For 46 years, Tom Bodkin has been the center and soul of design at The New York Occasions. His job titles have included Artwork Director, Designer, Design Director, Inventive Director, Chief Inventive Officer, Affiliate Managing Editor and Deputy Managing Editor—solely the second time an artwork division head has ever been listed on the distinguished Occasions masthead. Bodkin served underneath extra govt editors than I can rely … a feat in itself.
“Tom Bodkin performs a necessary function as our artwork and design guru and is one in every of my most valued and trusted masthead advisers,” [former Executive Editor] Jill Abramson wrote in an e-mail to employees when Bodkin was named Deputy Managing Editor for design in 2011. “He’s central to all of our future efforts in digital and print and to the combination of our work.”
Bodkin’s life isn’t all wrapped up in newspaper design, as The Every day Heller reported again in 2011, however the establishment in all its kinds has consumed at the very least half of his waking (and dreaming) life (whereas the opposite half has been consumed by fixing bikes and vehicles, driving tractors, refurbishing vintage machines like participant pianos, film cameras, rebuilding an actual airplane …). He’s been my buddy for at the very least 44 of these 46 years on the paper. Now, along with his leaving, I really feel the circle has closed. He was my life help—and final hyperlink—to the interior workings of the place I known as dwelling for 33 years.
Beneath his tutelage, the Occasions has extremely modified. He’s tripled the scale of the artwork division, altered its administration construction and elevated respect for design among the many newsroom and its editors. Bodkin’s retirement leaves a void that will probably be unimaginable to fill for me, and onerous for a lot of others in his orbit of colleagues and friends.
Final Friday was his official remaining day as CCO. Yesterday, his mates and colleagues celebrated his accomplishments and management. Now it’s time for him to be given a rightful place within the histories of graphic design and visible journalism. Bodkin has by no means sought the highlight—his modesty is famous—however he leaves a serious legacy that he didn’t egotistically promote or promote. He was merely doing his job … and did it terribly nicely for 46 years.
