First name or last name

[Smasher_Sloan]

If it is a column and you identified the person by full name, it is acceptable to use first name only.
If you are trying to pay tribute to a close friend in a column and you refer to John Smith as Smith, instead of John, throughout the piece, it won't feel right. It will come off as impersonal.

Ditto. Go with the first name.

I presume you didn't have a petname for him, like "snookums" or "sweetie pie" ?

Schmoopy, perhaps?

No, <i>you're</i> Schmoopy.

 

[Your Huckleberry]

Rosie,

If it is a column, do what you think is best. If you want to go with the first name, do it.

What he said.

 

[Flash]

Been there, done that, Rosie. Used the gentleman's first name throughout. It sounds like you had a good relationship with the individual. Do what is right in your heart.

 

[MertWindu]

Rosie, it's difficult to answer the question without knowledge of the name. For example, if the person was extremely well-known by the first name, I'd say it could be used even though technically, an obit should refer to the person by last name. And when I say well-known by first name, only you can answer that. My best example would be Yogi Berra. If I were doing the obit, I'm sure my editor would accept a reference or two to Yogi and not just Berra.

Hope that helps.

(And no, Yogi is not dead but I did do an obit for him and a few other aging athletes before my retirement from the paper).

WHAT????? HOW COULD YOU DO THAT??? How could you write about a living person as if they were dead???? THAT'S AWFUL!!!!!!! What a disgrace to Yogi!!!!!!

[/Simmons]

Sorry, couldn't resist. Rosie, I think you did the right thing here, if using Mr. wouldn't have worked for whatever reason (and I'm really curious as to what that reason is)

 

[casty33]

Mert, I wasn't aware of it but found out that the NY Times has obits already in the computer on practically every famous person living. Just in case. That's why we did a few of them a couple of years ago. So the paper is now ready if and when Berra, Rizzuto, Ford, Steinbrenner and a few others leave us.

 

[SF_Express]

I think the first name was fine. But I'm just curious, Rosie, what is it about your place that Mr. or whatever wouldn't be allowed? A lot of papers do obits that way.

 

[Rosie]

Why "Mr." wouldn't have worked. This was not a guy referred to as "Mr." Not even by the school kids. If I would have said Mr. Smith, it would have looked extremely wrong.

SF, it wasn't an obit, just a small tribute at the end of this week's column.

Thanks again, everyone, for your input. I've enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts on this.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Mert, I wasn't aware of it but found out that the NY Times has obits already in the computer on practically every famous person living. Just in case. That's why we did a few of them a couple of years ago. So the paper is now ready if and when Berra, Rizzuto, Ford, Steinbrenner and a few others leave us.

Casty, I'm pretty sure it's when rather than if. But you never know with Yogi.

 

[JackS]

Mert, I wasn't aware of it but found out that the NY Times has obits already in the computer on practically every famous person living. Just in case. That's why we did a few of them a couple of years ago. So the paper is now ready if and when Berra, Rizzuto, Ford, Steinbrenner and a few others leave us.

Hard to believe you weren't aware of that. I actually thought it was common practice.

Here's what has happened occasionally though...an obit ends up running with a deceased person's byline.

Now *that's* freaky.

 

[Flash]

Mert, I wasn't aware of it but found out that the NY Times has obits already in the computer on practically every famous person living. Just in case. That's why we did a few of them a couple of years ago. So the paper is now ready if and when Berra, Rizzuto, Ford, Steinbrenner and a few others leave us.

Hard to believe you weren't aware of that. I actually thought it was common practice.

Here's what has happened occasionally though...an obit ends up running with a deceased person's byline.

Now *that's* freaky.

Read Basket Case by Carl Hiassen ... main character writes obits ... talks about keeping them banked ...

 

[MertWindu]

Mert, I wasn't aware of it but found out that the NY Times has obits already in the computer on practically every famous person living. Just in case. That's why we did a few of them a couple of years ago. So the paper is now ready if and when Berra, Rizzuto, Ford, Steinbrenner and a few others leave us.

Yeah, I was making a joke about that because Bill Simmons has ranted on several occasions about how shocked and angry he was when he found out the Herald had a Red Auerbach obit in the can back in the late 80's. Apparently he was so pissed that he deleted it.

 

[FishHack76]

What about "Dude?"

"I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing."