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Max Jennings Obituary
Memories and Condolences
for Max Jennings
104 Entries
John Sargent
November 29, 2007
I finally looked at the home page and saw this article about Max. I am very sorry. Max and I started the 1st grade together. He was a very good man.
Dick and Suzi Guckel
July 9, 2006
Dear Carol,
Suzi and I were shocked when we read in the SSCA Commodores' Bulletin of Max's death. We have fond memories of the two of you. We first met in the spring of 1998 when, due to flooding, you and Vamanos were trapped between two bridges and we shared dinner together. Each time we met, even though years apart, it was like we had just recently seen each other. We next met in 2000 at Marathon, FL when Suzi and I dinghied out of the harbor to say hello where you and Max were anchored. The last time was in 2003 in Maine at the SSCA rendezvous. Each time was wonderful to see you both and we are so sorry to hear of your tremendous loss. Our prayers are with you.
Dick and Suzi Guckel
[email protected]
Norma and Ned Benner
March 1, 2006
A year ago this winter the telephone rang late at night. It was Carol, "Max is gone," she said. Gone where? I asked, thinking that perhaps he had decided to go sailing or Rving, instead of staying in Taos, where he had just visited them. Never, for a nanosecond, did we think he was gone, gone. They had so many plans! The world seemed too small for the things Max and Carol wanted to do. They were about to start construction of the house of their dreams in Taos. He talked about their future home like a highschooler caressing the thought of his first car. Carpentry interested him and he planned to make the workshop a focal point of the new house. He envisioned creating masterpieces in wood. And hosting dozens of friends and family. He mentioned a good wine cellar and knowing Carol the greatest kitchen of all. Plans, plans. We have all been robbed of his presence and great energy, but never of his legacy. God, how we miss him!
Ann Neal Rodriguez
February 27, 2006
Dear Carol, I've just received the news about Max. I'm shocked and so saddened. I met you and Max at sea while aboard wHy...land. We spent several rich days together, so much so, I remember you both vividly--your warmth and generosity; Max's sharp wit and humor and ready recitation of poetry; both of you so friendly and welcoming and full of wonderful experiences and stories and plans. Please receive my sincerest condolences. I wish you a future that stands on the amazingly beautiful bond you and Max shared. It is a gift for me to have witnessed that bond. I don't know if you'll receive this entry, I hope you do. With admiration, Ann
Nancy Williams
November 8, 2005
I just belatedly learned about Max's death last night and was in tears writing my first try at this. I'm still trying to process. I had just spoken Max's name again among friends telling them about his influence on my career. I was a print journalism student at ASU when he encouraged me to take a week end job as a television producer in Phoenix. An unlikely turn that has led to many fulfilling years in television. I had logged onto a search engine last night to find Max to say hello after these many years. ...only to discover he is gone.
To someone I respected immensely for his uncommon intelligence, wit, humility and kindness... I'll miss you Max, and continue to think of you often.
John Thomson
September 27, 2005
Max,
I'm still trying to get used to the world without you in it, Max. That's not easy.
And I've kept that last voicemail message I got from you, just like I said I would. I play it back from time to time just to get that Classic Max experience, Carol and Jan laughing in the background.
I had a couple of bottles of wine you and Carol gave me many years ago. Had them both with Sidlo, the first one a couple months ago and the last one just the other night.
We got good and drunk and a bit weepy, with toasts to you and clanging glasses ... like a wake for a pirate.
God bless you.
Ann Shaw-Kremer
March 18, 2005
SUCCESS - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intellingent people; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
You did it Max! You made me a better person.
Cheers!
Chris Peck
March 14, 2005
I talked with Max at the end of his newspaper career about sailing, about editing, about hanging it up and moving on. He had a zest for life that was inspiring.
Chris Peck, Editor
The Commercial Appeal
Memphis
Heidi Kintzel Tenorio
March 13, 2005
Dear Carol,
I know that it has been many years since I have seen you, but when my mom told me of Max's passing I was deeply saddened. You and Max were always so kind to me. Max helped me to learn to ski and to fish. I remember fondly all of our trips to Purgatory with you, Max, Bob and Nell Evans and our family. Max was one of the best and he will be missed greatly. All my love, Heidi
Jerry Gilmer
March 9, 2005
Carol and family this is a sad time I know. I went to school with Max in Levelland Texas he was one of my best friends will miss him alot. When we were boys he would come to my house on the farm north of Levelland and we spent time taking care or the cows and driving the tractors. He spent a lot of nights on the farm and I spent the night alot of times at his house. He was a good friend and good man. We played a lot of ping-pong at his house he was good at it too. On my dads farm I helped him learn to drive a tractor we had a lot of fun doing that. Again sorry for your loss sounds like Max will be missed by a lot or fokes. May God help you thouugh this hard time God Bless You all Jerry Gilmer Levelland Texas
Melissa Fletcher Brown
March 6, 2005
Max deserves such wonderful recognition. He was inspiring. I wasn't a journalist, but I worked at the Tribune for many years in the computer department. Max always had the right comment at the right moment. I have fond memories of him...
Melissa
Barbara Morgenstern
March 5, 2005
My darling Carol and all my fellow ASU classmates from 1976,
I can offer no words of solace, as I am heartbroken by this news. However, I'll always cherish the time we spent together in Cincinnati and Dayton, via Arizona. Remember when the big tough guy held my little girl's hand at the ATP tennis tournament and bought her the largest container of ice cream a child has ever seen? Oh, Carol, I am so very sorry and I wish you G-d's grace. Love, Barbara Morgenstern, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Barbara Morgenstern
March 5, 2005
My darling Carol and all my fellow ASU classmates from 1976,
I can offer no words of solace, as I am heartbroken by this news. However, I'll always cherish the time we spent together in Cincinnati and Dayton, via Arizona. Remember when the big tough guy held my little girl's hand at the ATP tennis tournament and bought her the largest container of ice cream a child has ever seen? Oh, Carol, I am so very sorry and I wish you G-d's grace. Love, Barbara Morgenstern, Cincinnati, Ohio. tnweesfch vwer
Joe Eivens
March 4, 2005
To The Family Of Max Jennings:
Max and I became friends in Levelland, Texas in the fifth grade. We shared our lives in the First Methodist Church through MYF, and he and I sang in the church choir together for over two years. We played hundreds of games of ping-pong, and we lifted weights in his garage on many cool, summer evenings. We graduated from LHS in May '59, and we both attended South Plains College. Between my Freshman and Sophomore years, my mom died suddenly during July. Max had lost his mother several years earlier. He came to me that very evening of her death, and we rode around town for a long time. We ended up at a local drive in, eating a #2 smoked burger, his favorite, together. He spent a lot of time with me in the following months. He helped me greatly through a most difficult time in life. He and I lead the student body at SPC our Sophomore years, me as President of the Student Body, he as the Vice-President. He was in my our wedding August 31, 1962. We had great times together, and he was a wonderful friend. I recently heard these words spoken in a prayer: "Most of us will never do the big things that will make us great, but we can all do the small things with great love." Max stood tall on both of these counts! I suspect Max left us just the way he would have wanted. He went out skiing down a beautiful mountain, he had a smile on his face, and sweat on his brow. In his final minute of life, he inspired us! I loved him. I will miss him. Joe Eivens, Georgetown, Texas.
Greg Smith
March 4, 2005
Carol and all family members, please remember you cannot measure a life in years.
Few live as much as Max did. Few live as intensely, whether business or pleasure.
Max had a shot at UPI bureau chief in South America but lacked the required fluency in Spanish. He wouldn't let that stop him. Max faked out the interviewer with a bit of high school espanol and won the job. He became fluent after going there.
Max missed few opportunities at work or play. He even went scuba diving without taking lessons, a death-defying feat. I think it was in Lake Titicaca.
The Jennings legacy is clear: read all the postings here thanking him for his teachings in classrooms and newsrooms.
He inspired many young reporters to make a splash by going for the jugular -- yet being fair.
Go after the administration's misdeeds, he urged staffers at the Arizona State campus paper while serving as its faculty advisor. We did, and before long the administration went after Max. His removal said it all.
Although I left journalism 23 years ago after working for my former prof -- he was strong-headed like myself -- I only today realized I never gave him credit for his tales of llamas, rainforests and Machu Picchu that helped prod me toward my eventual career of importing from exotic lands. Thanks, Max.
Stan Smith
March 4, 2005
Dear Carol,
Just as you and Max were such a comfort to me when I suffered my recent loss, I hope Doris and I can help you during this difficult time. This is such a great loss for all of us, for no one could have better personified the expression "bigger than life" than Max. Wherever he went, whatever he did, all were aware of his presence. It made its mark on all of us, and made this a better world.
May the winds of Heaven blow fair and steady for Max, and bring you comfort as well. Remember, all of the Smith family is your family, and we are here for you.
Love, Stan
Doris Ann Smith
March 3, 2005
Dear Carol, I knew for a very short time but that is all it took. I married into the circle of friends that surrounded Max and he accepted and showered me with his humor, many jokes, smiles, wisdom and hugs because...well, just because that was Max. I am blessed for having known him and you. Thank you for letting me be part of your lives.
Doris Ann
Jeannine Watson
March 3, 2005
My deepest sympathy to Max's family.
I knew Max when he was in high school in Levelland, TX. Max kept things lively in MYF and school activities. He was a "mover and shaker" even as a teenager.
Wow, what a great life Max built from his West Texas beginning--and what an influence and inspiration he has been for so many others.
Lubbock was in his rear-view mirror-- and look where he went!
Vaya con dios, amigo.
carolyn hoover
March 2, 2005
Dear Carol,
I have delayed this entry thinking how I could even begin to express my saddness about Max's untimely death and your loss. You two were the perfect couple and enjoyed life and each other to the fullest. I have thought back to many conversations with Max both professional and personal and will never forget the laughs and advice he offered. When my son moved to Wyoming to teach at the University of Wyoming Max was as thrilled as if he were heading back out there. He shared many of his favorite places and experiences some of which we took in just because Max suggested doing it when we visited. He always had an interest in not only his staff but our families as if they were his. You were an encouragement to all of us women who longed to be able to entertain and cook as you did. You truly are a master and together you and Max knew how to make everyone very at home and welcome. I loved each e-mail message while you were traveling and expecially enjoyed your adventures in Lima, etc. I went through some old DDN things I hung on to after retirement and there was Max's head on a stick which we all filled the room with one day at a news' meeting. The grin and sparkle in his eyes brought back so many memories.
Thank you for the memories you created in my mind and heart and the good times. I will keep you in my prayers as you struggle with life without Max. Remember he loved you dearly and no one can deny that.
Jim Boardman
March 2, 2005
Dear Carol,
I'll miss Max terribly...
Max, you were fun.
love,
Jim Boardman
Jeremiah Glass
March 2, 2005
Dear Carol,
There are no words so eloquent that could encompass my impression of Max, as I saw only a little. But, that short month was enough to learn that he was an ornery, intelligent, crafty, Lord of the Barbeque kind of character who brazenly forged new frontiers in the corn recipe industry and loved you dearly. I’m sure that many could expound upon his virtues and the more indelible idiosyncrasies that made him the man he is remembered as far better than I, so I’ll leave the floor to them and head out saying, “I’m glad I got to meet him and gladder still that I met him when he was with you.” All my best to you Carol, you’re well worth it.
Darrell Jordan
March 1, 2005
Carol,
What a saddening way to become re-introduced after so many years. I can only speak from my heart regarding Max and knowing you two were soo much in love. Everything about Max seemed without doubt, above and beyond. Hence,God is thrilled to welcome Max. In our selfish way we wish he were still with us in person. For now, in spirit and in memories he will continue to live.I see from the guest book so many friends are coming forward. That says so much about how you and Max have influenced folks throughout the counry and over the years. What a legacy for a loved one to leave with you; never to be alone. Carol, I am so sorry for you and the family. We are a long way from the Ol' SRP days and nights of floods and in keeping the valley folks safe. As you recall, the burden was all on our shoulders :). It is so very obvious that you have a many many friends to catch up with. If time allows when you and the family are passing through the old valley, it would be great to speak with you. With my deepest condolences and most sincere sympathy, An SRP friend... Darrell
Elly Foote
March 1, 2005
We met but once, in Lima, Peru, 1970. Nathan and I were living on horseback, riding up the Americas. You captured the essence of our life journey then for UPI and when our own story of "Riding Into the Wind" was ready to be told, a quote of yours was embossed on the cover.
You told us our indomitable search for freedom had influenced your own life choices and it was good to reconnect all those many years later and to know that you had been living other life options, which compliment ours.
It would have been great to make that sail together. But maybe we already have.
Elly and Nathan Foote
Sean Shepherd
February 28, 2005
Max will be dearly missed, his smile and inspiring brilliance will live on forever.
Harry and Sally Graubarth
February 28, 2005
Dear Carol:
Your email brought surprise, sorrow and memories to us. We have spent the past few days thinking of the hours we spent with you and Max during the past 13 years. We will never forget the time before we left Dayton when we discussed wine, politics, history and humor until the wee hours of the morning. Then what a thrill it was to see your "leviathan" arrive at our front door in Taos on two occasions. We knew the time we spent with you two would be filled with friendship and intellect. We hold these memories dear to our hearts. We send you our love and we will lift a glass in celebration of Max's life! Please come and visit us in Florida. We love you. Harry and Sally
Tom & Sue Murphy
February 28, 2005
Carol,
Travel on the waterways of the east coast wiil not be the same without looking forward to our reoccurring unplanned meets. You at the helm, Paco protecting the gang plank and Admiral Max at the bow pointing the way. The congenial warm ambiance, fine dining experiences and lively conversations in your salon are of what life time memories are made.
All our love and prayers.
Mark Roden
February 28, 2005
Max was a professor at ASU when I first moved to Arizona as an aspiring journalism major in 1977. I only had one semester to experience Max's style and humor, but I have quoted him - and told people about his views on the media in general - dozens, if not hundreds of times since then. Not many professors back then cared about their students, but Max did...and it showed.
Max didn't know me, wouldn't have remembered me, and hasn't spoken to me for almost 30 years, but he impacted my life every single day since then. For that, I will always be grateful.
God bless his family at this most difficult time.
Mark Roden
Bill Norman
February 27, 2005
I have to try this again. Censors shot me down on the first try. Max and I met at ASU. He was faculty advisor and I was editor of the student newspaper. I made martinis in the photo lab. Max liked martinis. We became roommates in his 4-BR townhouse after we both divorced.
We backpacked the Superstitions; tubed the Salt; motorhomed the Pacific Coast Highway; shot trap; cut wood; hunted deer; cruised Apache Lake, albeit decidedly listing to port, on the Javelina Jilton; sneakily fired our BB guns at our friend Bob's pool cleaner; sat high on the highest peak in Rocky Point with our girls at sundown; fired Max's speargun at the neighbor's cat; drag-raced our two British sports cars; bought cheap wine by the large lot; skied snow into the other guy's face; and had a mutual love of chess and the play of language. He was finest kind...guy with whom you'd do the river. His match up with CJ was the best. Can't say much more without cryin'.
Jim Richardson
February 27, 2005
That I hadn't seen Max since our college days at Texas Tech, yet kept in touch says something about the man. It was easy to reconnect online after years — yea, decades — of not seeing him. He wasn't someone you forget. I never saw him after the early 1960s, but I knew where he was and what he was doing. I ran across a LOT of people who either worked for him or knew him from his industry activities. My best guess is that he's working some angle of news right now. You go, Max.
Shelly Tyler
February 26, 2005
July 4 2004 at the St.Petersburg Marina in Florida. You and Max invited me over for the holiday celebration aboard your 45 foot catamaran. As soon as I stepped on board you made me feel like we had been friends forever. You busy making something wonderful in the galley and Max asking questions about his computer. Watching the fireworks and playing music on our guitars. It is a thought that enters my mind every 4th of July that passses by. Carol you are in my prayers and thoughts. Shelly and Foster pup @the St.Pete marina
Linda Monroe
February 25, 2005
Max, along with John Thomson, gave me a chance to better myself professionally when not many other people thought I was worth it. Not many people have that kind of faith. He did. Thank you, Max!
Peggy Davenport
February 24, 2005
Hi I am one of Max's cousins Peggy from Dallas. My mother is Kathrine Davenport. We were very fond of Max. When his father Garland was alive was when I spent most of my time with Max and Carol Wad.Max and Carol and my family shared many fun times times, Adiele speaks of them so very often and so very highly. Max will be missed very much and was loved so very much. Carol you keep up the good Jenning's smile I remember so well.
Love Peggy and the Davenport
family
Norma Benner
February 24, 2005
Dearest, dearest Carol--I am still attempting to process the death of Max Jennings, that kind, gentle man who also happened to be our dearest friend and your loving husband.
Millions of thoughts come to mind of the 36 years that our friendshiip lasted, from the first meeting at the UPI bureau in Lima to our mini-reunion in Taos last month. Waves of sadness envelop me as I recall your visit to El Salvador; his hammocking away the days reading Katharyn Graham's bio and sipping wine, our visit to the transvestite chef, our days in Guatemala. What fun, how joyous, what a pleasure to hang out with dear friends. From all these momories, there's one particular image imprinted in my mind and that is the one of the two of you waving goodbye at the front door of the house you rented in Taos. That was only three weeks ago. When we said goodbye, he gave me the tightest of hugs and said, "I love you, kiddo." "I love you more," I said, meaning every single one of those 12 letters. And I did. I loved Max the day I met him. I loved working with him. I loved being his friend. I loved that he had found someone as lovely as you--someone who gave so much happiness to his life. HOw fortunate that you were together day and night for the past 6 years. I am sure that you got into each other's nerves at times, but you also were embedded into each other's souls. It must give you a measure of peace to know you made him so happy. I loved Max 30 years ago, I love him today and I will love him forever. Peace, darling. I love you. Norma
Shirley Baker
February 24, 2005
Stunned is the only way to describe my feelings when I heard Max was gone. He was a very special man and a very dear friend.
I had the pleasure of being administrative assistant to Max the first year he was in Dayton. He arrived well ahead of Carol and Jason and he was like a fish out of water without them. Every day, he would come into the office and count down the days left until his precious family would join him.
Max was a devoted husband and father, that was one of the first things I learned about him. Next, I learned of his passion for his profession. The third thing I learned about Max was his incredible sense of humor. We all had to get used to his newsroom pranks such as his gun that shot ping pong balls across the newsroom.
After his first year, I was promoted to Editorial Financial Manager but still worked closely with Max until his retirement. The day he came to my office to tell me of his impending retirement, we both cried, Max cried a little and I cried a lot. He said he had just been given a clean bill of health from his doctor and wanted to retire while he was still young enough to enjoy all the things he and Carol dreamed of doing. Their plan was to sell all their belongings, buy a boat and an RV and see the world. He dreamed of watching sunsets from the boat with a drink in one hand and his beautiful Carol by his side. Of course, they did exactly that.
Few people get the chance to live out their dreams. Max was fortunate enough to get that chance, but it ended way too soon.
Carol, John and Jason, he loved you so much and he was very proud of you. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
Janie Hill
February 24, 2005
Carol, Jason, John
Just a short note to say, "we love you all".
For those of you reading who do not recognize my name, Max was my cousin. I am Addiele and Garland's neice and I know I can speak for my family in saying how much we all loved Max. I am very fortunate that in the last few years I had the pleasure of sharing my home for a short while on a Sunday afternoon with Max and Carol Ann. We had such a wonderful visit and it will remain a special memory. I would also tell you how very, very proud Addiele has always been of her two boys (Max and Carol Wade). She speaks so often of "the boys" and their wonderful families. Consequently, all my life I have known that "MAX JENNINGS WAS A VERY SPECIAL MAN".
Our hearts are with you,
Janie Hill and Family
CHARI REYNOLDS
February 23, 2005
DEAR CAROL,
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT OUR FAMILY IF PRAYING FOR YOU DURING THIS TIME. I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR KINDESS THAT BOTH YOU AND MAX EXTENDED TO US THE FEW TIMES WE WERE HONORED TO BE YOUR GUESTS AT FAMILY FUNCTIONS. ALTHOUGH I AM MORE A REALTIVE OF ERIC IT IS SO HEART WARMING HOW THAT SIMPLY DID NOT MATTER, AND WE WERE WELCOMED IN AS ONE OF YOUR OWN.
WHAT A THRILLING LIFE YOU BOTH LEAD, SO MANY WONDERFUL MEMORIES. I AM SURE MAX'S LOVE FOR YOU AND FAMILY WILL REACH ACROSS TIME AND EASE YOUR HEARTACHE. OUR DEEPEST SYMPATHY.
WADE AND CHARI REYNOLS
bob cole
February 23, 2005
Max and i have been friends all our life.Buddies in high school,roommates in college for a while. my 91 year old mom was saddened to,her comment was 'Max and you boys would eat everything in the house and i loved it! Max is a great man and i miss him.
Joe McGowan
February 23, 2005
Dear Carol:
I want to extend my deepest sympathies to you on the loss of Max.
As you know, Max and I were competitors in South America when he was based in Lima for UPI and I for AP. But we had great times together including a memorable lunch on sopa criolla at a sidewalk restaurant in downtown Lima.
The ruling generals frowned on the foreign press and did everything they could to make our job difficult. But Max tolerated all of the obstacles and did his job. He offered support when the government had me arrested and expelled.
He left us much too early.
Sincerely, [email protected]
Kellye Serrano
February 23, 2005
"Just Max" I'm Max's mom. I don't have to tell you have much I loved and admired Max Jennings, I named my only child after him. Of course, in his own self deprecating style he would brush it off and say "you just like the name". I would laugh and concur but add, knowing you didn't discourage me either. So on March 28th 1993 our family had two Maxes. Ours isn't a Maxwell or Maximilian, it's "just Max". The comparisons began. We had "Big Max" and "little Max", Tall Max and short Max, greater Max and lesser Max, Mister Max and master Max, Max major and Max minor, but my favorite was Uncle Max and baby Max. During Max's retirement, Unckie Max (as Max called him) and Baby Max sailed, snorkeled and fished the Keys, the Bahamas, and Maine. Baby Max even caught some fish! They shared many misadventures as we toured NYC, Washington DC, Boston, and our grand tour of Italy. We had the best of times to treasure forever, but for right now I am so broken hearted at having "Just Max".
Rich Robertson
February 23, 2005
As city editor of The Republic, I had the privilege of competing with (not against) Max during the so-called Mecham years. Our respective teams of reporters were better for the vigorous slugfest. It was a two-paper town for a brief moment. I also had the honor of serving with him on the First Amendment Coalition, which is a testament to his vision of the greater good. He is missed already.
Sharon & Roland Dendy
February 23, 2005
Carol, we were shocked to get your email about Max & our hearts ache for you. Hopefully we will get to see you while you are in the Phx area. Although we didn't know Max that well we have known & loved you since 1962 & your sisters, your mom & dad & Geneieve & Judd. So we have quite a long history with the Tricketts. We pray that you will receive the strength for the coming days, months, etc.
Love, Sharon & Roland
Warren Hyland
February 23, 2005
Dear Carol,
We skied together just a couple of weeks ago in Taos. Never, never would have guessed it was going to be our last run. I'll miss his tricks and ribbing and remember a lot of fun times on the water and in the mountains. He was a great guy and you had a great life together. Sorry he is gone. Hugs wHy...land
Jose Catalan
February 23, 2005
Max was my teacher and advisor at ASU (Arizona State University). When he taught, he made me feel like I was the only person in class, answering every question with a smile, even when later I learned it was a silly question.
After he moved from Arizona Max and Carol stayed in touch with funny (and exciting) Christmas cards and emails.
He will be missed by many of his admirers in and out of class.
Scott Porter
February 23, 2005
Dear Carol,
Garla and I offer our condolences for your loss. Max was “bigger than life” and a great influence on my career. We worked together at the Mesa Tribune in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Though it has been many years, it seems like yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Jane Anderson
February 23, 2005
We are thinking of you and sorry for your loss.
Jane Anderson
Germaine Cabe
February 22, 2005
Dearest Carol and Family,
I had the pleasure of working as Max's Executive Assistant in the 80's and I see many of the reporters' tributes posted now...the "gang" I worked with for a few years. Max was the toughest boss I ever worked for, but I learned the most from him. He MADE you stretch, whether you wanted to or not. I can still picture him literally rolling up his sleeves and marshalling the newsroom to put out a special section about the Challenger explosion...and what a great job they did! His lifestyle of adventure and passion was something I'd only read about in action novels and I marvelled at how one person could accomplish so much in one lifetime. Carol, when he talked about you, his whole Being lit up and I remember helping him shop for that gorgeous fur coat he gave you one winter. You are true soulmates like I've never seen before. I'm so glad we have stayed in touch all these years. Max is only a thin veil away and I know he'll be in constant touch with you...your beautiful relationship is eternal. Earth has lost a brilliant visionary, a leader extraordinaire, but Heaven has gained one heckuva Super Nova!
Love and Hugs,
Ben Winton
February 22, 2005
Max was one of only two or possibly three mentors who also had faith and vision, in both me as a human being and a reporter and the larger communities we served as journalists. I still don't know exactly what he saw in me -- at the time an engineering school dropout-turned-journalist. But, like D'Anna and others, he gave me more than my share of breaks -- hiring me back to the Tribune twice, too! He taught everyone he met valuable life lessons. Mine was to have faith in myself, like he did in me. I miss you, Max. I should have called you more often in Dayton.
Jerry Porter
February 22, 2005
Max Jennings was my academic advisor and professor while I was a journalism student at ASU in the mid-1970s. He helped me to land a vacation-replacement job at The Associated Press during my senior year. Later, he directed me to my first full-time reporting position at a small daily paper on the cold, windy northeastern Colorado prairie. I worked 80-hour weeks writing news, sports and features and taking my own photos. I’ve often wondered whether that tip was a favor or a curse, but I knew I was there because of Max!
I worked in the newspaper business for four years and have been in the public-relations field for almost 25 years. During those year, I’ve never written a story, letter, speech, etc., without thinking, “How would Max have written this?” Even now, I’m wondering how he might edit this tribute. That’s influence – the kind that shapes a career and life. Thanks, Max! I’ll always remember you!
Bud Smith
February 21, 2005
May the Lord be with the Jennings family. God bless!
Marie Dillon
February 21, 2005
Lessons from the Old Pro:
When we were all youngsters at the Mesa Tribune, Max came up with a system for the staff to critique the paper. A photographer might critique the Monday paper, a sportswriter would do Tuesday, a copy editor would do Wednesday, etc. The idea was to get a lot of different perspectives. I was assigned a month of Sundays. This was in the days before email, so on Monday mornings I would type up my brilliant opinions, make 30 copies and stick one in everyone’s mailbox. One day Max stuck his copy back in my mailbox with a note across the top: "Dillon," it said, "I don’t agree with many of these, but they are excellent."
That kind of took me by surprise. The idea that someone who did not share my views could somehow still find them excellent was a new concept to me. If one of us (me) was right, didn’t one of us (him) have to be wrong? What Max was saying was, there’s more than one right answer.
I embraced this lesson because it suited my purposes. Trust your gut, it seemed to say. Don’t let other people do your thinking for you. Don’t let some editor change your lede just because he would have written it another way. Speak up! Fight back! No problem.
But the flip side of that message is harder to swallow, even 25 years later. Maybe I shouldn’t change some reporter’s lede just because I would have written it another way. The copy desk might possibly have a good question now and then. My son’s teacher might actually have a point. My husband might actually have a point. My mother was right about everything all along.
A point of view that doesn’t match my own might somehow still be excellent.
You were right, Max. There, I said it.
This is a terrible loss for us all. Carol, John, Jason (and Paco) – my heart goes out to you.
Mike Padgett
February 21, 2005
Carol, I know I've already had my turn at the podium here, but thinking about my apprenticeship with Max and reading the recollections of colleagues and others is bringing back so many great memories.
An attorney called Max one time and threatened to sue over one of my stories. I didn't hear Max's response, but he told me later he wasn't worried. The attorney never called again.
Max and I didn't always agree, but he was one of the rare editors who could rip your copy, and you'd feel good about it because he usually was right and you knew he cared.
I remember the time he gathered a few of us in a Tempe hotel room to write a package of stories about a coach's treatment of a football player.
There were the times, after we won press club awards, when Max would congratulate us and at the same time ask something like, "So what are you going to write for me tomorrow?"
Max's advice and counsel and support and friendship in those years in Mesa were gold. They still are.
Christia Gibbons
February 21, 2005
Carol, you and Max were always favorites of my parents — Louise and Frank Johnson. I heard of many fun times you all shared at various newspaper conventions. My mother and I are so sorry for your loss.
The world is losing too many good journalists.
Keri Guten Cohen
February 21, 2005
Dear Carol and Family;
As Texans in the Dayton Daily News newsroom, Max and I already had a special bond. But we became even closer after the birth of my first child.
As a breast-feeding mom, I needed a private place to pump my breast milk while at work. Max graciously gave up his well-appointed office twice a day -- mostly during news meetings. He'd leave with a grin, then I'd lock the door, turn on "Oprah" and hit it with both barrels (so to speak). By the time he returned, I'd placed a nearly full bottle of milk in his little refrigerator.
He loved being able to show what a forward-thinking man he was. He told me that when he served coffee to guests in his office, he offered them a choice of skim milk, cream or ... mother's milk!
As an editor, he always challenged me to challenge myself. He encouraged a temporary job swap from my normal job as assistant Features editor to interim business editor. What he didn't know was that it would happen during one of the biggest GM strikes in history -- all based in Dayton when 3,000 UAW workers walked out for 17 days in 1996, and nearly crippled the auto maker.
We often out-reported the big boys in town, like the Wall Street Journal. I felt out of my element, but Max was encouraging, supportive and challenging. I learned a lot and felt great about what we accomplished.
Yes, Max could be annoying, but what came through loud and clear was his undying love of journalism, the kind that has the power to make a difference in people's lives. He definitely made a difference in mine.
Carol, I loved living vicariously through your e-mails during your travels. I'm so glad you had the time to enjoy each other fully.
My condolences to you all. You are in my thoughts.
Keri Guten Cohen (West Bloomfield, MI)
Caroline John
February 21, 2005
I just heard the news this afternoon--some of my collagues are not as good reporters as Max would have liked! Carol, I am so saddended by the news. You and Max were so kind to me when the kids and I moved to Mesa in the mid 80's. You opened your home, your hearts, and served up your marvelous meals. I will always be grateful to you both for your thoughtfulness. Max was a wonderful and challenging editor; he made my days brighter as we fought our Phoenix competitor with such newsroom vigor. I am glad you have enjoyed the last few years together with travels and your many friends. I will be thinking of you and your sons often. Fondly, Caroline
maren bingham
February 21, 2005
After the first day of Max's reporting class, I went home and told my husband I was going to change majors. But I perservered. I am so glad I did because it gave me the opportunity to know an incredible man who was all about the journey. He influenced so many lives, among them mine, and I feel blessed to have spent time with him. My condolences to everyone who loved him, but most of all to Carol, John and Jason.
Eddie Burns
February 21, 2005
Carol,
Ann and I both offer our sincerest condolences. I'll always remember Max's zest for life and his passion for the newsroom.
You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Phil Alvidrez
February 21, 2005
Reading Max's guest book is like looking through a who's who of careers he helped launch. I credit Max with helping me start a 30-year TV career---with a print reporting class at ASU. Broadcast or newspaper, everyone had to pass a basic print newswriting class back then. I had the luck to draw Max as a teacher. Each day we would write, and then he'd put our stories up on the overhead projector for the entire class to "critique." Piranhas at feeding time come to mind. Max loved it, and we learned from it. He taught me to write . . . right. For that and for his friendship and enthusiasm and inspiration, I will always be grateful. Max, we were lucky to know you!
Joe Quigley
February 21, 2005
I was Mesa's Police Chief while
Max was Editor....Great to work with
and very professional.
Roger Ridey
February 20, 2005
I studied under Max at ASU, then he gave me my first job in journalism, at the Mesa Tribune, where the real education began. When I was news editor at the Tribune, every morning I'd come in to find a copy of that day's paper in my mailbox, with every mistake, from a missing comma to a missing fact, circled in red ink. I hated it, but I learned from it. Max is gone, but he leaves behind a generation of journalists through whom his uncompromising pursuit of the truth lives on.
Bob Petrie
February 20, 2005
The huge number of former ASU and newspaper colleagues who have left stories and remembrances about Max speaks volumes to the tremendous respect and love they have for the man, and how he touched their personal and professional lives. I remember the day in February 1984 when I notified the Mesa Tribune that I was taking a job at the Phoenix Gazette. Around noon, I was walking toward the employee door at the Trib and here was Max, suddenly going to his knees on the sidewalk, begging, "Please, don't leave us!" I guess it was his way of telling me that he thought I turned out OK as a journalist, after all. I was thrilled to have worked for him.
What shocking news about his death! My deepest sympathy to his family.
Art Moore
February 20, 2005
I was fortunate enough to be part of the group that Max inspired at ASU, then hired at the Tribune. He was always pushing us to be better; when I screwed up, he let me know about it, but he always stood behind us. He could drive us nuts (there was always plenty to grouse about at those guild meetings at the Dirty Drummer) but looking back, we did some truly remarkable things at the Tribune under his leadership. The years I spent at the Tribune, working with the great group of people he hired, taking on the beast downtown (and whipping them more often than not) remain the best ones of my professional life. Max, thank you for giving me that opportunity.
Bob Yoho
February 20, 2005
Carol, John and Jason
I am so sorry for your loss. I really appreciated knowing Max. I respected his newspapering and his ethics. I worked with a lot of people in the business, and he is in the top of my list, alongside an old publisher of mine who was a reporter for William Allen White of the Emporia Gazette in Kansas. There are very few people who have had an impact on my life. He was tough but fair. He made you work your hardest and made sure you had the story right. He had great news judgment.I remember one staff meeting where he chewed us out for playing a great human interest story on Page 3. It should have been Page One. He also was a great man, and I enjoyed being around him. He was a real character. He had a rich life and knew how to live it, whioh I envy — boating off Florida, skiing (I don't know how to) at Taos (By the way, I love Taos), fishing in Costa Rica. I am thankful that I got to know him. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I will see you at the party. Bob Yoho
Tim Koors
February 19, 2005
God, Max really pissed me off!
I was an Arizona State University Criminal Justice student in 1976 and was working at the Scottsdale Progress as a photographer....putting myself through school the old fashioned way...by working. I wanted to go into law enforcement when I graduated. But I had to take other classes besides law enforcement classes. So I took one journalism class and Max was the instructor.
On my third class, Max started talking about photojournalism and how pictures can be manipulated or set up. To my surprise he held up the front page of the Scottsdale Progress, which had a photograph I had taken on it of a kitten poking it's head out of a pocket of a pool table. (The kitten would chase the balls across the table and go down the pockets.) He held it up and showed it to the whole classroom and said, "You don't think this picture was set up?" Max didn't know who I was. I raised my hand...and I was REALLY pissed, because I knew the picture wasn't set up!
It took me 1 1/2 rolls of film to get that picture 'cause the freaking cat moved so fast!
So I introduced myself to Max as the guy who made the photograph that he was holding up. That probably took him by surprise... Anyway, I promised to bring the negatives (at our next class meeting)of everything I shot of the cat) and they would prove that the photo wasn't set up. So I did and he apologized to me in front of the class for using that photograph as an example.THEN he asked if I thought all photographs were legit and not set up. All I could say was.... "Um,no." He was teaching me the whole time. Maybe he made a mistake by using my picture as an example, but he taught us all about what ethics in journalism and photojournalism really mean.
I still use what I learned in Max's class to this day. This year will be my 28th year as a photographer for the Arizona Republic. God's speed Max.
David Easterly
February 19, 2005
Max had grit and a wonderful lopsided grin that would almost burn you with so much warmth. His enthusiasm and the joy he took from work well done made him a special Cox editor and a very sepcial guy.
I'm so glad he took the early retirement and got in those good years on the boat.
Carol, you have my sympathy and are in my thoughts and prayers right now.
de
Kym Fox
February 19, 2005
Max brought so many of us together at the Mesa Tribune so long ago. We were invincible, or at least we thought so, in great part because we had Max Jennings standing behind us, forcing us to be better journalists than we ever thought possible. He raised us up and then sent us off to practice the craft all across the country. We are everywhere - Arizona, California, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois and more. We are reporters, editors, photographers, artists, copy editors and professors. In passing, Max is bringing us together again. What a gift! Thanks Max. We'll miss you.
Kym Fox (Mesa Tribune class of 1980-85)
Texas State University-San Marcos
John Thomson
February 19, 2005
Forgive me for sharing this worn-out old story one more time. But it was classic Max.
I was hired by Max and Steve Sidlo in Dayton as a senior editor in 1989 when I was working in New York. But in the middle of the hiring process I got an opportunity to go to the New York Times in a graphics position rather than go through with heading for Dayton.
When I called to tell Max, he paused, then said: "Just ask yourself, John. Do you want to spend the rest of your life doing one-column bar charts for the New York Times, or do you want to come to Dayton and help me change the face of journalism!!"
Blown away by his chutzpa, I fell for it.
In my last opportunity to see Max during one of his recent visits to Dayton, I got a message on my phone one day. "Thomson! Just tell me one thing! Do you want to waste your *#@X! life working for the *#@X! New York Times?! Or do you want to help me change the face of journalism!!"
I’ve continuously saved that message since then, listening to it sometimes just to cheer myself up. Now I’ll keep it forever.
The only thing better than Max’s fierce brand of journalism was his magnificent choice of a partner, Carol. I’m so sorry about your loss, Carol. But you and Max and Paco sure packed the world full of memories for all of us while you could.
God bless you.
Karina Bland
February 19, 2005
Max Jennings hired me straight out of college to work at the Mesa Tribune when the generally accepted thinking was not to hire kids straight out of college. I promised never to let him down. He told me, "Never let yourself down." It's an edict I carry through life, professionally and personally. My deepest sympathies, Carol.
Larry Lopez
February 19, 2005
Max's influence extended far beyond the papers he edited. As a statehouse reporter for the ever-fearful AP in Phoenix, I was grateful for the backbone that Max encouraged in others and the oxygen that he supplied. He created space for critical coverage not just in the pages of his newspapers (although we were grateful for that, too) but also, in a broader sense, in the marketplace of ideas.
John D'Anna
February 19, 2005
Max hired me -- twice. He gave me my first job in journalism, which I quit a couple of years later to go work for the Oakland Tribune. Then he hired me back a year later for my first editing job, but not without considerable grief about how dumb I was for leaving in the first place. I made the mistake of asking why he hired me back if I was so dumb. His reply? Even a grizzled old editor could spot a charity case.
That was Max. He could inspire you and infuriate you, almost in the same breath. And you always felt that hot breath (with an occasional dose of spit) exhorting you to go deeper, get the story and write the hell out of it. And when you'd gotten the story and written the hell out of it, he always stood behind you, no matter how big or powerful the foe.
"You want to sue us?" I heard him say once, concerning a story I'd written. "It's your money. Waste it if you want to because you obviously don't know anything about libel law in Arizona." He was talking to a plaintiff's attorney at the time.
A couple of years ago, I took my young son to meet Max and Carol when their travels took them through Phoenix. Seeing Max get so excited about playing with a six-year-old showed me a tender side that I always suspected was there. And it hit me -- Max always approached life like a kid. Always. There wasn't enough time in the day to have it any other way. Yet another lesson learned at the feet of the master.
If I had to sum up Max in one word it would be "huevos." He had the biggest and brassiest pair of anybody I've ever known. And if Max is reading this up in that newsroom in the sky, he's probably saying, "Damn it, D'Anna. You buried the lede again."
George Flynn
February 19, 2005
Max was so full of idea and energy that he'd wear you out in a simple conversation. And no matter how busy he was, he'd never say "no" to any request for his ear or for assistance. He appeared as a guess several times in my classes at ASU and opened the print shop of the Mesa Trib to any publishing project associated with the the unversity.
And he died skiing -- that's Max!
Larry Kidd
February 19, 2005
We'll miss his free spirit.
Mike Padgett
February 19, 2005
We have lost a great gladiator. Max truly was larger than life, right out of the movie, “The Front Page.”
Max will be missed by those who worked with him and whom he cheered to give 110 percent of their best every day.
He will be missed by the newspaper industry because he carried the torch for truth.
I worked for Max in Mesa from 1979 until I went to The Phoenix Gazette in 1987. I have worked with many good editors, but none like Max.
Every day, he was the ultimate idea man, firing off suggestions for stories and second-day suggestions for breaking stories.
His enthusiasm for a good yarn was infectious, and it helped every reporter who shared his love for the work. He had his frustrations, like the rest of us, and he worked around them and moved on.
I have this image of Max standing behind reporters, pushing them to do their best, to grow by reaching beyond their personal limits to create exciting word pictures.
I remember the times, as photographer Don Stevenson and I raced to the scene of breaking news, Max personally called us on our radios. That was before cell phones. He wanted to know how we were doing, if we needed help, and if he could call anyone else for comments about the situation. He was in charge back at the newsroom, but his spirit was shoulder to shoulder with us at the scene, where news was happening.
Max remains with us.
Mike Padgett
The Phoenix Business Journal
Mike Tulumello
February 19, 2005
My first memory of Max is when he recruited me -- much like a college football coach -- to come from McClintock High School in Tempe to ASU.
My most vivid memory is Max walking into the newsroom at the State Press and the Tribune and yelling, "LET'S GET THIS FISH WRAPPER OUT!"
Max was a terrific journalist, an inspirational leader and a character in a business that doesn't have so many of them any more.
Jim Ripley
February 18, 2005
Max was my editor when I was metro (local news) editor in Dayton, Ohio, in the 80s. He loved to talk about Mesa and the Mesa Tribune. And then one day in 1992 he called me into his office to tell me about an opening at the Tribune and why I would love living in Mesa, where I am now executive editor of what is now called the East Valley Tribune.
In subsequent years, I would see Max once a year when he and his wife, Carol, would roll their big RV into Usery Park over the Christmas and New Year's holidays. He would build a roaring fire and break out some spirits, and we would look out on the sparkling lights of the East Valley below, talk about the old days and newspapering and howl at the moon in gratitude for the good life.
Max's passion for newspapering and life was legendary. When I worked for him in Dayton, he showered me with emails containing exhortations and story ideas sometimes to the point of being a nuisance. One day I had just had it. I went to his office. While he was on the phone, I got down on my knees crawled behind his desk and pulled the plug on his computer. He laughed and never tired of telling that story. He was a fount of ideas and irrepressible in his enthusiasm. He could dish it out and he could take it.
Most of the legions of new people who have settled in the great sprawl of cities east of Phoenix in the last decade or more won't know about his commitment to building a good newspaper for Mesa and the East Valley and a good community. But those who did know him will remember him as a pioneer. They will also remember him as a friend, an inspiration, and a dedicated journalist.
Farewell, my friend. And thank you for helping me along in my career, for teaching me to be a better journalist, for giving me a good swift kick in the rear when I needed it, for taking me fishing and for sharing a bottle under the moon and amid the giant saguaros at Usery Park.
John Dougherty
February 18, 2005
Max, You inspired a generation of young journalists who swept into the profession in those heady days after Watergate. You changed my life as my first journalism professor and later as my editor in Mesa and in Dayton. When its time to punch my ticket, I hope I'm going full speed ahead like you. My deepest sympathy to Carol and family.
LAWN GRIFFITHS
February 18, 2005
I worked under Max as a city editor and managing editor for Cox Arizona's Tempe Daily News Tribune between 1984 to 1988. Mad Max had made the rare transition from journalism classroom to working newspaper editor -- and didn't go flat, We were growing and changing so fast in those years at the Trib, and Max spent a summer with us holed up on a "Rosebud" project in the summer of 1986 that led to a sort of merger of our three dailies as Tribunes. Max wanted to beat the 800-pound gorilla downtown and his newsroom huddles with staff exuded spirited plans of attack. Max was a fearless champion for open government and press freedoms. I'll remember his playfulness and some of the cockeyed projects he put me on like adding the Trib's "state editor job" to hire Arizona correspondents but almost no budget to pay stringers. He lived life to the Max.
Steve Sidlo
February 18, 2005
Max's wife Carol asks that we use this space to share some information with his many friends. It won't surprise anybody who knew Max to learn that he didn't want a conventional funeral. So, in keeping with his wishes, Carol wishes all of you to know that you are invited to a party that will take place in Tempe, Az., on March 5 from 5 to 9 p.m. at a restaurant near Arizona State University. "It's a party, not a memorial service," Carol said emphatically. There will be drinks served and an opportunity to swap tales about him. If you plan to come, please let Carol know. You can do so and get more details about the event by e-mailing her at [email protected], or calling 505-751-3742. You also can call Carol's sisters. Kellye can be reached at 480-756-1474 and Linda at 480-503-0948. Finally, Carol wishes all of you to know how much the postings here mean to her. "I'm very grateful," she said.
mike murphy
February 18, 2005
It is entirely conceivable that Max is still in a sort of limbo right now. Knowing how he loved to push people's buttons, stir the pot and never pass up a devil's advocate argument, we can easily see him engaged in a prolonged diatribe with St. Peter.
And we can see St. Pete, with furrowed brow, eying the trap door lever that could send the old curmudgeon into free fall.
In the end though, as most of us learned and St. Pete no doubt will as well, Max was a fun loving positive force of nature. Just annoying as hell sometimes.
Adios y buena suerte Max.
The Murphys of Albuquerque, Mike and Anna (and thanks for hosting our wedding reception when we did the deed)
Chet Barfield
February 18, 2005
Max was one of my greatest mentors and heros, both as a journalist and in the way he lived his life. I loved and admired that guy, and had no idea as a college student and young reporter how fortunate I was to have his guidance and influence. While grieving his death, it gives me comfort to think of Max going out the way he did -- full speed on a downhill run. He helped me learn that the ride is what matters, not the destination.
Earl Thompson
February 18, 2005
Max was one of the great ones. I don't believe he held it against me that I was in advertising and he was in the newsroom. I always felt that there was that mutual respect that he gave to everyone, from the children in "Kids Voting" to the person on the street.
God bless you for having touching so many lives.
Wade Jennings
February 18, 2005
As Max's brother, I've listened to him over the years talk with the greatest enthusiasm about his friends, colleagues, and students--not merely with affection but great pride. Their achievements, the honors they won, their career successes were even sweeter to him than his own. I'm very happy but not surprised to read in these comments the heart-warming evidence that the pride he felt in you and the unfading affection were returned so wholeheartedly.
Max lived life on his own terms and with a passion that left little room for boredom, indifference, or compromise. We have a hard time accepting that he left us so soon, but I don't think anyone who knew him would doubt that he died as he would have wished--undiminished by time, hurtling down yet another mountain or cresting the next wave.
No doubt he would be hugely uncomfortable with some of the nice things being said here--he was such a sentimentalist that he had to hide always behind a anti-sentimental facade (that fooled no one).
But I think he would have a very special affection for those who remember the pickup full of ice and beer, the atrocious newsroom manners, etc. They're Max's kind of people.
Even in this moment of numb grief, we find we can't speak of him for long without smiling as we remember. That is the tribute that he would most value, I think--his evidence of a life well spent.
.
Don Stevenson
February 17, 2005
I was an Arizona State University journalism student of Max's in the early 1970s. He pushed me. He prodded me. He encouraged me, and he challenged me. Everyday. Then, from 1978-1985, I worked as Director of Photography for Max when he served as managing editor at the East Valley Tribune. He pushed me. He prodded me. He encouraged me, and he challenged me. Everyday. And now, for the past 20 years, I've operated my own photography business. I am successful today because Max pushed, prodded and encouraged me at the right times in my career. We laughed, argued and drank together during our years at ASU and as newspaper coworkers. Today, I think I'll cry while he rests.
Thank you Max.
Jan Baker
February 17, 2005
So very sorry for your loss.My thoughts and prayers are with you Carol.
Jan Baker
Mark Casey
February 17, 2005
Lynnette and I will miss you and we still talk about the football game at Ohio State. Carol, our heartfelt appreciation goes to you and the family for sharing Max with us. Mark and Lynnette Casey
Dan Barr
February 17, 2005
Max had more vitality than any two or three people combined. He was one of the founders of the First Amendment Coalition of Arizona and Kids Voting. His reporters never had a better friend and champion. His life was a gift to all of us.
Alison Sidlo
February 17, 2005
Thank you Max for being one of the pivotal people who inspired me to follow a career in journalism. A friend of the family, I'll miss the conversations about journalism and life, I was always listening. Thanks for everything Max; the knowledge, guidance and inspiration. A long time ago, he gave me his first camera he used early in his career. It's still sitting on a shelf at home, a reminder of a great person.
Mark & Sandy Emmons
February 17, 2005
It's a shock to hear the sad news that Max is gone. We worked at the Mesa Tribune years ago for Max, and both Sandy and I have nothing but warm memories for him as an editor and as a human being. Our most heart-felt condolences go out to Carol and the rest of their family.
Jack Nock
February 17, 2005
I first met Max when he arrived at Arizona State University. He was among a cadre of professional journalists who were recruited as professors to infuse the journalism department with a new level of professionalism. He was a former reporter with United Press International (UPI). I was working for UPI at night and taking classes during the day. We hit it off instantly, each of us trying to outdo the other with UPI stories but also sharing ideas on bicycles and life in general. Later, Max moved to the Mesa Tribune, and appeared often on a weekly television show in Phoenix featuring discussions by a panel of journalists. His keen analysis and wit made him a natural. But when he and Carol moved to Ohio, we lost touch, except for an occasional e-mail, beautifully written and filled with humor. Max had a throaty laugh that takes little imagination to recall. And, he had strict ideas about journalism, ethics and story construction that I am certain left distinct impressions on the many students he taught and the reporters who worked with him, as it has with me.
Gary O'Brien
February 17, 2005
I worked for Max at the Mesa Tribune from 1983 to 1988. He trusted my boss, and let him hire a young, very green photographer - me. I learned a lot from Max about being tough and fair and having a good attitude about what we do. I'll never forget his pep talks before big events, and how he helped the newsroom celebrate after we cleared deadline on election night in 1986. My thoughts will be with Carol and his family and friends.
Joyce Plunkett
February 17, 2005
What sad news. I didn't work in the newsroom, but Max never held that against me - for too long! ;-) Max's involvement with Friendship Force led to my own trip to Sarajevo, and later to Russia, in 1997. Thank you for opening that door, Max. My deepest condolences to Carol. My prayers are with you.
Mark Lauffer
February 17, 2005
I worked with Max in '80s at The Mesa Tribune and I am sure his leadership and guidance as my editor made me a better journalist today. Word of his death is sending shock waves through the newspaper world here in Phoenix. His impact here will be felt for a long time to come.
Carol Winslow
February 17, 2005
I sat on the Board of Kids Voting in the early years with Max and was so impressed with Max's energy, commitment, great humor and talent for fundraising. Max and Carol together founded a program that continues to serve children and democracy.
As President of the League of Women Voters in the 90s I worked with Max on the Voters Guide and treasure our political skirmishes.
It was an honor to know Max and work with him.
My deepest sympathy to Carol and their family.
Dottie King
February 17, 2005
Max left his imprint on our Dayton community with his enthusiastic and professional work at the Dayton Daily News. He will be dearly missed not only by his loving wife Carol but also by all of us who enjoy reading the DDN. Thank you Max for making Dayton a better place through your work.
Mark & Marilyn Dues
February 17, 2005
We've lost a good neighbor, a great friend, and someone who cared deeply for this community. Because of his and Carol's strong commitment, Kids' Voting, which continues to bring the values of our democracy into the classroom, will be a lasting legacy. Our love and condolences to Carol and the family.
Paul Schatt
February 17, 2005
So sad to hear of the passing of a great journalist and colleague. My deepest sumpathy goes out to Carol. I will alsways remember the magic Max worked with a phone when he worked rewrite under me at The Arizona Republic. Plus he inspired a generation of reporters when he taught at Arizona State University. We'll miss you much, Max!
Phil Smiley
February 17, 2005
I had the pleasure of meeting Max on a few occasions. He was a great Editor and a caring individual. Max did a lot for the City of Dayton and he will be greatly missed. My sympathy goes out to Max's family.
Barbara Ryan
February 17, 2005
My prayers and thoughts are with Carol at this time. My late husband Pat was Pre-Press Manager before they both retired and we met on numerous occasions. God be with you.
Dave Neer
February 17, 2005
I traveled to Sarajevo in December of 1996 in a group of 36 under the Friendship Force banner. Max and Carol were a part of that group which was commemorating the first anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords signing. I'm sure that I speak for others by saying that it was truly a joy to get to know Max and Carol on such a life-changing trip. I will never forget the night on their balcony in Dubrovnik, Croatia, overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The stories & laughter were priceless. We will miss you, Max.
Al Cummings
February 17, 2005
We've lost a creative,intuitive journalist, a free spirit and a person whose lust for adventure was admired by all. Max, you've made a substantive contribution to society through your passionate causes, especially Kids Voting. May you rest in peace.
Otis Gowens
February 17, 2005
I spoke to Max briefly in college and got to know just a little about him when I arrived here in 97. He was one classy guy and a great professional. I admired his passion for the news and his passion for life. God keep his family.
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The Five Stages of Grief
They're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel.
Read moreWays to honor Max Jennings's life and legacy
Obituary Examples
You may find these well-written obituary examples helpful as you write about your own family.
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Obituary Templates – Customizable Examples and Samples
These free blank templates make writing an obituary faster and easier.
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How Do I Write a Eulogy?
Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love.
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