Guess what? The New York Times from whom we steal this copy spelled his first name wrong
The cause of Shine’s death was listed as respiratory failure..
In nearly half a century at the Detroit Free Press,. Shine worked his way up from copy boy to reporter to publisher. After helping to direct some of the paper’s proudest accomplishments, he retired in 1995.
As city editor, he helped direct the coverage of the Detroit race riots, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1968, and the reports on the shootings of students at Kent State University in Ohio in 1970, which won the Free Press a George Polk award.
[Retirees who were in the newsroom in 1970 might recall Shine was at the BJ to help with Knight Ridder coverage of the shootings.]
By the time Shine retired, the Free Press was embroiled in a 19-month labor strike that put Mr. Shine on the opposite side of the picket line from some of his closest colleagues and friends.
Mr. Shine began working at The Free Press as a copy boy in 1950, left in 1953 to spend two years in the Army and then returned as a reporter. By 1965 he was city editor. He became managing editor in 1971 and senior managing editor in 1982. He retired in 1989, returning the next year as publisher.
He is survived by his wife, Phyllis; their 6 children, Jim, Dan, Tom, Peggy, Judy Heuvelman and Sue Epp; 17 grandchildren; and 2 brothers.
Times Correction: April 5, 2007
An obituary yesterday about a former editor and publisher of The Detroit Free Press misspelled his given name. He was Neal Shine, not Neil.
Neal was one of the finest editors I ever worked for. A quick wit, ready smile and professional demeanor that you could only admire. For many folks, he was Detroit; no one could tell the stories and recall the lore that Neal had at his command. As for the strike, I think it cut him very deeply that he had to cross the picket line because of the job he'd been put into. I've been told that a few colleagues never forgave him even though he had very little choice in the matter. God bless you, Neal.
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