Legendary Detroit Newsman Neal Shine Dies

Former Detroit Free Press Publisher, Neal Shine, a legendary journalist, professor and Detroiter, has died. He was 76.

Shine died Tuesday, April 3, 2007 of respiratory failure, at Bon Secours Hospital in Grosse Pointe Michigan, with his family by his side.

Shine was the consummate newspaper man. He began his 46 yearlong career at the Detroit Free Press in 1950 as a copyboy, and rose through the ranks as a reporter, city editor, managing editor, senior managing editor, columnist and eventually ended his career - after one unsuccessful retirement in 1989 - as the newspaper's publisher in 1996.

In 1969, Shine also began a side career as a journalism instructor at the University of Detroit-Mercy. He would go on to instruct journalism students at Wayne State University, and eventually became a professor of journalism at Oakland University where he taught journalism ethics and feature writing. He served in that position until 2004, finally retiring at the age of 74.

A masterful, hilarious storyteller, in both print and in person, Shine continued working after retirement appearing at, speaking at, and planning public events, nearly right up until his death.

In his lifetime, Shine was a mentor, friend and inspiration to countless people. Many of the people he taught and touched went on to become leading journalists, broadcasters, professors, and writers in their field - including nationally recognized columnist and author Mitch Albom.

When Albom was once considering leaving Detroit, and taking a job in New York, Shine said, "it'll be bigger but it won't be better." It was enough influence. Albom stayed in Detroit.

Shine's career spanned the technological changes of the newspaper world from typewriters to computers and the digital information era. In that time, he received numerous accolades from the newspaper business. He was an integral part of the Free Press staff being awarded the Pulitzer Prize for covering the 1967 Detroit riots, received the Pierrot Award for his contributions to journalism, and was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.