William Safire

"Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation, and is thus a source of civilized delight." Thus spoke William Safire who passed away this weekend. To most people I imagine the name is only vaguely familiar but if you are like me and enjoy reading about words and language, then you know who he is-especially if you've been reading the New York Times Magazine. His column, On Language, appeared there for many years and he was generally regarded as the ultimate authority on the topic of our language. If not handled right, a topic like that can be dry reading, indeed, but Safire was very witty and he had a great sense of humor so reading him was a pleasure. I learned a great deal from him-mostly about the mistakes I was making when writing or speaking. Safire began his career as a speech writer for conservative presidents like Nixon and Reagan. Later he turned to 'punditry'. I'll miss his weekly pieces. RIP, Bill. You done good (oops, I mean you 'did well').