At The Times, where he was first hired in 1973, he was a mainstay on a series of desks, editing for the Week in Review (now the Sunday Review section), the Sunday Magazine and Arts & Leisure and on the culture and metropolitan desks. Before joining The Times he had been a reporter and editor at Newsday, and in 1988 he returned to that paper as book editor. He later filled the same role at The Daily News before returning to The Times to finish out his career. “Jack was such a masterly editor, learned and literary, with a twinkling sense of humor that infused the headlines he wrote and polished,” wrote Jan Benzel, one of dozens of former Times colleagues who posted tributes on a Facebook alumni group. “And, as all are saying, a remarkably nice man.”

Source: New York Times February 19, 2021 22:30 UTC