one of my books, I used his classic book, Working, as a model because of the way he interviewed people and analyzed the interviews.  But I liked what he stood for and I want to write about him because I want to remember why he was such an important sage.

·         He was always concerned with the “et certera” of life:

·         The program for his tribute had a favorite Terkel quotation:  “If I did one thing

       I’m proud of, it’s to make people feel that together they count.”

·         Terkel was praised by friends as an “unapologetic and courageous man of the left.”

·         “If he had an ism, his ism was underdog-ism.”

·         “One of the things you learn from him is this incurable optimism.  Not that

        everything’s going to be O.K., but that human beings are essentially good, maybe

        not all human beings, but enough human beings to change the world, and that’s all

        we want.”

·         His son closed the tribute by borrowing one of his father’s favorite phrases:  "Here's to you, Pop.  Take it easy.  But take it.”

Jann’s Note:  Sages are people who look outside of themselves to help others.  They realize that meaning in life often comes from leaving a legacy and making a difference.  Studs Terkel did that for sure.  He understood that life was not all about "us," but about the other person.