Ted Schneider, former BJ photographer and line- drawer and by far the best Ann Hill letter-reader ever, has passed away.

That’s the word from Ken Krause, former BJ editor who lives in Medford, Massachussetts, who added:

“I had heard from Mike Herchek that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer in November.”

Ted left the BJ in 2008 at the same time as reporter Charles Montague, aka Chasm, and photographer Lew Stamp. Ol’ Blue Walls lost 38, 38 and 37 years of experience, respectively.

Ted not only regaled Guild members with his Ann Hill skits, including one with Ted dressed as a nun, but he took a trip to California, tracked down Ann Hill and told her what a legend the Ohio State grad was at the BJ for her “I didn’t come here to write about shit” memo to managing editor Bob Giles.

Ann was given the Pat Englehart shock-troop treatment and sent to cover a Canton sewer meeting. Hence the appropriate terminology in her memo.

Ted tried to entice Ann to return to the annual BJ Christmas parties that featured a reading of the Ann Hill letter for three decades, and to read herself on the 25^th anniversary of the writing of the scathing memo, but she declined. So Ted did the gig in rap that time.

Last I heard, Ted’s daughter Tanya lives in Oregon, Renee in Wooster, Stacy in Florida and Ted III (the baby in Ted, Jr.’s arms with Jim Ricci) in Akron. 

The woman in the photos with Ted and the babies is his wife, Rose.