Norman Sklarewitz

1924 - 2024

Veteran journalist Norman Sklarewitz, who traveled the globe for decades introducing readers with features on exotic and distinctive locations and who had previously reported hard news from a number of international datelines, passed away Saturday at the 100. He had just celebrated the milestone a week ago.



In some point in their careers, many journalists sought to strike out and freelance as a means of earning a living. However, few if any, were as successful in this effort as Norm was.



After years working as a staffer for such prestigious publications as The Wall Street Journal and U.S. News & World Report, he turned to freelance. To do this he would identify likely magazines and newspapers as markets and contribute, mainly feature articles, to them. Before he retired, reflecting his boundless energy and enthusiasm for the work he loved, he wrote and published an astounding thousands of stories.



To get to that level of productivity, Norm spent a lifetime sharpening his reporting and writing skills. It began literally while a teenager in high school in Whiting, Indiana. For $5 a week, he would phone in local high school sports scores to the Chicago Tribune desk. Reflecting an almost innate ability to spot story potential in everyday activities, while still in high school, he sold an idea to LIFE Magazine that was published as a three page spread.



He further honed his journalism skills during his service in the military. He served three years in the U.S. Army during World War II, two years (1944-45) of which were in the European theater of operations where he was a military correspondent.



Following his military service, he enrolled at Indiana University from where he graduated while much later going to the University of Southern California part-time earning a master's degree. While at Indiana, he met the love of life, Esther Bohn, from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. They married in July, 1948 and would start a life of adventure and international travel that lasted for 72 years until her passing in 2020.



Their first stop was Chicago. While there, he worked briefly at the City New Bureau as a police reporter, and his successes at article production led to an offer to join the Pacific Stars & Stripes as a civilian reporter at its Tokyo headquarters. The couple was to live in Japan for 10 years during which time Norm's freelancing included being a "stringer" for CBS News. His feature stories appeared in everything from the Saturday Evening Post to Leatherneck and Sports Illustrated as well as obscure trade publications.



In the early 1960's, as a freelancer, Norm was one of the first journalists to expose America's full extent of involvement in South Vietnam. His reporting led to becoming a Far East Correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. This was the time when former colonies like Indonesia, Malaya and Singapore declared independence and were rich subjects for Norm's political and economic stories for the Journal.



During his time in Japan, he also authored in 1962 a light-hearted book about foreigners trying to transition to living in Tokyo and working with the Japanese entitled "Bamboo Shoots for Breakfast."



The couple came back to the U.S. in the mid-1960s eventually settling in Los Angeles. He would transition in 1974 to begin a successful career as a freelance travel writer. Americans were on the move and Norm with Esther at his side was in demand to report on destinations, new resorts, hotels, airlines and cruises. For more than four decades, he reported from throughout the U.S. and many international destinations. His thousands of travel articles appeared in such publications as Travel Agent Magazine, Frequent Flyer, Jane's Airport Report, Westways, Asiaweek, Cruise Travel, the inflight magazines for most Asian international airlines and in many newspaper travel sections.

He is survived by his sister-in-law Bea Sklarewitz and many loving nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

The funeral is being held Wednesday Feb. 14, 1pm at Mount Sinai Parks and Mortuaries, Gardens of Ramah, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Burbank

In lieu of flowers you can donate in his name to: The Red Cross, the Anti-Defamation League or Doctors Without Borders.