A prayer for Van McKenzie

Roger,

Great story...

A friend told me a story about how The Sentinel got Rodney Dangerfield to pose for one of the legendary Sentinel special section covers just weeks before he died. I think it may have been the last photo taken of Rodney.

At my first job, I worked for two of Van's disciples. They would come in with these ideas and I would look at them and think "They're fucking crazy. There's no way in hell that can be pulled off."

Sometimes it was impossible. But sometimes you could get it done and blow the minds of everyone around you.

 

Cherwa's outstanding obit mentioned that 30 of Van's protege's had been named Sports Editors in other cities.

I'd love to see that list...

 

More things you need to know about Van (and our staff).

--- Chris Harry's description of our first sit-down with Van is almost entirely accurate. Van always maintained, however, that when we arrived at the city editor's retirement party that he had 1 more beer -- and filled the bottle with water as the night wore on. It was plausible enough: Van never seemed affected by any alcohol. Van won. In fact, as we all discovered soon enough in Orlando, Van rarely lost.

--- Van taught us here that change is good. He was clear that first day that he liked beat writers moving around every two to three years. His first question to me was, "How long have you covered FSU?" Nine years, I said. "That's a long time," he said. I was moved to Orlando within four months, and Chris was out of Gainesville in another year, bound for Tampa to cover the Bucs for us. My wife is eternally grateful for the move.

--- In addition to Mexican Fridays, Van introduced the concept of off-site meetings for his management staff. Somebody --- Van, Cherwa, Bill Speros --- hosted irregularly scheduled, day-long gatherings to plan centerpieces, projects, special sections. Bagels and coffee by 9:30 a.m., off to lunch (wings, usually) by 1, done by 4:30. I will always see Van sitting in his recliner after lunch punching out ideas he disliked. Once we pitched something he liked, it took another 30 minutes before the whole section was planned, complete with icons, art and sometimes pre-determined headlines.

--- Our sports section never had an exclamation point until Van got here. He loved them. For a while, I think every Sunday college Game Day section had one!

--- Van loved his deputy editors to plan. He wanted budgets done three months ahead (not that he ever read them until the day before, but he wanted them thought about). Often centerpieces approved by him in February got flushed in April when he wondered --- to our utter amazement --- "Why are we writing this story?" We eventually had a name for this process: getting Vandalized.

--- The AJC cover from the mid-80s that was mentioned. I have it tucked away somewhere. The bulldog mascot is on his back, paws up, sure enough. The headline: Roll Over, UGA!

--- Van knew he would love it in Orlando when he discovered the sports department's Bithlo League (fantasy football). He was in immediately. And just as he constantly re-designed sports fronts at 10 p.m., then again at 11:15 and again at midnight, he never felt comfortable unless he constantly updated his roster. So he sought trades. From anyone. From everyone. He only won the league every year.

--- Van hated commas. One night on deadline he was reading over an editor's shoulder a game story. "Why has he got all those commas in the lead?" he asked. "He's got the score in there. He needs a comma," came the reply. "Why?" "It's style." Said Van: "Take 'em out. That's our new style. I just made it our style."

--- Among my memories is sitting in his office with Mike Huguenin one late December morning as we flushed out a soon-to-be published college bowl special section. Two weeks earlier Van said he didn't want the section to have a centerpiece story, just big pictures with capsules on the teams, the games, the matchups (and God knows, the Heisman winner). This morning Van said, "We gotta have a centerpiece! How can you have a section without a centerpiece?" Mike and I looked at each other. We had 36 hours to find a centerpiece. Said Van: "Call Bianchi. Tell him to write about how to be a good bowl coach. But tell him it can't be all about Bowden." Other writers scrambled to file their best bowl-coach anecdotes and statistics to Mike Bianchi, who in addition to his other duties banged out 50 inches from the Hyatt in New Orleans.

--- I hope Van's lasting legacy here, at least in our department, and in other places he touched, was his unfailing loyalty. If we did something special, he spread the credit. If we screwed up, he took the heat. When he got called into the managing editor's office or the editor walked into his office with an issue, Van took the charge. Every time. It was stunning to see in this age of cover-your-ass newspaper management. And that's why, even on days we wanted to dump salsa in his lap, we'd go to the wall for him, too.

R.I.P, big guy.

Alan Schmadtke
Sentinel staff

 

The obit says services will be private, I wonder if there will be a public memorial at a later date?
With enough advance notice (and credit card miles paying for the airfare), I would give it a shot to come down and pay my respects to Van.
Plus, you figure, the post-service gathering is going to be one for the books.
Good thing APSE judging is in Calif. this year.

 

I never saw or knew about the "Vanifesto" could someone email it to me? Also what is the bloody brain and how do you make one? my email is deputyfl@yahoo.com

I may of met some of you when i was a kid at APSE conventions or at the APSE convention in Orlando a few years ago.

My dad made a bet with someone at the Orlando convention. we got back from some bar and he saw all his friends at the hotel bar. The bar had just closed after last call. My dad tells everyone he wants to get a round for everyone and is told it cant happen as the bar is closed. My dad puts out the bet that he can get a round of beers for everyone. One of the sports editors takes the bet. My dad had this planned and had me go up to the room and bring down a cooler of beer. Wasnt 2 minutes after the bet that i show up with the cooler. Everyone did get another round. That was the first convention i went to with my dad as an adult. I had a great time at that convention. Anyone here remember going to Downtown Disney with my dad during that convention? -Von

 

I have never heard of Van McKenzie, but he sounds like a wonderful man.
My condolences to his family and all those who knew and worked for him.

 

Von--they already beat you to this great story:

Prayers and condolences to you and your family....thanks for all the years you shared your dad with the rest of us.

 

Von I met you at that wing place Froggers, you told me about working security for the Super Bowl in Jacksonville and the Kraft family.
It was a lot of fun meeting and hanging with you and your dad that week. I will never forget when you walked into the bar area with that cooler.
It was priceless.
He really was larger than life.
My condolences to you and your family.

 

Von:

I was there that infamous day we were all out at Downtown Disney during APSE. I don't remember what club/bar we were in, but your Dad bought a round of shots for everyone and now I'm wondering that was a Bloody Brain. Whatever he bought, I'd never heard of it. First and only time I've seen Hoppes drink. That shot knocked me on my ass, and I believe that was the same night we all had cigars. Great night. Great times.

A lot is always said about what the Sentinel is or isn't. But this should prove that the staff is really a family. Closest staff I've ever been around and we all looked to Van as a father figure.

Tonight, a bunch of us are meeting at Tanq's , a watering hole in downtown Orlando. We're going to toast Van every hour, starting at 5:30 or so. Come join if you're around. Tonight would be a good time to try a synchronized Bloody Brain.