Wordsmith improved editing program: Frazell retires
By Katie Eder
J Alumni News staff
The man who has set the standard for word use at the College of Journalism and Mass Communications for the past 13 years retired after commencement in May. But the standard Daryl Frazell set will continue to stand as an example to his former students and colleagues. At COJMC and throughout his career, Frazell has held himself and those around him to a high standard.
Kelli Kellogg, a graduate student at the journalism college, said the beauty of Frazell's teaching was that he allowed students to make mistakes but also made students answer for those mistakes.
"He says more with silence than anybody I know," Kellogg said.
In addition to taking his classes, Kellogg worked with Frazell as a grad assistant on The Journalist, the laboratory newspaper published by the college's advanced editing and reporting classes. She said she attributed any success she has as an editor to him.
"I can't imagine this department without Daryl Frazell," Kellogg said.
Heidi White, an assistant international editor at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in Little Rock and one of Frazell's former students, said he taught her many editing skills. She said the classes were difficult, but she felt prepared when she got to the job.
White often sought Frazell's advice for The Journalist or the Daily Nebraskan, where she worked during her college years.
"I would trust his opinion more than anyone else's," White said.
Chad Lorenz, copy editor at The Washington Post, said Frazell instilled in all willing students the disciplines of editing, including vocabulary, grammar, spelling and looking at the big picture of a story. Lorenz said he built on these skills after he began to edit professionally.
Lorenz said "The Grouch," a weekly newsletter to editing students from Frazell, pointing out mistakes, was a unique teaching tool.
"Copy editors aren't going to learn unless mistakes are pointed out," Lorenz said.
Frazell said he tried to show students what the field of editing was all about and give them a good grasp of the English language.
He said he had been an advocate for and an admirer of newspapers as long as he can remember. As a child in 1941 he remembers walking out of a movie theater in Omaha and seeing the extras from the Omaha World-Herald about the attack on Pearl Harbor. He followed the war in the papers. The next step was a natural.
"It was never a hard decision," he said of his choice to make journalism his career. Frazell earned an undergraduate degree in journalism at Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism in Evanston, Ill. He also earned the master of science in journalism at Medill, graduating with distinction. His first journalism job was as a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago. He also worked as an information specialist in the U.S. Army in Ft. Carson, Colo. He was a copy editor for The Minneapolis Star, now the Star Tribune, and The Detroit Free Press.
Frazell worked on the coverage of the Kennedy assassination when he was at the Minneapolis Star. He also worked at the desk that did all of the moon landing coverage for The New York Times and the desk that covered the Nixon resignation at the St. Petersburg Times.
"That's when it's really fun. You just get busy and do it," Frazell said.
Frazell's experience at newspapers with high standards for grammar and style prepared him to set similar standards for students.
Frazell worked for The New York Times from 1966 to 1973 as copy editor and assistant news editor. Frazell said before going to The New York Times he was not aware of the pressures of working at a large newspaper, and he had to learn very quickly.
"Most of what I know I learned at The New York Times," Frazell said.
Frazell also worked at the St. Petersburg Times from 1973 to 1990 where he was a national news editor, metropolitan news editor, perspective editor, editing coach and book editor.
Frazell's colleagues at the St. Petersburg Times also spoke of the high standard he set at the paper. Dave Gussow, now a personal technology editor at the paper, was a copy editor when Frazell was the metropolitan news editor. Gussow said "superb" was the only word he could use to describe Frazell's skill. Gussow said Frazell set the bar high for the newspaper and reinforced that standard daily.
"He wanted a well-written, well-edited and well-designed newspaper," Gussow said. Frazell's influence helped him to succeed when he replaced Frazell as metro news editor, Gussow said.
Dave Pollak, now a sports enterprise editor and hockey sports writer at the San Jose Mercury News, also worked with Frazell at the St. Petersburg copy desk. He said even if incorrect words were in common usage, Frazell didn't want them in the paper. This was a higher level of editing than Pollak had seen before. At the time some of the ideas seemed quirky, but Pollak said now they now make sense.
For instance, Frazell did not want the word "spotted" to be used to mean "saw."
"Daryl would say 'spotted?' You mean you threw ink on him?" Pollak said.
Frazell was one of Barbara Jiannetti's first bosses when she worked as a copy editor on the metro section of the St. Petersburg Times. Jiannetti, now a sports copy editor at The Tampa Tribune, said Frazell was in teaching mode even then. Frazell's editing focused on drawing readers into an article. She said he was reasoned and had a good background, which was stabilizing for the young editing staff then at the paper.
"I consider him my mentor," Jiannetti said.
While working in St. Petersburg, Frazell was also an adjunct faculty member at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, where he taught journalism and mass media courses.
Before coming to UNL, Frazell was a visiting professional at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, where he taught reporting and editing.
During his year at Kansas, Frazell found he liked teaching, and the students liked what they were receiving. Frazell applied for a position at UNL, where his high standard influenced his colleagues as well as his students.
Jack Botts, professor emeritus who interviewed Frazell when he applied at UNL, said Frazell had the best experience of those who were considered.
"Daryl was one of those people who understood the importance of using language well in newspapers," Botts said. Botts said a good editor needs to know everything there is to know and must maintain accuracy.
Frazell has written two books: "Principles of Editing," a textbook he wrote with news-editorial professor George Tuck, published in 1996 by McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., and "The ABCs of Style," a compilation of notes from "The Grouch," to be published soon as an e-book on Xlibris.com.
Frazell's colleagues said he is often quick with dry humor. Tuck said though students might initially have seen Frazell as introverted, he was really quite funny.
Tuck said he had a good time working with Frazell on "Principles of Editing." He said Frazell went over Tuck's copy and improved it.
"He is really very talented," Tuck said.
Tuck said Frazell was very professional, with a drive for excellence.
"He's done a lot to increase the editing skills of our students," Tuck said."
Frazell said an editor's job had changed in the last decade.
"It's a myth to think that its simpler; it's more difficult," Frazell said.
Editors' jobs have expanded from making news judgments and correcting grammar to include making attractive designs and knowing about picas and type and coding.
Frazell's high standard is apparent not just in his word usage but also in his life.
Kellogg said Frazell may have been the hardest teacher in the news-editorial department to get to know, but he was also the brightest and most trustworthy.
"I've told him things I wouldn't tell any other professor," Kellogg said.
Frazell said he would stay at his home near Otoe in the near future but may leave the area in the long term. He said he had no firm plans.
