Miami Herald Editorial Page Editor Nancy Ancrum, who kept a watchful eye on Florida governors and South Florida leaders, gave voice to those who had been silenced and , died Friday after a long illness. She was 67.
Community leaders and colleagues on Saturday reflected on a Miami without Ancrum, a woman who stitched together varying voices in search of our community鈥檚 moral center.
The people鈥檚 forum
Franklin Sirmans, director of the P茅rez Art Museum Miami, said he cherishes the welcoming embrace Ancrum, also a native New Yorker, gave him when he took charge of PAMM in 2015.
鈥淪he truly believed that people鈥檚 opinions counted and that people needed to be heard and that there could be an open dialogue and conversation between people who might disagree but at least could respect each other enough through words,鈥� Sirmans said. 鈥淣ow, more than ever, we think about being able to have difficult conversations and she was somebody who led that charge for a decade that she was head of editorials. It鈥檚 incredible. What a legacy.鈥�
READ MORE: Nancy Ancrum appears on SA国际传谋's South Florida Roundup; farewell to a Miami Herald leader
Life after retirement
Ancrum on Dec. 31 retired, she said, 鈥渇rom the .鈥� She鈥檇 led the Herald鈥檚 editorial board 鈥� the community voice of the newspaper 鈥� for 10 years. It was the capstone of a newspaper career dating back to her young 20s.
An upbeat retirement party with her colleagues was held in mid-January in the community she had championed since arriving from Washington after starting her career with the Baltimore Evening Sun and USA Today.
Ancrum vowed to stay plugged in to the community and had said she looked forward to her new role as an 鈥渆ngaged citizen鈥� with her husband, George Fishman, a retired mosaic artist and arts writer.
SA国际传谋 three weeks after her friends and colleagues saluted Ancrum on her new beginnings, the highly-respected journalist died in her sleep on Friday at the Miami Shores home she shared with Fishman.
Ancrum for some time had battled , a cancer that forms in the white blood cells. The cancerous plasma builds up in the marrow. She had gone into remission for 12 years, Fishman said. The cancer returned.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a shocking, devastating loss to our community and to society,鈥� said , former WPLG senior political reporter and retired host of 鈥淭his Week in South Florida.鈥� Ancrum was a frequent guest on the ABC program. 鈥淪he was such a spectacular, principled person.鈥�
Award-winning work
Ancrum guided her team, including then-Deputy Editorial Page Editor Amy Driscoll, now the Miami Herald鈥檚 Opinion Editor, to a May 2023 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald鈥檚 that focused on politicians and developers vowing, but failing, to build parks, revive historic neighborhoods and boost transportation.
鈥淚 had the great pleasure to work with Nancy over the years as she studied and gave voice to significant community concerns,鈥� Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told the Herald Saturday. 鈥淗er humanity and deep care came through in all her editorials and in how she spoke at public events. She made a mark through her steadfast integrity and expectation that others would meet the same high bar. I was so sad when she stepped down, and now devastated to lose her leadership for our community.鈥�
The cruel timing of Ancrum鈥檚 loss, so soon after retiring, was not lost on one of her former scribes, syndicated , the Miami Herald鈥檚 for commentary. Ancrum was Pitts鈥� editor before he retired from the Herald in the fall of 2022, about a year before Ancrum stepped down.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really sad to me because you think of retirement as sort of the dessert after the dinner,鈥� Pitts said. 鈥淚t just is really kind of so unfair that she gets, what, two months of retirement? I am shocked. Heartbroken.
鈥淚 had so many editors at the Herald but she was one of the and really instrumental in helping keep me in line. Every time I was ready to go off the deep end she鈥檇 gently reel me back in, which was not just a service to my journalism but frankly to my mental health. There was an elegance about her.鈥�
Ancrum鈥檚 journey
Ancrum, a New York University graduate, recently chuckled when she recalled the journey that brought her from her first reporting and editing jobs in Washington to Miami for the job interview that ushered her into the Miami Herald鈥檚 former mustard-colored building by the bay more than 40 years ago in the early-1980s.
鈥淢y cab driver said, 鈥榊ou mind if I make a stop?鈥� and I was like, 鈥楴o, I guess I don鈥檛 mind.鈥� And he went into a gun shop and bought a gun. And I was like, 鈥榃ell, this is so different!鈥� Because gun shops weren鈥檛 all that apparent in New York or in Washington, DC, where I had been living. And I thought 鈥榃ow, the rules really are different here.鈥欌��
For the next 40 years, Ancrum documented her adopted city in the pages of the Herald as a young reporter, editor and right up through her last position as the editorial department鈥檚 leader who guided her colleagues to two Pulitzers.
Myriam M谩rquez, the former Herald editorial page editor who preceded Ancrum, said the two clicked immediately.
鈥淣ot only did she know Miami with all its warts, but her knowledge of Black Miami鈥檚 history and all the waves of immigration was instrumental in our board鈥檚 discussions about the future of South Florida. And that voice! She had the best broadcast voice 鈥� knowledgeable without being pedantic or in your face. She was a jewel, and a great friend. I cannot process this. My thoughts are with her wonderful husband George and her extended family,鈥� M谩rquez said.
Ancrum led the Herald podcast 鈥�,鈥� and 鈥�,鈥� a livestream interview initiative that gave voice to a broad range of community members, from elected officials to artists to victims of violence.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the things I鈥檝e been proud of 鈥� that you don鈥檛 have to have a title after your name to appear on our pages,鈥� Ancrum told the Herald just ahead of her retirement.
She was sometimes a critic of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and made sure to give space to differing viewpoints through two opinion newsletters she started 鈥� and , the Herald鈥檚 newsletter of conservative voices.
For the last decade of her professional life, she ensured the editorial department never lost sight of community neighbors like Cuba and Haiti and vetted and endorsed local political candidates. She wanted to help guide and propel voters to the polls during election periods.
Ancrum鈥檚 legacy
鈥淣ancy Ancrum鈥檚 legacy shines brightly, illuminating the lives of those she touched with her dedication to journalism and unwavering commitment to truth. Her fearless reporting and compassionate storytelling enriched our community, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of many. Through her profound impact, Nancy鈥檚 spirit will continue to inspire and uplift, forever cherished and remembered,鈥� said , executive editor of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.
Colleagues celebrate the collegial and warm environment Ancrum brought to the newsroom behind the scenes and out in the community.
鈥淪ome people come into our lives who are irreplaceable and I count Nancy among them,鈥� said Monica Richardson, vice president of news for the Heralds鈥� parent company, McClatchy.
鈥淣ancy cared deeply for her work, her purpose and for this community. She aspired to make a difference and have impact and she did just that. She was a well respected Black female leader in our industry who broke barriers and opened doors for others in this profession. We are devastated by this loss but I can say without a doubt that the Miami community is better because of Nancy. Journalism is better because of Nancy. I am a better leader and journalist because of Nancy.鈥�
Kitty Dumas, an executive with the Ryder Charitable Foundation and a former reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer, called her best friend 鈥渢he best at everything that matters. Yes she was a skillful and insightful editor and leader who spoke truth to power. But she also gave her friends the gift of her endless capacity for goodness, a place of refuge, and the most beautiful dinner parties. Some years ago when she was ill, she knitted special gifts for people she loved. With her beloved husband George she created a butterfly garden. Most importantly to me, Nancy was my best friend.鈥�
And Driscoll, who now leads the Herald鈥檚 editorial board, loved the energy Ancrum brought at daily meetings.
鈥淭here was laughter and disagreement and strongly held opinions. We got loud and we argued. But we also forged strong bonds. We were a close-knit team, and that was due to Nancy and her leadership.鈥�
Planting seeds
Former Miami Herald Editorial Board Editor Nancy Ancrum is shown in a photograph taken on April 16, 1999. Chuck Fadely Miami Herald file photo
But for all of Ancrum鈥檚 admirers, none were closer than her husband George Fishman, her sole survivor.
鈥淣ancy always preferred editing to writing and totally blossomed in her role as head of the editorial board,鈥� he told the Herald Saturday. 鈥淭he shouting and laughter that accompanied the serious business of crafting those opinion pieces was her greatest joy, which she already missed after retirement. I referred to the board as Nancy and the angels.鈥�
Luisa Yanez, a member of the editorial board who worked with Ancrum for 10 years, said Ancrum 鈥渓oved her husband George, her dog, Lila, Art Week and 鈥楲aw & Order.鈥� She collected two things: fashionable earrings and women friends, who she adored and who adored her back.鈥�
Fellow longtime Miami Herald editor Joan Chrissos shared a conversation she鈥檇 had with Ancrum decades ago 鈥� and again just weeks ago.
鈥淲e grew up at the Herald together as young women journalists from New York,鈥� Chrissos said. 鈥淚n fact, she and I recently reminisced how we had lunch together to go over wedding planning as I had gotten married a year before she and George did. And true to form, Nancy remembered all the details of our lunch 鈥� more than 30 years later!鈥�
Services have not been planned yet. But there is one wish Ancrum would have had, her husband says. 鈥淪he would urge planting lots of flowers, especially milkweed, and other butterfly host plants.
鈥淲hen I saw two big ugly giant swallowtail caterpillars feeding on a plant in the yard, I felt a big swell of relief, because we hadn鈥檛 seen any in many years,鈥� Fishman said. 鈥淎nd then, when one of the giant swallowtail butterflies fluttered overhead, I knew Nancy was free and happy.鈥�
