NEED TO KNOW
- Richard Burgheim, a founder editor of PEOPLE, has died at age 91
- The pioneering journalist was tapped to serve as a Senior Editor for the then-soon-to-be-launched PEOPLE years ago
- “The best thing about him was that he recognized and developed talent wherever he found it,” a former PEOPLE staffer remembered
Richard Burgheim, a founder editor of PEOPLE, has died. He was 91.
The pioneering journalist and St. Louis native died on Sunday, June 1, at Weill Cornell, according to an online obituary.
Burgheim began his career in journalism at Harvard University, where he served as sports editor of The Harvard Crimson, the Ivy League university’s student newspaper, as well as the campus stringer for the Associated Press.
He went on to become a writer for TIME magazine, where he worked for many years, and was later tapped by Richard B. Stolley, a Managing Editor, to serve as a Senior Editor for the then-soon-to-be-launched PEOPLE years ago.
PEOPLE first hit newsstands in March 1974. In the decades since, PEOPLE has grown to become the iconic brand it is known as today — expanding from a newsstand-only publication to now include digital news coverage and social media coverage, as well as a new app, among other ventures.
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Remembering Burgheim, Claudia Dowling, a former PEOPLE Senior Writer, said, “I owe my career to him.”
“The best thing about him was that he recognized and developed talent wherever he found it, whether in a copy clerk like me or a secretary,” she continued.
Andy Abrahams, a former PEOPLE Editorial Manager, met Burgheim as a fact checker at Time Inc.’s TV Cable Week magazine. He recalled, “Dick wanted us to know that we were important in the process, no matter what our station was at the magazine. He had a natural gift for striking the right tone in a story, with a keen eye towards writing and editing for a mass audience with humor and grace.”
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“He was smart, funny, barked like a seal when he laughed and was a true friend and mentor,” added Cutler Durkee, a former PEOPLE Executive Editor.
Burgheim is survived by his wife, Ricki Fulman. Donations can be made in his honor to the New York Public Library.
Read the full article here
