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Gentleman journalist served us faithfully: Farewell, friend

By C.T. BOWEN
Published September 29, 2005

Douglas Spangler was a throwback.

He embodied the role of community columnist long before the national trend among editorial page editors to welcome civilians as regular contributors to opinion pages. Mr. Spangler didn't maintain a Web log, wasn't caustic and didn't whine. He could be critical, but for the most part, his observations focused on fond memories, maintaining a positive outlook or enjoying life's simple pleasures.

Mr. Spangler, a frequent guest columnist in the St. Petersburg Times , died Tuesday at the age of 66.

He was prolific. A check of the newspaper's archives showed Mr. Spangler's byline appeared 153 times over the past five years. Some of those are duplicates, though, because his copy became a favorite in the Times' multiple editions along the North Suncoast.

I first became familiar with Mr. Spangler's work during my tenure at The Tampa Tribune . When the regional editorial writing position became vacant there in early 1998, the deputy managing editor suggested the newspaper pursue Mr. Spangler. He already was in print as often as the paid staff, she said. I left for the Times a few months later and Mr. Spangler sent me a submission shortly afterward. From then on, he became a regular fixture of our regional editorial pages.

His columns provoked strong reader responses. Not all of them favorable. An irate caller, peeved at something Mr. Spangler had penned, asked, "Who is Douglas Spangler?"

The caller must not have read the paper closely. Mr. Spangler told much about himself through his commentary. He grew up in Indiana and at times lived in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. He was a fan of the movies, often quoting dialogue that ranged from offerings by Mickey Rourke to Audrey Hepburn. He cried when he saw Field of Dreams because he missed his own father. He didn't smoke and rarely drank because of his father's truncated life from indulging in poor habits.

He was a gentleman who bemoaned the loss of civility in society, while urging people to report poor customer service in restaurants and stores if they ever expected improvement.

He was angered by politicians' lack of candor and was just as frustrated at rude drivers and arrogant pedestrians. He had a love affair with Florida and defended the quirky state when the national press made fun of his adopted home. Mr. Spangler and his wife, Erika, moved from Little Rock, Ark., to Florida in the 1990s after a career in academia. They took up residence in the Heritage Lake Estates subdivision before moving again to Palm Harbor a few years later.

He was enthused when the Internet brought his observations to a wider audience. He was quoted by the Christian Science Monitor and other national media outlets after his commentaries on the passing of comic legend Bob Hope and Peanuts comic strip creator Charles M. Schulz appeared in the Times.

One of my favorite columns was Mr. Spangler reminiscing about his European heritage and his memories of cultural delineations including many homes that featured accordions in the closet and plastic-covered furniture in the living room:

"In this increasing age of homogenization in which some people even try to kill their regional American accents so we can all be alike, I sometimes wonder what we have lost. I note, for instance, that there is a school in Tarpon Springs that is teaching Greek to little kids, trying to go against the tide of everyone being the same. And I wonder if those kids aren't pretty darn lucky to be just a bit different in these days in which accordion days and plastic parlor nights are just a memory for most people."

I kept an e-mail from Mr. Spangler after he did additional research at my request. A column on dealing with inflation mentioned a rise in newspaper subscription prices. I asked him to verify that fact. He made a few telephone calls and was pleased that not only was he incorrect, but his own home delivery wasn't going up in price. "Delete. Delete. Delete," he wrote, adding a salutation that made me glad I stored the correspondence as a keepsake:

"Your faithful reporter,

Doug."

--Reach C.T. Bowen at bowen@sptimes.com or at 727-869-6239.

[Last modified September 29, 2005, 08:45:25]