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Studs Terkel

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Author

The Resume

    (May 16, 1912-October 31, 2008)
    Born in New York, New York
    Birth name was Louis Terkel
    Wrote 'Division Street: America' (1967), 'Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression' (1970), 'Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do' (1974), 'The Good War' (1984), 'Race: What Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession' (1992), 'Coming of Age: The Story of Our Century By Those Who've Lived It' (1995), 'My American Century' (1997) and 'Hope Dies Last: Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times' (2003)
    Appeared in the movie 'Eight Men Out' (1988)
    Hosted the 'Studs Terkel Show' on WMFT radio in Chicago (1952-97)

Why he might be annoying:

    After graduating from law school, he decided to become a hotel concierge.
    His trademark 'uniform' was a red and white checkered shirt, a red tie and red socks.
    He debates himself out loud.
    He said, 'I'm a Rip van Winkle. I don't know what the Internet is.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    Chicago Tribune writer Rick Kogan said of his oral histories, 'Studs shined a light on the kinds of people that most people look right through: the waitress, the truck driver.'
    He was maced while covering the 1968 Democratic convention.
    He was married to his wife Ida for 60 years until her death.
    He filed suit against AT&T to prevent the company from giving customer phone records to the NSA without a court order, saying 'Having been blacklisted from television during the McCarthy era, I know the harm of the government using private corporations to intrude into the lives of innocent Americans.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 19 Votes: 52.63% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 14 Votes: 21.43% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 20 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 86 Votes: 38.37% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 66 Votes: 33.33% Annoying