52 McGs.

Robert McG. Thomas

Among his devoted fans, his pieces were known simply as McGs. With a "genius for illuminating that sometimes ephemeral apogee in people's lives when they prove capable of generating a brightly burning spark" (Columbia Journalism Review), Robert McG. Thomas Jr. commemorated fascinating, unconventional lives with signature style and wit.The New York Times received countless letters over the years from readers moved to tears or laughter by a McG. Eschewing traditionally famous subjects, Thomas favored unsung heroes, eccentrics, and underachievers, including: Edward Lowe, the inventor of Kitty Litter ("Cat Owner's Best Friend"); Angelo Zuccotti, the bouncer at El Morocco ("Artist of the Velvet Rope"); and Kay Halle, a glamorous Cleveland department store heiress who received sixty-four marriage proposals ("An Intimate of Century's Giants"). In one of his classic obituaries, Thomas described Anton Rosenberg as a "storied sometime artist and occasional musician who embodied the Greenwich Village hipster ideal of 1950's cool to such a laid-back degree and with such determined detachment that he never amounted to much of anything." Thomas captured life's ironies and defining moments with elegance and a gift for making a sentence sing. He had an uncanny sense of the passion and personality that make each life unique, and the ability, as Joseph Epstein wrote, to "look beyond the facts and the rigid formula of the obit to touch on a deeper truth."Compiled by Chris Calhoun, one of Thomas's most dedicated readers, and with a fittingly sharp introduction from acclaimed novelist and critic Thomas Mallon, 52 McGs. will win legions of new fans to the masterful writer who transformed the obituary into an art form.

CONTENTSFOREWORDEDITOR'S NOTEDAISY ANDERSON, Widow of Former Slave and Union SoldierLEWIS J. GORIN JR., Instigator of a 1930's CrazeTED HUSTEAD, Built the Popular Wall DrugJESSE HILL FORD, a Novelist Who Wrote of Race RelationsANNE HUMMERT, Creator of Soap OperasMILTON RUBINCAM, Top GenealogistMASON RANKIN, Founded AIDS Group in UtahJOHN FULTON, Spain's First U.S. MatadorVIRGINIA MAE MORROW, Created Bridey Murphy HooplaHAL LIPSET, Private Detective with a DifferenceR.V. PATWARDHAN, Hindu Priest with New York VerveSIDNEY GROSSMAN, Entrepreneur Headed Lumber ConcernCURTIS L. CARLSON, Founder of Trading Stamp ConglomerateMINNESOTA FATS, a Real Hustler with a Pool CueJ. K. STOUT, Pioneering Judge in PennsylvaniaSIDNEY KORSHAK, Fabled Fixer for the Chicago MobFRANCINE KATZENBOGEN, Gave Cats the Lap of LuxuryNGUYEN NGOC LOAN, Executed Viet Cong PrisonerJACK BIBLO, Used Bookseller for Half a CenturyKAY HALLE, an Intimate of Century's GiantsHALLIE C. STILLWELL, a Rancher and Texas LegendMARSHALL BERGER, Linguist with a Keen Ear for an AccentPHILIP O'CONNOR, Acerbic MemoiristTOOTS BARGER, the Queen of Duckpins' Wobbly WorldEDGAR NOLLNER, Hero in EpidemicMARGUERITE YOUNG, Author and IconREV. LOUIS SAUNDERS, Buried OswaldDOUGLAS CORRIGAN, Wrong-Way Trip Was the Right Way to Celebrity as an AviatorANTON ROSENBERG, a Hipster IdealEDWARD LOWE, Cat Owners' Best FriendMAURICE SAGOFF, a Master of Terse Verses on LiteratureROBERT SAUDEK, a Pioneer of Culture on TVFRED ROSENSTIEL, Devoted His Life to Planting FlowersSYDNEY GUILAROFF, Stylist to StarsEMIL SITKA, Favorite Foil of Three StoogesFRED FELDMAN, Helicopter ReporterFRANK KURTZ, World War II HeroJ. EDWARD DAY, Postmaster Who Brought in the ZIP CodeMARIA REICHE, Keeper of an Ancient Peruvian PuzzleWALTER J. KURON, of Red Baron EraCHARLES MCCARTNEY, Known for Travels with GoatsROBERT C. JOHNSTON, EngineerANGELO ZUCCOTTI, Artist of the Velvet RopePATSY SOUTHGATE, Who Inspired 50's Literary ParisHENRY GOURDINE, Master of Fishing Skills and LoreGEORGE W. CROCKETT, Was a Civil Rights CrusaderDAVID LONGABERGER, Basket MakerMANUEL ELIZALDE, Defender of Primitive TribeDAVID LUDLUM, Weather ExpertHOWARD HIGMAN, Academic ImpresarioSADLER HAYES, Salesman of Insurance and a PartygoerMARY BANCROFT, U.S. Spy in World War IIROBERT MCG. THOMAS JR., Chronicler of Unsung Lives