Arthur Spiegelman

I’ll never forget the sound of Arthur pounding away at the keyboard in his inimitable hunt-and-peck style at 1700 Broadway. Never before or since have I heard anyone make such a joyful noise on a computer keyboard. And what beautiful prose came out of it. He was the very definition of a wire-service writer - had an unerring nose for news, and always got the lede just right. We all learned a lot from him.

Later Arthur was my boss for a while, and you couldn’t ask for a nicer and more understanding boss. In fact, he had a uniquely hands-off approach to management. I took it as a compliment - as long as you were doing your job, Arthur didn’t need to interfere. And he was never much interested in management or any kind of bureaucracy. He always just wanted to write the next story.

I will miss his unquenchable spirit and enthusiasm for this business. ■