(EDITOR’S NOTE: Blue Water Woman Editor and Publisher Patti Samar does not often feature men (!!!) in her blog, but below you will find a tribute to one of the best men she has known in her life, her college professor and lifelong mentor, Dr. Gerald Waite)
So, this obituary has been in an open tab on my computer for a few days now…and I’ve struggled as I’ve tried to put together the words I wanted to say to pay tribute, in memoriam, to Dr. Gerald Waite, one of my English professors at Northern Michigan University, better known as “Doc” to all of us who spent countless hours with him at the NMU student newspaper, The North Wind (TNW).
He was a journalism and English professor who loved quoting Alexander Pope (a poet); he was our advisor to TNW; and, for me, he was definitely part father-figure during my senior year in college when I served as editor-in-chief (EIC) of TNW and Doc guided me through numerous day-to-day editorial, staffing and business issues.
Most students spend one or two years working on the staff at TNW; I spent three full undergraduate school years working there, plus I had an extended tour of duty serving TNW in a variety of non-editorial capacities while in graduate school.
That was three full years-plus of listening to Dr. Waite in lecture halls on one side of campus, where he entered the classroom room quietly, puffing away on his pipe (oh yes, I’m so old my profs could smoke in class), casually opening his briefcase, fussing with his notes for the day, then looking up at all of us, almost surprised to see us there, and enthusiastically asking: “Did you know what today is?” He would then proceed to share what saint and holy day the Catholic church was celebrating. He didn’t make a big deal out of it; he just shared it in passing before moving on, reviewing his notes, and teaching us how to be good stewards of language and, more importantly, how to defend the democracy in our nation as members of the Fourth Estate.
Every ounce of journalistic integrity that has ever run through my blood, even long after I stopped working in a real newsroom post-college, was fed to me, practically via IV, by Doc Waite.
That was also three full years (plus!) spent with Doc outside of the classroom, across campus, in the deep dark basement of Lee Hall, in the offices of TNW. During my stint as EIC, I oversaw a staff of 28 and a budget of approximately $100,000 annually in 1984-1985 dollars. That felt like a big responsibility, but with Doc’s guidance, I never felt alone. He was there at the newspaper office late on production nights, proofreading and providing real-time advising as we all worked on breaking news stories, writing columns and editorials, and literally pasting the newspaper together with typeset photographic paper, X-Acto blades and a hot wax machine, both manual and electric typewriters clacking away, not a computer (save for the 10 character screen typesetting machine) in sight.
The North Wind staff circa 1982-1983. Dr. Waite is second from right, in trench coat. (Patti Samar photo)
He never made a decision for me, nor for any of us; in his own soft-spoken and gentle way, he helped the entire staff come to both logical – and sometimes just plain legally prudent – journalistic decisions on our own.
Doc bred in all of us who worked under him a strong desire to become journalists who sought and shared the truth with the world. He taught us the importance of asking good questions and pursuing justice whether we were covering the university administration or something bigger.
It is no surprise to me that during my time at the student newspaper, with guidance from Doc, that our staff tackled some very big and important issues that extended beyond the NMU campus. One of my friends was able to cover (uncover?) a story that eventually caused the university to return a significant donation to NMU because it had been illegally obtained from the then-apartheid government of South Africa.
Without Doc Waite’s steady-handed guidance, that might never have happened.
(As an aside: that friend/fellow North Winder, eventually went on to break the story regarding the Flint water crisis at the Flint Journal/MLive, and he earned national accolades for his efforts; I’m sure he would credit Doc for helping to build his strong foundation in Fourth Estate, journalistic endeavors).
Blue Water Woman Editor/Publisher Patti Samar kept this quote on her desk throughout her career as a student newspaper journalist at Northern Michigan University, circa 1982 – 1985.
In my work, every single day to this very day, I use lessons I learned from him. He never hesitated to let us know when an appositive needed closing or when a participle was left dangling. He made me a better writer and a better reporter. He taught me the basics of solid page design and the importance of strong photography.
Without Doc Waite, there would be no Blue Water Woman magazine.
And the thing about Doc that I remember the most was his calm and gentle demeanor and his genuine kindness to everyone. It is kind of funny, when I think about it now, that he really and truly got so fired up about seeking out truth and justice as a journalist because he was so mild mannered and calm all of the time.
If he was nothing, he was always a gentleman.
And not just a gentleman, but an Irish one at that. Every St. Patrick’s Day, we celebrated him with the gift of a fifth of Jameson Irish Whiskey. Though he certainly appreciated that, he was, through and through, a Wisconsin farm boy who loved his beer and sharpened his journalistic chops at the Milwaukee Sentinel (along with other newspapers earlier in his career).
North Wind staff, in the newsroom in the basement of Lee Hall, circa 1982 -1983. Blue Water Woman Editor/Publisher Patti Samar, then features editor, is front row, second from left. Dr. Gerald Waite is in the back row, fifth from right. (Ray Manning photo)
My friendship with Doc Waite extended long beyond my undergraduate degree. When I returned to the NMU campus to pursue my master’s degree, I asked him to be a member of my thesis committee and he kindly obliged. As a graduate student, I also served on TNW board of directors and so I sat in meetings with him and learned about his view of the newspaper from a business perspective. During my final year of grad school, while I was working for the NMU English Department as a teaching graduate assistant, he took a sabbatical and when the professor who had temporarily replaced him as advisor to TNW died, suddenly, during Christmas break, he called and invited me to serve as TNW advisor for the remainder of the school year so he could complete his sabbatical. I jumped at the opportunity and knew he was only a phone call away if I was faced with an advising crisis.
I was beyond honored that he thought I could even wiggle my toes into the shoes that he left to be filled.
When I finally left Marquette and the Upper Peninsula, I often called him in the early years of my career, usually asking him to be a “good reference” (“Always ask someone if they will be a good reference; do not just ask for a reference because it might not be good,” he wisely advised me) whenever I was applying for a new job.
I recently unearthed a letter of reference he wrote for me. Overall, it was absolutely glowing. He noted my strong reporting and writing skills, my ability to manage a newsroom full of different personalities, and my ability to use good sound news judgement. But, he noted, “While Patti might not be the most brilliant student, she is certainly curious and knows how to ask good questions.” I had to laugh out loud. He could not tell a lie. I was not a brilliant student.
But he always gave me a good reference.
Dr. Gerald Waite, in black gown, far left, with the 1986 graduating class of The North Wind. (Patti Samar photo)
In that first decade or more post-graduation, I called him regularly just asking for career advice whenever I hit a fork in the road. Over the years, I ran into him on my many trips home to the U.P. and it was always great to get a hug and a quick update on his life and his adventures following his five grown children and his many grandchildren who were scattered around the country.
Back in the day, at the end of every semester, he held a staff party at his home on the Chocolay River where he and his beloved wife, Sue, welcomed students to settle in and get cozy and comfortable in the midst of the U.P. woods. My own parents lived just a mile down the road, but going to Doc’s house always felt like going home.
Blue Water Woman Editor/Publisher Patti Samar, holding sign, center, participated in her first political march, in support of university professors, while serving as the editor-in-chief of The North Wind. Standing next to her right, (left of her in the photo) in the striped sweater, is Ron Fonger, who served as managing editor of the newspaper. (Ray Manning photo)
When he died, rather unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago, I hadn’t run into Doc in about a decade. I just figured Doc and Sue were very busy chasing grandchildren around. I kept an eye out for him on every trip to the U.P.
I’m not sure why I felt the need to write and get this out of my system; it just felt like the right thing to do to honor a mentor and friend who provided me not only with the tools I needed to make a living, to this day, but also with the tools I needed to try and become a good and decent human. I’m nothing like Doc; I’m not gentle and too often I’m not kind. But none of us, not a single one of us who served under his advising at TNW, ever, ever wanted to disappoint him, and I hope he knew how much he taught me and more importantly, how much he meant to me.
And though we might not all be practicing journalists, many of my friends from TNW are still trying to keep democracy alive, in their own ways, either through their professional endeavors or their volunteer efforts.
Your lessons stuck with us my friend. They really and truly stuck with us.
And, since I’m quite certain Doc Waite made it successfully through the pearly gates, I’m really and truly hoping he’s willing to give me one last good reference. Please do a gal a favor, Doc. I’m going to need all of the help I can get.
Rest easy, my friend. I will continue to think of you and be grateful for you every time I close an appositive.
–Patti Samar
P.S. — A Memorial Mass will celebrate the life of Dr. Gerald Waite at 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at St. Michael Catholic Church, 401 W. Kaye Ave., Marquette.