Photo: New photo / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Studs Terkel is someone I hold in real reverence. Born in New York in 1912 and based in Chicago, he turned listening into an art form, building oral histories from the voices of ordinary Americans and hosting a beloved radio show for decades. His Pulitzer and Peabody were earned not by chasing the powerful but by believing that history lives in the factory worker and the housewife. That conviction moves me. In an age drowning in noise, his patient attention to other people feels more necessary than ever. He recorded a century by simply asking and truly listening, and that is profoundly cool.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Studs Terkel
- Name (Japanese)
- スタッズ・ターケル
- Reading
- すたっず・たーける
- Born
- May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Rat
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- journalist / historian / radio personality / writer / poet lawyer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- McKinley High School
- University
- University of Chicago Law School
Awards & achievements
- 2004 Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award
- 1997 National Humanities Medal
- 1985 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction
- Four Freedoms Award – Freedom of Speech
- 1999 George Polk Award
- 1998 Thomas Merton Award
- 1980 Peabody Awards
- 1981 Paul Robeson Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Studs Terkel born?
May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008.
Where is Studs Terkel from?
Studs Terkel is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Studs Terkel do?
Studs Terkel works as journalist, historian, radio personality, writer, poet lawyer.
Journalist — see all → · Historian — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.