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Clay Schuette FelkerAmerican journalist and editor-in-chief of magazines
Date of Birth: 02.10.1925
Country:  Slovakia |
Content:
- Clay Felker: Pioneer of New Journalism and Magazine Publishing
- Sports Journalism and Early Career
- New Journalism and Founding New York Magazine
- Legacy and Honors
- Personal Life and Death
- Posthumous Recognition
Clay Felker: Pioneer of New Journalism and Magazine Publishing
Early Life and EducationClayton "Clay" Shuett Felker was born on October 2, 1925, in Webster Groves, Missouri. His father, Carl Felker, was an editor at The Sporting News, and his mother had worked as a women's editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As a student at Duke University, Felker developed an interest in journalism and became involved with The Duke Chronicle. After graduating, he went on to establish Duke Magazine, an alumni publication where he created the position of "Clay Felker Fellow" to support aspiring journalists.
Sports Journalism and Early Career
Felker began his career as a sportswriter for Life Magazine, where his article on Casey Stengel formed the basis of his book "The Casey Stengel Story" (1961). He also contributed to the development of Sports Illustrated and worked at Esquire and TIME. In 1962, Felker joined The New York Herald Tribune, where he revitalized the Sunday section by hiring writers such as Tom Wolfe and Jimmy Breslin, establishing it as "the most topical Sunday section in metropolitan journalism."
New Journalism and Founding New York Magazine
Felker was a pioneer of New Journalism, a genre that blended journalism and literature. As the founder of New York Magazine in 1968, he played a pivotal role in the movement. New York's innovative approach to storytelling and its focus on consumerism and popular culture made it one of the most influential magazines of its time.
Legacy and Honors
Felker's contributions to journalism were widely recognized. The New York Times noted that "few journalists left as lasting an imprint on the history of journalism in the second half of the 20th century as Clay Felker," while Michael Wolff hailed him as "a revolutionist in the sense of overthrowing generations of class snobbery." In 1994, Felker became a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught a course titled "How to Make a Magazine."
Personal Life and Death
Felker married three times: to Duke University classmate Leslie Blatt (1949), actress and model Pamela Tiffin (1962), and writer Gail Sheehy. He had a daughter, Mom Sheehy, adopted from Cambodia, and a stepdaughter, Maura Sheehy Moss. Felker died of throat cancer on July 1, 2008, in Manhattan.
Posthumous Recognition
After Felker's death, the New York University Department of Journalism created the Clay Felker Visiting Professorship in Magazine Writing. In 2013, he was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame. Clay Felker's legacy continues to inspire generations of journalists and magazine editors.
