Remembering Bill Woo

Sad news from Stanford yesterday that journalist and professor Bill Woo has died, at age 69. Bill and I were colleagues from 2002-2005, jointly serving as Lokey Visiting Professors teaching undergraduate and graduate journalism courses. When I arrived, Bill had already been there six years or so, and he took me under his wing.

He was unfailingly gracious and generous with his time and knowledge, helping me create course guides and learn the curriculum. We worked together closely over nine quarters; in the process we were able to establish an active website, The Cardinal Inquirer, for students to post articles to. Bill and I both also published columns there. His were invariably wise, witty and whimsical -- all at the same time.

The stereotyped journalist is hard-bitten, cynical, self-important. Bill exhibited none of those qualities. Although he had enjoyed a stellar career, and was held in high esteem by all who knew of him and his work, he was a man of unfailing modesty, integrity, and decency.

He loved teaching. He worked hard at it and he was good at it. Inside a classroom, he was one of the most thoughtful journalists a student could ever hope to meet. Outside of class, he spent hours and hours editing and grading and revising and cajoling better stories out of his students.

Many times he sauntered down the hall from his office to mine, a wry smile playing on his lips, and popped in for a chat. Sometimes he was upset, often about how a student was performing. As I listened to him worry that this student or that student was simply not performing up to their ability, and shared thoughts with him about how we might help them improve, it struck me again and again how much this man cared -- about the students and about our craft.

He cared not only in a way that made him a popular and respected teacher, but in a way that led him to always demand more of the young journalists studying with him. He knew that these are perilous times for all of us who believe in the highest standards of journalism. Many forces combine in the present era to undermine the ability of serious journalists to do great work. He held to the highest traditional standards of excellence, and expected the next generation to do so as well.

We have lost a fine and decent man who was a credit to the worlds of journalism and education. I hope Bill knew how many of us he inspired, and how much he will be missed. I count myself as among the lucky ones, for having known him, worked with him, and learned from him.