Local

Bill Walsh, copy editor and

witty authority on language,
dies at 55
By Adam Bernstein March 15

BillWalsh,aWashingtonPostcopyeditorwhowrotethreeirreverentbooksabouthiscraft,notingevolutionsanddevolutions
oflanguage,theindispensabilityofhyphensandhishostilitytowardsemicolons,anddistinctionsforthesakeofclarity
betweenPlayboyPlaymatesandPlayboyBunnies,diedMarch15atahospicecenterinArlington,Va.Hewas55.

Thecausewascomplicationsfrombileductcancer,saidhiswife,JacquelineDupree,aPostinformationaltechnology
specialist.

Inthehurlyburlyofanewsroom,whereeventhebestreportershavewidelyvaryingdegreesofgrammaticalcompetence,copy
editorsaretheoftenunheraldedguardiansoflanguageandcommonsense.Theyarethefrontlinemudsoldiersinanendless
waragainstbadspelling,illconsideredsentenceconstructionandfactualerrors.

TheypreventEnglishteacherseverywherefromwincing.Theysavebehinds.

Bymanyaccounts,Mr.Walshstoodatthezenithofhisprofession.

MaryNorris,therecentlyretiredNewYorkermagazinecopyeditorandauthorofBetweenYou&Me:Confessionsofa
CommaQueen,calledMr.Walshthatrarething:acelebritycopyeditor...clever,decisive,entertaining,andknowledgeable,
inpersonandonthepage.

Generousandcollegial,shecontinuedinanemail,hewassoughtafteronthecopyeditingcircuit(andthereisone!).

ThepublicationAmericanJournalismReviewoncedescribedMr.Walshastheundisputedkingofcopybloggers.Hedubbed
hislongrunningeditingandgrammarwebsiteTheSlot,afterthenicknameforthecentrallocationthecopychieftraditionally
occupiedinthenewsroom.Intheerabeforecomputers,rankandfilecopyeditorssatalongtheedge,orrim,ofthecopy
desk,tossingheadlinesandstoriestothechiefinthecenter,orslot.

Amongotherpositionsduringhis20yearsatThePost,Mr.WalshservedasthecopychiefoftheNationalandBusinessdesks.
Mr.Walshwrotethreevolumesaboutcopyediting,LapsingIntoaComma(2000)TheElephantsofStyle(2004),which
punnedoffWilliamStrunkJr.andE.B.WhitesubiquitousgrammarhandbookTheElementsofStyleandYes,ICouldCare
Less:HowtoBeaLanguageSnobWithoutBeingaJerk(2013).

Mr.Walshrelishedplayingthepartofacurmudgeon,writingfromtheperspectiveofsomepasthisprimenewspaperguy...
yellingatyou.

Whileholdinghisgroundonproperwordchoice,capitalizationandsubjectverbagreement,Mr.Walshwasfarless
prescriptivethanotherlanguagemavensregardingsplitinfinitives,sentencefragments,conjunctionsatthebeginningofa
sentenceandprepositionsattheend.Healsogaveuptryingtoannihilatethewordhopefullyasanadverb.

HesawvalueinStrunkandWhitesadages(omitneedlesswords)butdidnotlionizethevolumeastheinfalliblewordofthe
grammargods.Heregardedrulesassometimestheretobebrokendepending,ofcourse,onthejudgmentandtoleranceofa
copyeditor.

HisbookswerenotaimedatwritersofIvyLeaguegraduatetheses.Theyweregroundedinworkadaynewspaperusage:Some
companynamesincludeexclamationpointsthatarenotgenerallyusedinprint,asitriskssoundingwaytooexcitedin
headlines(TechStockSurgeBoostsYahoo!).

Acopyeditormustatalltimesexercisevigilanceinwordchoice,hecautioned.APlayboyBunnyisaPlayboyClubwaitresswho
hasdonnedacottontailuniform,heexplained,whileaPlaymateisacenterfold.(ThetermPlayboymodelshouldbeused
gingerly,hewrote,asitcouldrefertowomenwiththemodelingarmofHughHefnersenterprise,inadditiontothosewho
dofftheirclothingforthemagazine.)

Herolledhiseyesatsillyredundancies(Armedgunmen:Theyretheworstkind)andexplainedtheutility,foracopyeditor,
ofbeingwellread.AlthoughthepeopleofPakistanarePakistanis,thepeopleofAfghanistanareAfghans,hewroteinThe
ElephantsofStyle.Thewordafghanireferssolelytothecountrysmainunitofcurrency.TocallanAfghananafghaniislike
callinganAmericanadollar.

Mr.Walshsaidhetriedtosteerclearofabsolutesinlanguage,buthehadhispeeves.Thesemicolonisanuglybastard,he
wroteinLapsingIntoaComma,andthusItrytoavoidit.

Thehyphen,however,hefoundbeautifulaninstrumentofclarityandprecision.

Mostpeopledontunderstandhyphens,sotheylashoutagainstthem,hetoldAmericanJournalismReview.Imabig
advocateofthehyphen.Ifyouwritetheorangejuicesalesman,youhaveasalesmanwhosorange.Theorangejuicesalesman
ismoreprecise.

WilliamFrancisWalshwasborninPottsville,Pa.,onDec.20,1961,andcompletedhighschoolinthePhoenixsuburbofMesa,
Ariz.Hewasa1984journalismgraduateoftheUniversityofArizona.
HeworkedatthenowdefunctPhoenixGazetteandtheWashingtonTimesbeforejoiningThePost.

In2000,hemarriedDupree.Besideshiswife,ofWashington,survivorsincludehismotherandstepfather,MollyChilinskiand
GaryChilinskiofEloy,Ariz.twobrothers,TerenceWalshofFrederick,Md.,andKennethWalshofNewYorkCity,bothcopy
editorsandasister,JenniferJaurigueofChandler,Ariz.

Mr.WalshwasafrequentpresenteratconferencesoftheAmericanCopyEditorsSociety,andin2016hewasakeynote
speakeratagatheringoftheEditorsAssociationofCanada.

TheNewYorkersNorris,theotherkeynotepresenter,recalledthatMr.Walshwasaddressingsomenitpickingthinglike
whetherornottocontinuetocapitalizetheInternet.Thehardlinersstillcapitalizeit(andmaketwowordsofWebsite,with
thecap),althoughthefutureisclear.Thekidswilllowercaseit,because[andthisispureBill]whatdonttheylowercase?He
heldouthopeforthem,though.Heshowedaslideofabeachchairandacocktail,theimplicationbeingthatonceweretire
orgotoourrewardtheycandowhattheywant.

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Adam Bernstein has spent his career putting the "post" in Washington Post, rst as an obituary writer and then as
editor. The American Society of Newspaper Editors recognized Bernsteins ability to exhume the small details
and anecdotes that get at the essence of the person and to write stories that are complex yet stylish.