What is National Columnists Day? BND writer explains the storied history behind it
You might not have this marked on your calendar but Monday, April 18, is National Columnists Day.
It was established to honor the memory of the great Ernie Pyle who some credit as the best ever. Pyle went to war with the troops in World War II and sent back memorable columns that ran in newspapers all over the country. The day also honors those writers who dig deep into important, sensitive issues and make us think.
Then there are writers, like me, who really have a hard time being serious about anything. I remember writing about a dog’s birthday party once. Thankfully only once. Actually that was a tough one. No one was talking.
One of the neatest things about National Columnists Day — besides the self aggrandizement — is that it gives a person one more subject for a column. If you’ve ever done this, you know how important that can be.
Even now that I am not full-time and only writing two columns a month, I sometimes find myself struggling for good ideas. No kidding, you might be thinking.
The day was promoted by members of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, whom if they had thought much about it back in 1977 when they first met, might have come up with a catchier name. But NSNC it is and it is a great bunch of people. The yearly conventions are fun and feature nationally known writers, editors and even politicians occasionally. One year Bill O’Reilly came and threw insults at us.
We couldn’t get George Clooney but one year we listened to a wonderful speech by his dad, Nick Clooney, a television journalist. That same year Jerry Springer came and apologized for ruining the culture. We staged a fight just for him. No, only kidding.
Columnists might be the epitome of the saying curiosity kills the cat. We had a consultant talk who had been in prison and reformed to become successful. After his talk I found myself standing beside him in the restroom and I couldn’t resist asking, “So, what were you in for?”
“I killed a man,” he said
The events at the conference often become legendary, such as the croquette match against some U.S. Marines in San Diego (we lost) or the spelling contest against some Canadian English professors (we won, but only because we picked the judges who wouldn’t let them use British spellings, like labour.)
We actually appropriated National Columnist Day from another columnist who had established it on June 23 because — that was a day he didn’t have anything else to write about.
I am fortunate it lands this year so close to my column run date not only because it is handy for me but also because it really does honor some people who have worked hard to churn out memorable prose and often kept us entertained.
This story was originally published April 16, 2022 at 8:00 AM.