Joel Wells

1930 - 2001

Joel Wells, editor of ''The Critic'' magazine published by Chicago's Thomas More Association, author of ten books, and scores of parodies, book reviews, satires and articles for magazines and newspapers, died Wednesday at his home in Evanston after a long battle with cancer. He was 71. Born in Evansville, Indiana in 1930, Mr. Wells graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1952. After serving three years as a naval officer with various ships of the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets, he joined the staff of Thomas More Association, where he served as promotion director, editor of ''The Critic'' (from 1964-1985) and founding editor of the Thomas More Press, publishing some 210 books between 1970-1992. In 1967, Macmillan Co., New York, published his Grim Fairy Tales for Adults: Parodies of the Literary Lions, which was called ''the best collection of its kind since Bret Harte's Condensed Novels and other papers was published 100 years ago,'' by Robert Kirsch, editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review. Mr. Wells' other books included two titles for children, and three self-help books on teen-agers, stress and self-esteem, which sold several hundred thousand copies. His writings also appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The New Republic, Woman's Day, Commonweal, The Chicago Tribune, Publishers' Weekly, and many other newspapers and Magazines. He wrote many humor pieces and more than a hundred book reviews for various periodicals and papers. He was Lecturer, Graduate School of Library Science at Rosary College (now Dominican University) from 1964-1967, and a member of the Associate Graduate Faculty, Department of English, Loyola University, from 1987-1990. He received a Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa, from Dominican University in 1980. He served as Vice president and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Thomas More Association until the time of his death. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth, nee Hein; five children, William, Eugenia Geannopoulos, Susan Mortell, Steven and Daniel; and 12 grandchildren. A Memorial Service will be held in Evanston at Sheil Center, 2110 Sheridan Road on Saturday, March 3 at 11:00 a.m. 847-328-4648. Friends will be welcomed to share their thoughts and remembrances of Joel at the service.