Farewell, friend

Shirley Fleming, editor of American Record Guide and critic for the New York Post, passed away last week.

Her New York Times obituary notes, "Many of classical music's active critics and writers received their first assignments from her." I can vouch for that, as I wrote my first English-language articles for Shirley. The Post also ran an obit.

For all that we write about beautiful stuff, music criticism is a swinish business, in which a Y chromosome can still be a prerequisite for getting plum assignments—or getting any assignments at all. I will always be deeply grateful to Shirley for serving as a role model and giving me a chance.

Classy and gracious, Shirley was ever the elegant Smithie, writes the envious, bespectacled Cliffie. (Oh, yeah, they did away with Radcliffe, too.)

She will be missed.

Comments

[James A. Van Sant]

Learning only today of the death a week ago of Shirley made me wince, though I had known after her second stroke that it was coming. Losing Shirley quite literally hurts. This is such a sad loss, far far too soon. Healthy, vital-seeming, smart, quick, a Southern Gentlewoman, just a little ribald now and then (at least in our e-mails), a strong sense of fair play, loyal to her staff of writers -- when will we see the likes of Shirley again? We'll have to look very hard. I will miss SF personally
and professionally. Not a critic to roast performers or turn snarly, she nevertheless did not suffer fools and would name flaws as well as strengths as she saw them. She
had about a week, I am told, after waking up from the first stroke to see all the flowers, have all the cards read to her and
know how very warmly held she was in the hearts of many people. I am glad she did not linger as a stroke victim; she was sick just long enough to know how much and how many loved her and held her dear. Then she quickly left. It hurts. I will miss her a lot. Most of all I will miss her sense of fair play in a field where it is in short supply.
Jim Van Sant
Santa Fe