Many people know that for about a decade before joining GCSAA in 1998, I was a sportswriter at a variety of newspapers in and around the Kansas City area. And as a reformed newspaper man, I've retained a high-level of respect and fondness for some of the legends of the craft, both in the sports world and out. People like Mike Royko, Jim Murray, Dave Barry, Gary Smith, Dave Kindred.
People like Fuman Bisher, who for nearly 50 years graced the pages of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bisher finally retired earlier this month, just a few weeks shy of his 91st birthday, writing his farewell column on the same Royal typewriter that he wrote his very first column for the Journal-Constitution back in 1950.
Although he covered many sports in his career, it was in golf where he made his biggest impact. He was a fixture at Masters, U.S. Opens and PGAs, and it was at one of those events at some point in the past decade — I think it was the Masters, but I'm not sure — where I had my one and only brief interaction with Bisher. It wasn't much — I introduced myself, told him I enjoyed his work, we chatted a few minutes about golf and superintendents, then I excused myself and let him get back to work — but I've always told myself that when I got the opportunity to meet someone I greatly respected, I was going to take it. I had the opportunity to meet Furman Bisher, so I took it.
That's why I was a little saddened to hear about Bisher's retirement. Of course, he's earned it — anyone who's spent 50 years at any endeavor deserves whatever retirement has to offer them. But every time a newspaper legend like Bisher calls it a career, it's just another small hit to an industry that can't take many more hits right now. I'm sure there are writers plying their trade on the Internet who will ultimately rise to take their spots among some of the greats I mentioned before. Heck, I probably read many of those candidates myself right now. But I'm pretty sure none of them will speak to me the way Royko, Murray, Barry, Smith, Kindred and Bisher did.
To read more about Bisher's career, click here.
Comments