Griscom: A change for the better

For all the hand-wringing concerning the demise of the printed word, every so often a gentle reminder to the contrary arrives in your inbox.

The request was not to post on the Internet but to share with others words and sentences and paragraphs of a printed kind.

Lou M. Smith, an associate professor of surgery with the University of Tennessee, used the electronic mail system, hoping her timely thoughts would reach the Times Free Press and be shared with others.

"I was impressed by the well-written obituary for J. Hutchison Lewis in today's (Dec. 5, 2009) paper," she wrote.

"It mentioned his service in World War II. He worked with Morse Code and was able to remember and imitate the sounds and sometimes entertained us (his women's basketball players at Red Bank High School) with 'messages.'"

A family member, an acquaintance or someone else provides the content from outside the newspaper that becomes an obituary.

For years, beginning writers practiced their chosen trade as obit writers, penning the final three or four sentences that closed a person's life. The young journalist knew that being able to concisely and without errors sum up a life in that short space was a true learning experience.

In all honesty, the obituaries written today are better.

Today's obituaries arrive with a passion expressed in words as to how individuals departed, where they are going and what they accomplished while here.

Dr. Smith, a member of the Red Bank girls' basketball team from 1972 to 1975, added to the life story of her former coach: Hutch Lewis.

"I looked up the definition for 'coach' in Webster's Dictionary," Dr. Smith wrote. "It says 'tutor, instructor.' When I think of the many years that Coach Lewis spent helping mold the lives and futures of young women with whom I played basketball, the definition is woefully inadequate.

"He had characteristics that made him a wonderful coach, an effective teacher, and one of the most outstanding human beings I ever had the opportunity to rub elbows with. He possessed a make-up that every great coach needs: The wisdom of an owl, the stamina of an ox, the cunning of a fox, and the fortitude of an eagle supported by the heart of a kitten.

"He gave freely of his time, his energy, his family life, his health and I suspect at times of his own wallet.

"One thing that he owned without question and freely was the love and respect of his players. Now that he is gone, he will continue to have mine."

Dr. Smith, as you will read in her unedited letter online, sketches out her life path after her playing days with Coach Lewis ended.

The obituary writer shared with readers that the "Coach" gave "kids with no chance, a chance. It would be impossible to measure the far-reaching effects that he had on all his players in every sport."

Dr. Smith's path since being on the high school basketball court at Red Bank is a testament to those words.

There are changes that over time have improved newspapers. Moving the creation of the final words on a person's life from the hands of a "green" journalist to someone who knew that person well is one that goes into the positive column.

For the copy editors who flinch when a word does not seem to fit or a little edit might make the words flow better, it is past time to get over it.

Some changes are better and newspapers have resisted too many improvements for too long. This one worked.

To reach Tom Griscom, call 423-757-6472 or e-mail tgriscom@timesfreepress.com.