Al McIntosh
Encyclopedia
Luverne, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,617 people, 1,968 households, and 1,247 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,356.1 people per square mile . There were 2,161 housing units at an average density of 634.7 per square mile...
, Minnesota. He was president of the Minnesota Newspaper Association in 1949. The association now recognizes individuals who have provided exceptional service to the field of journalism with its Al McIntosh Distinguished Service to Journalism Award.
Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
included several World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era excerpts from McIntosh's weekly column in his documentary "The War
The War (documentary)
The War is a 2007 American seven-part documentary television mini-series about World War II from the perspective of the United States that premiered on September 23, 2007...
," which are voiced by actor Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
. In an interview on the radio show Fresh Air
Fresh Air
Fresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
, Burns claimed that McIntosh could have pursued a more prestigious journalistic career but chose to take the reins of a small-town newspaper. Burns also opined in the same interview that McIntosh would be the most important discovery his team made in the creation of the documentary.
McIntosh owned and published the Star-Herald from 1940 until 1968, and first became famous after writing an editorial titled “A Tired American Gets Angry” in 1964.
McIntosh was the son of the Rev. and Mrs. Donald M. McIntosh. His family lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
, before moving to Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
, where he graduated from Central High School in 1922. McIntosh then attended Morningside College
Morningside College
Morningside College is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside College is a private, four-year, co-educational liberal arts institution. Morningside has 21 buildings on a ...
in Sioux City for three years, before enrolling at the University of Nebraska where he received his degree in 1928.
He started his journalism career as editor of Nebraska Agwan, a university humor magazine, and as part-time employee at the Star. After graduation he established himself at the City Journal as a writer as well as businessman. When the Rock County Star was offered for sale, he bought it, assuming ownership July 1, 1940.
Two years later, the editor and publisher of the Rock County Herald, A.O. Moreaux, was killed in an auto accident. The estate offered the Herald to McIntosh, and he bought it, consolidating the two publications and changing the name to the Rock County Star-Herald.
He died in his sleep on July 23, 1979.
Published works
- McIntosh's wartime columns were published September 1, 2007, by MBI Publishing Company's Zenith Press in a book titled Chaff.
- Short excerpts of his columns appear in the companion book to Burns' documentary "The War."
Quotes
"Al McIntosh might be the single greatest archival discovery that we ever made.... He turned down big city jobs, wanting to own and run his own paper, and he had this task of explaining the unexplainable to his fellow neighbors. He did so magnificently and wrote as beautifully as any editor I’ve ever come across.”
"The columns [of Al McIntosh] deserve a lasting place in American cultural history.”
External links
- Associated Press - AP article
- St. Paul Pioneer Press - Front-page St. Paul Pioneer Press article
- Minneapolis Star Tribune - Selected Chaff book review in Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Minneapolis Star Tribune - Front-page Minneapolis Star Tribune article about Luverne, Minnesota, residents who appear in The War, including Al McIntosh, who is mentioned under the subhead "Surprise Star: A Writer"
- Argus Leader - Article in Sioux Falls Argus Leader
- Worthington Daily Globe - Article in Worthington Daily Globe
- KPBS-San Diego - Article about Luverne, Minnesota, residents who appear in The War, including Al McIntosh
- Lincoln Journal Star - Article in Lincoln Journal Star
- Daily Nebraskan - Article in Daily Nebraskan
- Star Herald - Article in Rock County Star Herald