This post might not make sense to anyone not from or currently living in Arizona, or anyone who hasn’t read the Arizona Republic on and off for the past twenty-some odd years. But if you are one of those people who live here or read this newspaper, you’ll know that Clay Thompson recently died.
You can read about him and his career, here.
When I was in middle and high school, I had a morning routine which consisted of eating breakfast at the dining room table and, as my cats lounged in the sun nearby, reading the newspaper. I was obsessed with horoscopes, “Dear Abby”, and Clay’s Column.
Clay Thompson wrote an absurdly sarcastic column that, being so young, I probably definitely did not understand, but was so entertained by that it was the first thing I looked at when opening the paper. I would go straight to the back page of Valley & State, see the familiar “headshot” of his above, that made his identity feel like a secret, and begin reading.
He passed away a little over a week ago, and I wonder if the Arizona Republic will continue to print old columns of his just for the heck of it. I hope they do, so that a new generation of readers can enjoy his work. I’ll miss the “you people” quips, the made-up answers to goofy questions readers sent in, and the laughs he gave us each morning.
Hannah's Library 