Don Obe, former chair of the Ryerson School of Journalism, died Nov. 7 at the Toronto General Hospital. At 78, the former journalism instructor and Ryerson alumnus had been experiencing declining health for several years.
Journalist and author Tim Falconer, an acquaintance of Obe, said his “most obvious contribution [to journalism] was creating the magazine stream and the Ryerson Review of Journalism.”
He said under Obe, the School of Journalism was “modernized” and “became one of the top schools in the country.”
The Ryerson Review of Journalism still exists today. Falconer is the current instructor in charge of the Review. He said a special tribute to Obe will soon be available on the Review’s website, involving “some of the top writers and editors in the country,” but was unable to disclose who just yet.
“He was a legendary editor who played a leading role in the development of literary journalism in Canada,” he said.
“He was a character,” Falconer said. “Good guy, loyal, passionate about great writing and good journalism.”
“I will miss him a great deal,” he said. “He was fun to talk to, but also someone I could go to for wise advice.”
