Part X: Hall of Fame

 

The Byron Blog consists of writings, photographs 

and anecdotes related to my father, 

Byron Dobell (1927-2017)  

 

 

 

Twenty-five years ago, my father, Byron Dobell, was inducted 

into the American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame. 

Also inducted were Gloria Steinem and Hugh Hefner.

 

At the awards lunch at the Waldorf-Astoria on April 29, 1998, all three gave speeches. 

I remember that Hefner started his speech by announcing to the audience, 

“It takes a lot to get me out of my pajamas.”

 

And there's a good photo of the three together (see above). 

Byron told me later that Steinem asked him to stand between her and Hefner.

 

Byron’s speech was really very funny and insightful, so I include it here:

 

“Thank you for this high honor. As a very young man, I wanted to make a 

mark in the world, to earn the respect of my peers, to win the love of women, 

to demonstrate intelligence and courage under pressure in a worthy cause. 

In other words, I wanted to be a fireman.

 

Instead, I wound up a magazine editor and gave up trying to be a hero. 

My thoughts turned to the words Henry Luce addressed to his inner circle 

when he founded Time in 1923. He told the assembled group, 

‘I’m going to make all of you very rich.’ I worked for many publishers over the years – 

including Luce himself – but those words were never spoken to me. 

I think I was absent that day.

 

Nevertheless, my years as an editor were a blessing and a joy. 

I was able to live many lives, wear many hats (though never a fireman’s). 

I wasn’t a photographer, but I edited several picture magazines 

[Popular Photography, Pageant]. 

I wasn’t a historian, but I edited magazines of history [American Heritage]. 

I wasn’t a snappy dresser, but I edited what was then considered 

the most sophisticated of men’s magazines [Esquire].

 

In the course of things, I met and marveled at movie stars, world leaders, tycoons, 

scientists, scholars, athletes, poets and assorted wise men and women and lunatics. 

I’ve never spent much time thinking about famous people I’ve known – it was, after all, 

just the nature of the business –– but, to misquote Tennyson’s Ulysses, 

“All that I have met are part of me” – 

and it was great fun.

 

Best of all, I worked in the company of such legendary editors as Sey Chassler, 

Harold Hayes, Don Erickson and Clay Felker, as well as with superb artists, 

photographers and designers. 

And, of course, I had the extraordinary luck to know many of the writers 

who are the foundation and glory of our enterprises. And their agents.

 

In all of this, there was one overriding editorial goal: to engage, 

entertain and enlighten our readers. And not to work for Rupert Murdoch 

under any circumstances.

 

Finally, I’ve been asked to share with you my list of 100 basic 

rules of editing and to take as much time as I need. But I’ll spare you 99 of them and 

skip right to rule 100, which reads: Never outstay the energy, excitement and 

imagination you bring to your job. 

Arnold Gingrich, the founding editor of Esquire, said that most chief editors 

have about five years of brilliance in them on any one magazine. 

After that they’ve usually used up all of their good stuff and it’s just more of the same. 

The only solution I’ve discovered is to move on to a new challenge before you’re 

bored or you’re found out – or both. So I’ll end by restating this rule even more plainly: 

Always leave the party while the band is still playing.  Thanks again.”

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