Michael Kesterton
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Michael Kesterton (1946–2018) was a columnist with ''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
''. His weekday column, "Social Studies," was published from June 12, 1990 until July 1, 2013.


Early life

Kesterton's father was a professional photographer and trade publication writer and his mother was a real estate agent. The person he credits with inspiring his career in journalism was his uncle, Wilf Kesterton, a journalism professor at
Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...
in
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
.''Ryerson Review of Journalism''- Social Studies 101
retrieved on May 30, 2007
He attended the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
, where he studied
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
,
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
and
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
. He also worked on the student newspaper, '' The Varsity,'' alongside future notables such as Michael Ignatieff and
Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...
. One contemporary recalls that he was already known for his "quirky humour" and as a "lover of trivia, oddball facts and the offbeat."


Career

In 1969, Kesterton began working at ''The Globe and Mail'' as a
proofreader Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or an electronic copy of a publication to find and correct reproduction errors of text or art. Proofreading is the final step in the editorial cycle before publication. Professional Traditional m ...
. After seven years he moved to the computer room. He was there for two years before being promoted to a copy editor for newspaper's business section,
Report on Business ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it f ...
. He worked briefly as a Business feature writer and Technology section editor. In 1990, the Globe underwent a content and design revamp. Then
Editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
, William Thorsell selected Kesterton to create a column consisting of short, often unusual pieces for the back page of the A section. It was to be called ''Social Studies'' and carry a "strong interest agenda". On May 21, 1990, Kesterton started compiling stories for his new column. The redesign was launched on June 12, 1990 and his column became an instant success. Unlike most journalists, Kesterton did not conduct interviews or undertake original research. All of his items were drawn from other sources, which he cited, drawing on 120 websites, newspaper and library archives for the five or six stories for each day's column. The column was tagged as "a daily miscellany of information."Random House Summary- ''The Twelve Best Months of the Year''
retrieved on May 30, 2007
"There are hundreds of reporters who can do a better job at ews storiesthan I ever could… The light-hearted hack work that I am doing isn't hugely important and will never win journalism awards, but I'm better at it than anyone I know and readers often love the columns and tell me so. There are worse ways to earn a living." – Michael Kesterton
In 1996, Kesterton's book ''Social Studies'' was published. His second book, ''The Twelve Best Months of the Year'', was published in 1998. In 2007, Kesterton completed writing a novel set in Africa in 1925. Information about publication is not known.


Death

On December 5, 2018, Michael Kesterton died at the age of 72. His death was attributed to Parkinson's-related pneumonia.


References


External links


The Globe and Mail newspaper
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kesterton, Michael Canadian male novelists Writers from Toronto University of Toronto alumni 1946 births 2018 deaths The Globe and Mail columnists Canadian male non-fiction writers