Jeffrey Zaslow | |
|---|---|
 Zaslow in 2012 | |
| Born | Jeffrey Lloyd Zaslow (1958-10-06)October 6, 1958 Broomall, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 2012(2012-02-10) (aged 53) |
| Alma mater | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse | Sherry Margolis |
| Website | Official website |
Jeffrey Lloyd Zaslow (October 6, 1958 – February 10, 2012) was an American author and journalist, and a columnist forThe Wall Street Journal.
Zaslow was widely known as a coauthor of books, and the sole author of numerous books.
Zaslow was born in 1958 inBroomall, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia,[1] one of four children of Naomi and Harry Zaslow. His father was a real estate investor.[1] His family was Jewish.[2] He attendedMarple Newtown High School, where he was student council president his senior year. He wrote for the school paper and was in school plays while in junior high, starring inYou Can't Take It with You. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 1980 with a degree in creative writing, Zaslow began his professional writing career at theOrlando Sentinel.
Zaslow first worked at theOrlando Sentinel, as a writer for that newspaper'sFlorida magazine. He then was a staff writer for theWall Street Journal from 1983 to 1987 and columnist at theChicago Sun-Times from 1987 to 2001.
Zaslow gained recognition as the author of an advice column called "All That Zazz",[3] having won a competition (with 12,000 applicants)[4] at age 29 to replaceAnn Landers at theChicago Sun-Times.[5]
Zaslow'sWall Street Journal column, "Moving On", as well as his numerous books, focused on life transitions.[4]
In September 2007, after he attended the final lecture ofCarnegie Mellon University ProfessorRandy Pausch, he collaborated with Pausch on writingThe Last Lecture, released in 2008. The book by Pausch and Zaslow, translated into 48 languages, was a #1New York Times best-seller, spending more than 110 weeks on the list, and sold more than five million copies. Media coverage includedThe Oprah Winfrey Show and anABC special hosted byDiane Sawyer.[citation needed]
The Girls from Ames is a nonfiction book about a group of eleven women friends who grew up together inAmes, Iowa, remaining friends for forty years. It spent 26 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, rising as high as #3.[citation needed]
Highest Duty was co-written by Zaslow with Capt.Chesley Sullenberger, who successfully ditchedUS Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009. The book debuted at #3 on theNew York Times list.[citation needed]
In 2011, Zaslow collaborated withGabby Giffords and her husband, astronautMark Kelly, on their memoir,Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope.
In January 2012, Zaslow releasedThe Magic Room: A story about the love we wish for our daughters, a non-fiction narrative set at a small-town Michigan bridal shop, which looked at the lives of a handful of brides and their parents who journeyed to the store's "Magic Room."
Zaslow was twice named by theNational Society of Newspaper Columnists as best columnist in a newspaper with more than 100,000 circulation and had received the Distinguished Column Writing Award from theNew York Newspaper Publishers Association. While working at theSun-Times, Zaslow received the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award. He appeared on such television programs asThe Tonight Show,The Oprah Winfrey Show,Larry King Live,60 Minutes,The Today Show andGood Morning America.[citation needed]
Zaslow married Sherry Margolis, a TV news anchor withWJBK television in Detroit, and together lived with their three daughters[6] inWest Bloomfield, Michigan. His literary agent was Gary Morris.[3] Zaslow was an avid runner.[7]
Zaslow died on February 10, 2012, at age 53 in acar accident onM-32 inWarner Township, Michigan[8] while on tour for his non-fiction bookThe Magic Room.[9]Former co-author Chesley Sullenberger was among those who eulogized Zaslow at his funeral on February 13.[10]
Following his death, Zaslow was the subject of a number of written tributes, including an essay by columnistBob Greene, titledJeff Zaslow's last lesson, pieces by fellow journalists and by bloggers, posts on theWall Street Journal remembrance page, and eulogies by family members on the family's remembrance page.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
