Jim Standard was born February 2, 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas to John Pierce Standard and Ota C. Saye Standard. From an early age he excelled at almost anything he tried. He was the youngest boy to qualify as an Eagle Scout even though he didn't like camping. He excelled in his academic endeavors and was a choirboy at the First Baptist Church in Little Rock. At the age of five, he proposed to his eighteen year old cousin Bobby Jean. He and his grandmother started attending many revivals. At the age of fourteen, he felt that he was called to preach. Sadly, his plans for marrying Bobby Jean didn't work out; however, when the time was right he did become a pastor. While he was still in high school he began working for the Arkansas Gazette as copy boy and soon moved up to cub reporter. It was a lifetime trait of Jim's to address social injustice. For example, he saw the need for integration at his high school in Little Rock, and addressed this issue as a reporter for the Arkansas Gazette. Jim continued to work as a journalist while he attended the University of Arkansas under the condition that he take no journalism courses. His boss felt that he had a natural talent that should not be interfered with by formal classes. The beginning of his second year in college he signed up for a journalism course. He was immediately fired. Jim then got a job as a reporter for the Borger News Herald in Borger, Texas. Later, Jim accepted a job as an obituary writer at The Daily Oklahoman. Then he moved up the ranks to eventually become executive editor. He met and married Phyllis Wilson and adopted her two boys, Mitch and Kerby, and another son Matt was born to them. After that marriage ended, Jim eventually met Jodie and they were married in 1990. He became a beloved stepfather to Jodie's three children, Suzanne, Fredrick and Christine. After retiring from the newspaper, Jim and Jodie moved to Rome, Italy, where they became active in the International Baptist Church. Again, Jim felt strongly that he was being called to preach. He was ordained and then went on to pastor a church in Florence, Italy. When Jim and Jodie moved back to America, he pastored a church in Lampasas, Texas for several years. When he was called to preach at Atwood Baptist Church in Oklahoma, he found a hometown and the church of his heart. Jim often preached about grace and forgiveness. He loved to study the bible, and Sunday after Sunday he brought fresh insights on scripture passages to his church members. He assisted Jodie in her work as a counselor by helping plan and present marriage seminars. Jim reached people's hearts and changed lives. He loved to work with people and had a way of bringing out the best in them. Jim's stories about his life experiences were humorous, entertaining, and he insisted that they were true. He enjoyed his role in journalizing the history of Oklahoma as it was made. He leaves friends all over the world and will be greatly missed by all. Jim has three wonderful daughter-in-laws: Piney Standard, Meredith Standard and Christi Standard. He was the proud grandfather of McKenzi Standard, twins Jessi Standard and Ali Standard, Jonathan Rust, Anna Christine Rust, and Lauren Rust. He is preceded in death by his parents and grandmother. He is survived by his wife, Jodie of the home, and his children and grandchildren, who will greatly miss him. Services will be held at Atwood Baptist Church in Atwood, Oklahoma at 10 AM on Saturday, the sixteenth of October. Reverend Tim Green will officiate. Burial will be at Atwood Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in Jim's name be made to Atwood Baptist Church.
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Jim Standard, former top editor of The Oklahoman, dies at age 70 in Oklahoma City
Jim Standard spent 35 years working at The Oklahoman. After retiring, he went into the ministry and pastored at churches in Italy, Texas and Oklahoma.
Jim Standard, former top editor of The Oklahoman, died Tuesday at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. He was 70 years old and had been treated for cancer. Standard spent 35 years at The Oklahoman, and its onetime afternoon paper, the Oklahoma City Times, starting at the bottom when he was barely out of his teens. Along the way he earned a reputation as a pugnacious reporter, then later an editor who influenced a generation of young journalists who worked in The Oklahoman's newsroom in the 1970s and 1980s. He also presided over the newsroom's conversion to the computer age, as The Oklahoman's editors and reporters were among the first in the industry to write and edit stories, as well as design news pages, on computer systems. Funeral services are pending. James Noel Standard grew up in Little Rock, Ark., where he started his newspaper career as a copy boy at the Arkansas Gazette while in high school. He attended the University of Arkansas but left before graduation, eager to work full time at a place far from home: Borger, Texas. He was there only a year before he was hired in 1960 as an obituary writer, at the age of 20, at The Oklahoman and Times. He rose rapidly through the newspapers' hierarchy over the next quarter century. He covered all aspects of the criminal justice system — police and the courts — and the state Capitol, specializing in investigative reporting. He was sent to Dallas in November 1963, after President John F. Kennedy was slain, and stood only a few feet from Jack Ruby when Ruby killed suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. He was selected as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1969, and spent a year with his family in Cambridge, Mass. By 1972 he began the first of key editing jobs at The Oklahoman and Times, before being named managing editor in 1975. He became executive editor, the newsroom's top position at the time, in March 1984, after the Oklahoma City Times merged with The Oklahoman. In 1990 he became editorial page editor and wrote a weekly column, "Jim Standard's Oklahoma." When he retired in 1995, Standard reflected on his 35-year career and his time working for the Gaylord family. "Journalists view their job as sort of a priesthood," he wrote in his final column, "and the good ones tend to gravitate to places that allow them to pursue their careers with honesty and integrity." Ed Kelley, The Oklahoman's editor, said Standard was the bridge between journalists who began their careers at the newspaper in the Great Depression, and those who came years later and remain on the job in the 21st century. "He was a master at dealing with people of all ages, of all levels of experience," said Kelley, who was hired by Standard as a summer intern. "And he had news judgment that was impeccable." Standard was a former Oklahoma Newsman of the Year, was active in journalistic and civic organizations, and was a frequent public speaker and lecturer during his career. After he retired from the newspaper, Standard began a career in the ministry. He pastored at congregations in Florence, Italy; Lampasas, Texas; and at the time of his death, the Atwood Baptist Church in Atwood, in southeastern Oklahoma. Survivors include his wife, Jodie; sons Matt Standard and Mitch Standard, both of Oklahoma City; and Kirby Standard, of Orlando, Fla.; three stepchildren, Suzanne Rust, of Anchorage, Alaska; Frederick Sloan, of Lampasas, Texas; and Christine Meinders, of Los Angeles; and three grandchildren. "There are a lot of us across the country who are better journalists because we learned from Jim's example," said Mike Shannon, The Oklahoman's managing editor who worked with Standard longer than anyone. "The work we do is serious business, but he did it with a great sense of fairness and good humor. Oklahoma is a better place because of the newspaper and pastoral work Jim did during his life."
(The Daily Oklahoman, Oct. 14, 2010)
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Jim Standard, former top editor of The Oklahoman, dies at age 70 in Oklahoma City
Jim Standard spent 35 years working at The Oklahoman. After retiring, he went into the ministry and pastored at churches in Italy, Texas and Oklahoma.
Jim Standard, former top editor of The Oklahoman, died Tuesday at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. He was 70 years old and had been treated for cancer. Standard spent 35 years at The Oklahoman, and its onetime afternoon paper, the Oklahoma City Times, starting at the bottom when he was barely out of his teens. Along the way he earned a reputation as a pugnacious reporter, then later an editor who influenced a generation of young journalists who worked in The Oklahoman's newsroom in the 1970s and 1980s. He also presided over the newsroom's conversion to the computer age, as The Oklahoman's editors and reporters were among the first in the industry to write and edit stories, as well as design news pages, on computer systems. Funeral services are pending. James Noel Standard grew up in Little Rock, Ark., where he started his newspaper career as a copy boy at the Arkansas Gazette while in high school. He attended the University of Arkansas but left before graduation, eager to work full time at a place far from home: Borger, Texas. He was there only a year before he was hired in 1960 as an obituary writer, at the age of 20, at The Oklahoman and Times. He rose rapidly through the newspapers' hierarchy over the next quarter century. He covered all aspects of the criminal justice system — police and the courts — and the state Capitol, specializing in investigative reporting. He was sent to Dallas in November 1963, after President John F. Kennedy was slain, and stood only a few feet from Jack Ruby when Ruby killed suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. He was selected as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1969, and spent a year with his family in Cambridge, Mass. By 1972 he began the first of key editing jobs at The Oklahoman and Times, before being named managing editor in 1975. He became executive editor, the newsroom's top position at the time, in March 1984, after the Oklahoma City Times merged with The Oklahoman. In 1990 he became editorial page editor and wrote a weekly column, "Jim Standard's Oklahoma." When he retired in 1995, Standard reflected on his 35-year career and his time working for the Gaylord family. "Journalists view their job as sort of a priesthood," he wrote in his final column, "and the good ones tend to gravitate to places that allow them to pursue their careers with honesty and integrity." Ed Kelley, The Oklahoman's editor, said Standard was the bridge between journalists who began their careers at the newspaper in the Great Depression, and those who came years later and remain on the job in the 21st century. "He was a master at dealing with people of all ages, of all levels of experience," said Kelley, who was hired by Standard as a summer intern. "And he had news judgment that was impeccable." Standard was a former Oklahoma Newsman of the Year, was active in journalistic and civic organizations, and was a frequent public speaker and lecturer during his career. After he retired from the newspaper, Standard began a career in the ministry. He pastored at congregations in Florence, Italy; Lampasas, Texas; and at the time of his death, the Atwood Baptist Church in Atwood, in southeastern Oklahoma. Survivors include his wife, Jodie; sons Matt Standard and Mitch Standard, both of Oklahoma City; and Kirby Standard, of Orlando, Fla.; three stepchildren, Suzanne Rust, of Anchorage, Alaska; Frederick Sloan, of Lampasas, Texas; and Christine Meinders, of Los Angeles; and three grandchildren. "There are a lot of us across the country who are better journalists because we learned from Jim's example," said Mike Shannon, The Oklahoman's managing editor who worked with Standard longer than anyone. "The work we do is serious business, but he did it with a great sense of fairness and good humor. Oklahoma is a better place because of the newspaper and pastoral work Jim did during his life."
(The Daily Oklahoman, Oct. 14, 2010)
Jim Standard was born February 2, 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas to John Pierce Standard and Ota C. Saye Standard. From an early age he excelled at almost anything he tried. He was the youngest boy to qualify as an Eagle Scout even though he didn't like camping. He excelled in his academic endeavors and was a choirboy at the First Baptist Church in Little Rock. At the age of five, he proposed to his eighteen year old cousin Bobby Jean. He and his grandmother started attending many revivals. At the age of fourteen, he felt that he was called to preach. Sadly, his plans for marrying Bobby Jean didn't work out; however, when the time was right he did become a pastor. While he was still in high school he began working for the Arkansas Gazette as copy boy and soon moved up to cub reporter. It was a lifetime trait of Jim's to address social injustice. For example, he saw the need for integration at his high school in Little Rock, and addressed this issue as a reporter for the Arkansas Gazette. Jim continued to work as a journalist while he attended the University of Arkansas under the condition that he take no journalism courses. His boss felt that he had a natural talent that should not be interfered with by formal classes. The beginning of his second year in college he signed up for a journalism course. He was immediately fired. Jim then got a job as a reporter for the Borger News Herald in Borger, Texas. Later, Jim accepted a job as an obituary writer at The Daily Oklahoman. Then he moved up the ranks to eventually become executive editor. He met and married Phyllis Wilson and adopted her two boys, Mitch and Kerby, and another son Matt was born to them. After that marriage ended, Jim eventually met Jodie and they were married in 1990. He became a beloved stepfather to Jodie's three children, Suzanne, Fredrick and Christine. After retiring from the newspaper, Jim and Jodie moved to Rome, Italy, where they became active in the International Baptist Church. Again, Jim felt strongly that he was being called to preach. He was ordained and then went on to pastor a church in Florence, Italy. When Jim and Jodie moved back to America, he pastored a church in Lampasas, Texas for several years. When he was called to preach at Atwood Baptist Church in Oklahoma, he found a hometown and the church of his heart. Jim often preached about grace and forgiveness. He loved to study the bible, and Sunday after Sunday he brought fresh insights on scripture passages to his church members. He assisted Jodie in her work as a counselor by helping plan and present marriage seminars. Jim reached people's hearts and changed lives. He loved to work with people and had a way of bringing out the best in them. Jim's stories about his life experiences were humorous, entertaining, and he insisted that they were true. He enjoyed his role in journalizing the history of Oklahoma as it was made. He leaves friends all over the world and will be greatly missed by all. Jim has three wonderful daughter-in-laws: Piney Standard, Meredith Standard and Christi Standard. He was the proud grandfather of McKenzi Standard, twins Jessi Standard and Ali Standard, Jonathan Rust, Anna Christine Rust, and Lauren Rust. He is preceded in death by his parents and grandmother. He is survived by his wife, Jodie of the home, and his children and grandchildren, who will greatly miss him. Services will be held at Atwood Baptist Church in Atwood, Oklahoma at 10 AM on Saturday, the sixteenth of October. Reverend Tim Green will officiate. Burial will be at Atwood Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in Jim's name be made to Atwood Baptist Church.
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Jim Standard, former top editor of The Oklahoman, dies at age 70 in Oklahoma City
Jim Standard spent 35 years working at The Oklahoman. After retiring, he went into the ministry and pastored at churches in Italy, Texas and Oklahoma.
Jim Standard, former top editor of The Oklahoman, died Tuesday at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. He was 70 years old and had been treated for cancer. Standard spent 35 years at The Oklahoman, and its onetime afternoon paper, the Oklahoma City Times, starting at the bottom when he was barely out of his teens. Along the way he earned a reputation as a pugnacious reporter, then later an editor who influenced a generation of young journalists who worked in The Oklahoman's newsroom in the 1970s and 1980s. He also presided over the newsroom's conversion to the computer age, as The Oklahoman's editors and reporters were among the first in the industry to write and edit stories, as well as design news pages, on computer systems. Funeral services are pending. James Noel Standard grew up in Little Rock, Ark., where he started his newspaper career as a copy boy at the Arkansas Gazette while in high school. He attended the University of Arkansas but left before graduation, eager to work full time at a place far from home: Borger, Texas. He was there only a year before he was hired in 1960 as an obituary writer, at the age of 20, at The Oklahoman and Times. He rose rapidly through the newspapers' hierarchy over the next quarter century. He covered all aspects of the criminal justice system — police and the courts — and the state Capitol, specializing in investigative reporting. He was sent to Dallas in November 1963, after President John F. Kennedy was slain, and stood only a few feet from Jack Ruby when Ruby killed suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. He was selected as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1969, and spent a year with his family in Cambridge, Mass. By 1972 he began the first of key editing jobs at The Oklahoman and Times, before being named managing editor in 1975. He became executive editor, the newsroom's top position at the time, in March 1984, after the Oklahoma City Times merged with The Oklahoman. In 1990 he became editorial page editor and wrote a weekly column, "Jim Standard's Oklahoma." When he retired in 1995, Standard reflected on his 35-year career and his time working for the Gaylord family. "Journalists view their job as sort of a priesthood," he wrote in his final column, "and the good ones tend to gravitate to places that allow them to pursue their careers with honesty and integrity." Ed Kelley, The Oklahoman's editor, said Standard was the bridge between journalists who began their careers at the newspaper in the Great Depression, and those who came years later and remain on the job in the 21st century. "He was a master at dealing with people of all ages, of all levels of experience," said Kelley, who was hired by Standard as a summer intern. "And he had news judgment that was impeccable." Standard was a former Oklahoma Newsman of the Year, was active in journalistic and civic organizations, and was a frequent public speaker and lecturer during his career. After he retired from the newspaper, Standard began a career in the ministry. He pastored at congregations in Florence, Italy; Lampasas, Texas; and at the time of his death, the Atwood Baptist Church in Atwood, in southeastern Oklahoma. Survivors include his wife, Jodie; sons Matt Standard and Mitch Standard, both of Oklahoma City; and Kirby Standard, of Orlando, Fla.; three stepchildren, Suzanne Rust, of Anchorage, Alaska; Frederick Sloan, of Lampasas, Texas; and Christine Meinders, of Los Angeles; and three grandchildren. "There are a lot of us across the country who are better journalists because we learned from Jim's example," said Mike Shannon, The Oklahoman's managing editor who worked with Standard longer than anyone. "The work we do is serious business, but he did it with a great sense of fairness and good humor. Oklahoma is a better place because of the newspaper and pastoral work Jim did during his life."
(The Daily Oklahoman, Oct. 14, 2010)
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Jim Standard, former top editor of The Oklahoman, dies at age 70 in Oklahoma City
Jim Standard spent 35 years working at The Oklahoman. After retiring, he went into the ministry and pastored at churches in Italy, Texas and Oklahoma.
Jim Standard, former top editor of The Oklahoman, died Tuesday at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. He was 70 years old and had been treated for cancer. Standard spent 35 years at The Oklahoman, and its onetime afternoon paper, the Oklahoma City Times, starting at the bottom when he was barely out of his teens. Along the way he earned a reputation as a pugnacious reporter, then later an editor who influenced a generation of young journalists who worked in The Oklahoman's newsroom in the 1970s and 1980s. He also presided over the newsroom's conversion to the computer age, as The Oklahoman's editors and reporters were among the first in the industry to write and edit stories, as well as design news pages, on computer systems. Funeral services are pending. James Noel Standard grew up in Little Rock, Ark., where he started his newspaper career as a copy boy at the Arkansas Gazette while in high school. He attended the University of Arkansas but left before graduation, eager to work full time at a place far from home: Borger, Texas. He was there only a year before he was hired in 1960 as an obituary writer, at the age of 20, at The Oklahoman and Times. He rose rapidly through the newspapers' hierarchy over the next quarter century. He covered all aspects of the criminal justice system — police and the courts — and the state Capitol, specializing in investigative reporting. He was sent to Dallas in November 1963, after President John F. Kennedy was slain, and stood only a few feet from Jack Ruby when Ruby killed suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. He was selected as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1969, and spent a year with his family in Cambridge, Mass. By 1972 he began the first of key editing jobs at The Oklahoman and Times, before being named managing editor in 1975. He became executive editor, the newsroom's top position at the time, in March 1984, after the Oklahoma City Times merged with The Oklahoman. In 1990 he became editorial page editor and wrote a weekly column, "Jim Standard's Oklahoma." When he retired in 1995, Standard reflected on his 35-year career and his time working for the Gaylord family. "Journalists view their job as sort of a priesthood," he wrote in his final column, "and the good ones tend to gravitate to places that allow them to pursue their careers with honesty and integrity." Ed Kelley, The Oklahoman's editor, said Standard was the bridge between journalists who began their careers at the newspaper in the Great Depression, and those who came years later and remain on the job in the 21st century. "He was a master at dealing with people of all ages, of all levels of experience," said Kelley, who was hired by Standard as a summer intern. "And he had news judgment that was impeccable." Standard was a former Oklahoma Newsman of the Year, was active in journalistic and civic organizations, and was a frequent public speaker and lecturer during his career. After he retired from the newspaper, Standard began a career in the ministry. He pastored at congregations in Florence, Italy; Lampasas, Texas; and at the time of his death, the Atwood Baptist Church in Atwood, in southeastern Oklahoma. Survivors include his wife, Jodie; sons Matt Standard and Mitch Standard, both of Oklahoma City; and Kirby Standard, of Orlando, Fla.; three stepchildren, Suzanne Rust, of Anchorage, Alaska; Frederick Sloan, of Lampasas, Texas; and Christine Meinders, of Los Angeles; and three grandchildren. "There are a lot of us across the country who are better journalists because we learned from Jim's example," said Mike Shannon, The Oklahoman's managing editor who worked with Standard longer than anyone. "The work we do is serious business, but he did it with a great sense of fairness and good humor. Oklahoma is a better place because of the newspaper and pastoral work Jim did during his life."
(The Daily Oklahoman, Oct. 14, 2010)
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