RIP to one of our own, one of our best -- Craig Stanke

Krissy, your brother isn't the only family member with writing talent. You have people crying.

 

I second that emotion. Such a beautiful tribute.

 

This part made me smile:

 

I've been super busy with my beat this week, traveling to the West Coast, etc., etc. I saw the Craig Stanke tributes on Facebook and here, but didn't make the connection until today that he was SF_Express. I never knew.

I am flabbergasted at this news. Utterly flabbergasted.

I didn't know him outside of this board, but what a great man. I respected his thoughts on journalism here probably more so than anyone else.

What I always liked was that he was never caught up in the high's and low's of the business on this site -- both in regards to newspapers and web sites, which we tend to forget, has had just as many lows as newspapers have in recent years.

What I always respected about him was that he saw that there's always going to be a place for those who can competently and artfully disseminate information. He understood that our business is evolving, it's not dying.

He also understood that we as professional journalists need to protect the standards that we have always held dear no matter how the business evolves.

And he did it all with a tone that commanded respect without being overbearing or sanctimonious. It's an amazingly hard trick to pull off, but he did it with grace.

He was the consummate professional. And in my mind, there's not a higher compliment to make about someone in our biz.

Plus, he could talk all things Wisconsin and Breaking Bad with me! I will miss that.

RIP to a wonderful man and one of SJ's best. My condolences to his family and loved ones.

 

I only knew Craig on here as SF Express and never really talked to him outside of swapping posts on here, so by no means am I as close to him as everyone else.

So I hope nobody takes this the wrong way, but I think this was the best post in the history of SportsJournalists.com.

 

Seconded. I have chills up and down my arms reading that.

Wow, what a beautiful tribute. Thank you for sharing it with us, Krissy.

 

Call it ironic considering Craig's well documented disgust with what has become of one of the newspapers he used to work at, but I call it unforgivable.

This beautifully written obituary by Craig's sister -- an obituary she worked on tirelessly into the predawn hours so as to meet the Sun-Sentinel's deadline to run in today's Sunday paper -- did NOT make it into the print edition!!! The reason, straight from Kristin's update on Craig's FB page to let everyone know:

"Apparently, the account executive assigned to take care of this today actually went home without processing the copy. Really and truly."

Kristin posted this link to the online version: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sunsentinel/obituary.aspx?n=craig-stanke&pid=157891577

Being as she is Craig's sister, Kristin has shown nothing but pure class in her reaction to this injustice -- and yes, I am calling it an injustice. I'd say the same thing even if this WASN'T an obituary for someone who actually WORKED at the Sun-Sentinel before. The powers that be over there surely will be embarrassed and will fall all over themselves in an effort to make up for the mistake, and I am sure Kristin and her family will be polite and classy in their response. But you can't turn back the clock and fix the fact that everyone Kristin told to look in Sunday's paper for the obituary and for details about the memorials picked up today's paper and found NOTHING!!!

Okay, my rant is over.

RIP Craig!

AK

 

Oh my goodness. Thank you so much. That is the best thing ever. I've been sitting around here numb for days, just numb. And that made me laugh. Out loud. Then finally cry. But really laugh, for the first time this week. Sweet Holy Jesus, can you hear him? Pulling away from the computer, leaning back in his chair, taking a deep breath, tilting his head, and then, with perfect timing and inflection, saying ...

"Well, ya know . . . I understand these things happen. But one of the few good things left about being in this business is that you're pretty much guaranTEED to get a good obit. I mean guaranTEED. And it's not like I didn't work there. I DID. I WORKED with these people. They KNOW me! Heck, I probably know the guy who left it out of the paper! No WONDER the business is where it is!"

OMG, thank you. That is such a great tribute. That's the greatest tribute ever. How fitting. We can only hope to be honored this way by the business we love.

Or as Chuckles the Clown said:

"A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down the pants."

 

Spaceman, I'm beaming here. I'm gonna keep reading your Stanke quote, because I can hear him. That's EXACTLY how he'd have said that, if he were, you know. Here to say that.

 

The Madison State Journal got it right

http://host.madison.com/news/local/obituaries/stanke-craig/article_c6ee399a-acd2-11e1-8209-001a4bcf887a.html

(AK, the Sun-Sentinel also used the wrong picture online)

Thank you, spaceman for making me laugh, too.

 

I laughed, put my hand over my mouth, and then gave myself permission to laugh again. Wow.

You couldn't make this up.