By Zachary Gorchow
Executive Editor and Publisher
Posted: January 2, 2018 2:09 PM

Oh, my.

It has come to the attention of this V-E-R-Y junior reporter that on December 31, the legendary former Detroit Free Press political columnist Hugh McDiarmid Sr. celebrated his 83rd birthday.

Those under 30 may ask, who is this Hugh McDiarmid, eh?

Well, let me tell you…

NOBODY did it better.

It, was political commentary, and whether you agreed or disagreed with Mr. McDiarmid, his staccato, conversational writing style made politics accessible to readers, including…

This reader. When I was growing up, the Free Press was placed every day at our house in a beautiful yellow box with “Detroit Free Press” emblazoned on it in blue, using the classic Old English font, as it should be.

Mr. McDiarmid’s patented use of “Oh mys,” words in all capital letters (sometimes spelled out, sometimes not), ellipses, italics and various other devices was delightful. It made politics fun, even when he was tearing somebody a new one. To this kid in Troy, when Lansing might as well have been in another state, I could hardly wait for the next McDiarmid column.

How great was this start to a 1997 column?

“H-e-r-e comes Jim Blanchard. What, pray tell, are you talking about?

“Well, it's clear the ex-guv is running for something, isn't it?”

And who else in these parts could dismember someone so effortlessly with the written word? In a 1999 column, he dutifully went through the Michigan Republican Party’s tortured attempt to slap then-U.S. Rep. David Bonior, a Mount Clemens Democrat, as a carpetbagger. His ending to the column?

“Y-a-a-w-n.”

And… And…

It will always be one of the great privileges of this reporter, who was just cutting his teeth as a cub reporter in this town as Mr. McDiarmid was wrapping up his newspapering career, to have the chance to cover the same beat, if only for a brief period, and wonder how Mr. McDiarmid would write about the same stories. The first news conference I attended where Mr. McDiarmid also was in attendance was a true thrill.

So?

So what?

So let’s end this conversation – which, in case you hadn’t noticed borrows extensively from Mr. McDiarmid’s writing style and some specific columns, lest anyone think I am trying to do anything other than pay homage to him – by thanking Mr. McDiarmid for all he contributed to the coverage and spirit of the Michigan Capitol during a career spanning at least the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Happy Birthday, Mr. McDiarmid.

A-M-E-N.