HomeBad Ass AsiansSudden death of AsAm journalist from LA Times touches many
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Sudden death of AsAm journalist from LA Times touches many

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By Randall Yip, AsAmNews Executive Editor

Henry Fuhrmann, a man known for his friendly smile and his willingness to mentor up and coming journalists, died Wednesday following a brief illness at the age of 65.

His family announced the news about the death of the former Los Angeles Times Assistant Managing Editor on his Facebook page.

“Hi, friends and loved ones. This is Angela and Ruthanne, with the heartbreaking news that our dear Hank has died. He went peacefully Wednesday evening, with his beloved Lindi, his daughters and his son, and other family members at his bedside,” the pinned post stated.

His sister Irene wrote “This has all seemed like a bad dream. He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer about a month ago. It happened so fast.”

In 2018, Fuhrmann wrote an essay strongly advocating for the journalism community to drop the hyphen in Asian American.

“Those hyphens serve to divide even as they are meant to connect. Their use in racial and ethnic identifiers can connote an otherness, a sense that people of color are somehow not full citizens or fully American: part American, sure, but also something not American. “Hyphenated Americans” is one derogatory result of such usage,” he wrote.

The article had such an impact that the following year, the Associated Press changed it style book to denote it would no longer use a hyphen and credited Fuhrmann’s essay for its decision, the LA Times reports. The New York Times would follow a few years later, according to LAist.

Just as importantly, Fuhrmann will be remembered for having a kind soul. He greeted everyone with respect and with his affable and gentle demeanor. That is being reflected in the dozens of comments being left on his Facebook page.

“This morning I cried as I read the obituary for Henry Fuhrmann. Henry was so kind, patient, honest, humble, generous and really funny. This world could certainly use “more Henry, please,” pleaded Donna Tarzian.

“The words used often to describe him include “gentle”“kind” and “mentor.” He was all these things. I would add the word “advocate” for journalists of color and journalism itself,” said longtime Seattle TV news anchor Lori Matsukawa.

Fuhrmann once taught at the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California.

“We paid tribute to Henry today in the Annenberg student newsroom, with me raising my “more copy please” mug and telling people that little gestures, such as taking someone into your office and getting to know them, make all the difference in this industry and on this planet,” wrote Christina Bellantoni, a professor at Annenberg.

The Asian American Journalists Association informed the family just yesterday that it had awarded its Lifetime Achievement Award to Fuhrmann, only to be told he had already passed. The group will formally present the honor posthumously at its convention in Washington, DC next summer.

“Henry’s guidance and voice have shaped the careers and lives of countless people in the AAJA family over three decades, and he has been the stalwart of our organization,” AAJA said.

AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc. Follow us on FacebookX, InstagramTikTok and YouTube. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our efforts to produce diverse content about the AAPI communities. We are supported in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.

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