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Harrison Smith

@harrisondsmith.bsky.social
158 followers 250 following 43 posts

I edit and write obituaries for @washingtonpost.com. More interested in life than death. Get in touch at harrison.smith@washpost.com

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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
"Grandma Elinor threw her final party this spring, hiring a magician to entertain most of her 16 great-grandchildren for an afternoon." Lovely tribute to Washington philanthropist Elinor Farquhar in this week's What We Remember, the Post's new short-form obituary feature.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
“My mantra as he was in hospice was, ‘You are the best thing that ever happened to me.’” From this week’s What We Remember: tributes to a grad student, a pastor, a teacher for the deaf and a banker who found freedom on the open road. wapo.st/4qHoG1d
wapo.st
The banker who found freedom in a Dodge van, and other extraordinary lives we’ve lost
A pastor with a childlike sense of wonder. A student who found strength in helping others. Intimate obituaries, in 150 words or less.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Violet Hensley died this month at 109. “The Whittlin’ Fiddler”was one of the last links to a pre-Depression era of foot-stomping folk music. “If I’m fiddling, I don’t want to stop; if I’m whittling, I don’t want to stop. I play it my way.” wapo.st/4qzLVKv
wapo.st
She set aside the fiddle to raise nine children. At 99, she made her Opry debut.
Violet Hensley, who has died at 109, was one of the last links to a bygone era of foot-stomping American folk music.
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Nancy Townsley @nancytownsley.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
@harrisondsmith.bsky.social, obituaries editor at @washingtonpost.com, chose my vignette about the venerable Steve Arndt for the paper's What We Remember feature. Our dear friend and writing partner is very much missed. 💚
This 150-word vignette I wrote about Steve Arndt was published in The Washington Post on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Bishop Rainey Cheeks died last week at 74. He was a singular Washington figure: a taekwondo grandmaster who became a minister, AIDS activist, and nightclub manager, helping to build a sanctuary for gay Black men in the city. My latest in @washingtonpost.com: wapo.st/4qo2sBh
wapo.st
Bishop Rainey Cheeks, a taekwondo master who took on the AIDS crisis, dies at 74
At 21, he won a bronze medal at the inaugural World Taekwondo Championships. He went on to become a lynchpin of Washington’s LGBTQ+ community.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Today's @washingtonpost.com includes the latest installment of What We Remember, our new short-form obit series highlighting everyday but extraordinary people. Some wonderful reader tributes here, including for a beloved gospel DJ and a Minnesota farmer nicknamed "Mr. Rubber Duckie"
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
We're launching something new on the obits desk today: What We Remember, a series of short essays in which readers reflect on a friend or family member who's recently died. These pieces can be funny, moving, tender or outrageous — whatever captures the person’s spirit.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Working out of the NIH, Judith Rapoport helped introduce the public to OCD, writing the 1989 bestseller “The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Washing.” She “essentially brought that disorder to light in the United States and around the world.” My obit for the Post: www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Judith Rapoport dies at 92. Her best-selling book introduced readers to OCD.
While working at the NIH, she wrote “The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Washing,” a groundbreaking study of OCD. She also researched childhood schizophrenia and ADHD.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Wrote about Thaddeus Mosley, the self-taught sculptor who worked nights at a post office, carving wood by day, before finding international fame at 92. “Mr. Mosley holds up an example that’s so critical for artists of all generations — to keep going.” www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Sculptor Thaddeus Mosley, who found international fame in his 90s, is dead
To focus on sculpting, he worked nights at a Pittsburgh post office. At 92, his art career finally took off.
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The Washington Post Tech Guild @wapotechguild.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Tomorrow, the Washington Post Tech Guild enters effects and decisional bargaining over the company’s illegal attempted layoffs of 76 of our colleagues. Our goal is to secure the best possible deal for our members: both those who want to stay and those who choose to leave.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
For @washingtonpost.com, I wrote about the death of Paula Doress-Worters, who co-wrote the landmark women's health book "Our Bodies, Ourselves." She drew on her own experience with postpartum depression to bring the subject out of the shadows: www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Paula Doress-Worters, who helped break the silence on postpartum depression, dies at 87
She co-wrote “Our Bodies, Ourselves,” a 1970s touchstone conceived by and for women. The book offered information about abortion, pregnancy and postpartum life.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Hired by the Daily Express at 21, in 1948, she was "game for anything, such as charming her way on to an RAF plane airlifting coal to the Soviet-blockaded city of Berlin. She landed smudged but triumphant." Lovely read from Veronica Horwell in the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/media/2026/m...
theguardian.com
Drusilla Beyfus obituary
Stylish newspaper and magazine journalist who enjoyed great success with her book Modern Manners, a guide to etiquette
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Some echoes from an earlier war: The last Marine to leave Vietnam, Juan Valdez, died this month at 88. He was on the last helicopter to take off from the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. “He was a model leader,” said one Marine who served with him. www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
The last Marine to leave Vietnam has died. Juan Valdez was 88.
As North Vietnamese troops closed in, he was the last Marine to board the last helicopter out of Saigon. “He was a model leader,” said one who served with him.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Colman McCarthy, the longtime peace activist and Washington Post columnist, has died at 87. “He wrote about principles — peace and nonviolence — and he lived by those principles,” said Don Graham, the paper's former publisher. “He made The Post better.” www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Colman McCarthy, who preached peace as a Post columnist and teacher, dies at 87
After training as a monk, he left the monastery to go into journalism, writing a syndicated Post column that made him a prominent voice in the peace movement.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
For @washingtonpost.com, I spoke to former students and colleagues of Tre' Johnson, who died last week at 54. The onetime NFL standout had reinvented himself as a high school history teacher. “He got me to see more in myself than I knew was there.” www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
NFL Pro Bowler Tre’ Johnson, dead at 54, found a new calling as a teacher
He was a bruising offensive lineman, playing in Washington for eight seasons, before becoming a teacher and coach at a Maryland private school.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
RIP Frederick Wiseman. Another, very different cinema giant now lost. He was making movies into his 90s, crafting “a natural history of the way we live” while documenting life at a housing project, psychiatric institution and Michelin-starred restaurant. www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Frederick Wiseman, a master of immersive documentaries, dies at 96
His films explored American institutions, from a psychiatric hospital to a public housing project, and brought him international acclaim.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Wrote about LaMonte McLemore, gone at 90, who spread a message of joy as a singer in the 5th Dimension and photographer for Jet magazine. "He was a sure shot. And I knew that if LaMonte was shooting it, it was going to be perfect." www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
LaMonte McLemore spread joy through the 5th Dimension and Jet magazine
The singer and photographer was a founding member of the vocal group, known for No. 1 hits like “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.” He died last week at 90.
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John Williams @johnwilliams.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
If you're in D.C. a week from tomorrow, there's an event at Politics & Prose honoring the history of Book World. I think the tone will likely be less funerary than you might imagine. I know my comments will be. politics-prose.com/tribute-book...
politics-prose.com
A Tribute to Book World
- Jonathan Yardley — author, book critic, Book World, 1983-2015
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Washington Post Guild @postguild.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Will Lewis’s exit is long overdue. His legacy will be the attempted destruction of a great American journalism institution. But it's not too late to save The Post. Jeff Bezos must immediately rescind these layoffs or sell the paper to someone willing to invest in its future.
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Ben Mullin @benmullin.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
“I’m glad Will Lewis has been fired. I wish it had happened before he fired all my friends.” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/t...
nytimes.com
Washington Post C.E.O. Will Lewis Steps Down After Stormy Tenure
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
My obit for Bob Croft, a free diving legend who set three world records while plunging into the Gulf Stream. “If you’re doing something that could possibly kill you and you don’t have at least a small amount of apprehension, you’re either a liar or a fool.” www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Bob Croft, free diver who ventured deeper than anyone before him, dies at 91
The barrel-chested diver set three world records and served as an underwater guinea pig for Navy scientists.
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Ron Charles @roncharles.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
After 20 years, I've been laid off at The Washington Post. substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
I’ve Been Laid Off. I’m Not Done.
After 20 years at The Washington Post, I’m suddenly on my own — and still writing about books.
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Mr. Dan Zak @mrdanzak.com · 04/02/2026
Chris Richards is of the greatest Post writers of all time, & the best music critic in the country. You want Chris’s words in your life, & I am going to keep them in mine. I have never before recommended a Substack. His brand new one has my immense endorsement: thefutureisourstomake.substack.com
thefutureisourstomake.substack.com
THE FUTURE IS OURS TO MAKE | Chris Richards | Substack
Music reccos/rants/prayers/curses by critic and co-listener Chris Richards. Click to read THE FUTURE IS OURS TO MAKE, by Chris Richards, a Substack publication. Launched 5 hours ago.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 04/02/2026
I expected the cuts would be bad but I'm honestly stunned and sickened seeing how many great journalists the Washington Post just lost. People who nailed huge investigations, documented war zones, exposed horrific crimes, dropped all at once for failures they did not cause.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
You could build a newsroom from scratch with all the brilliant journalists who were just laid off at the Post. Devastated for all my friends and colleagues who lost their jobs today
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
When Myra MacPherson applied for her first journalism job in 1956, an editor informed her he had no openings on the women’s page. “I said I wasn’t considering the women’s department, and he looked at me as if I had said I just shot my mother.” RIP 👑 www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Myra MacPherson, trailblazing Washington Post journalist, dies at 91
The longtime Style section reporter defied gender stereotypes, covering current affairs and writing books about the Vietnam War and power-couple marriages.
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Washington Post Guild @postguild.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
It takes all of us to make The Washington Post. Every section works together to create this authoritative, entertaining, worldwide news report. So, Jeff Bezos, #SaveThePost.
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Michelle Ye Hee Lee @myhlee.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
For nearly a century, the @washingtonpost’s foreign correspondents have been on the ground for the world’s most pressing stories. Now, our desk is facing potential steep cuts. Washington needs us. The world needs us. If you read us and need us, please watch this video and share.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Raised in Jim Crow-era Virginia, educated in a leaky-roofed one-room schoolhouse, Gladys West, 95, became a hidden figure behind the development of GPS. New from me in @washingtonpost.com: www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Raised in the segregated South, Gladys West was a hidden figure behind GPS
Without the mathematical model that she helped refine, “the extraordinary positioning, navigation, and timing accuracy of GPS would be impossible to achieve.”
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Sarah Kaplan @sarahkaplan48.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
My @washingtonpost.com colleagues worked round the clock this weekend to expose the truth of what's happening in Minneapolis and bring urgent weather news to millions facing dangerous cold and snow. If you value this work, tell Jeff Bezos to #SaveThePost www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
washingtonpost.com
Federal agent secured gun from Minn. man before fatal shooting, videos show
A Washington Post analysis of videos sheds light on the encounter that left 37-year-old Alex Pretti dead.
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Louisa Loveluck @leloveluck.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
As @washingtonpost.com international & local correspondents, we have risked our lives, side by side, because we believe reporting from the ground serves the public good. To choke that engine of brave, committed colleagues would be devastating. If you value our work, tell Jeff Bezos to #SaveThePost.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
A world without a strong Washington Post is a dark, dark world — more confusing, less informed. While my colleagues and I ask Jeff Bezos to reconsider layoffs and #SaveThePost, please consider subscribing if you don’t already. subscribe.washingtonpost.com/acquisition/...
google.com
Subscribe to The Washington Post
Washington Post Offer Page
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 21/01/2026
Breaking news: The Post demanded in a court filing that federal law enforcement officials return electronic devices the government seized from a staff reporter’s home, writing that the search “ignores federal statutory safeguards for journalists.”
washingtonpost.com
Washington Post demands government return materials seized from reporter
The Post demanded in a court filing Wednesday that federal law enforcement officials return electronic devices the government seized from a staff reporter’s home.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
"Cruise ships used to be about sailing and the sea. If you wanted to rent a room, you went to a hotel. People wore hard pants on planes. "Those were such quaint times." www.washingtonpost.com/travel/inter...
washingtonpost.com
25 ways travel has changed this century
Our staff discusses the biggest moments and advancements that took place between 2000 and 2025. Then we asked travel industry stalwarts for theirs.
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Washington Post Guild @postguild.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
The Washington Post Guild is alarmed and appalled by federal law enforcement’s search and seizure of reporter Hannah Natanson’s property and personal devices. Hannah is a valued member of our union whose work covering the federal workforce has been essential (1/3)
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 14/01/2026
Investigators told the reporter that she is not the focus of the probe. The warrant said law enforcement was investigating a system administrator in Maryland who has been accused of taking home classified intelligence reports. wapo.st/4qULbi9
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Before Rosa Parks, there was Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus. "Claudette gave all of us the moral courage to do what we did," said Fred Gray. My latest for @washingtonpost.com, on the death of a civil rights pioneer: www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Claudette Colvin, civil rights pioneer on a Montgomery bus, dies at 86
Nine months before Rosa Parks made history, Ms. Colvin refused to give up her seat on a segregated city bus. She became a star witness in a civil rights case.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Scott Adams, "Dilbert" creator turned digital provocateur, dies at 68. "The universal thread” uniting the comic strip’s readers "is powerlessness," he said. "Dilbert has no power over anything." My obit for @washingtonpost.com: www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Scott Adams, ‘Dilbert’ creator who poked fun at bad bosses, dies at 68
His three-panel comic strip was published in more than 2,000 newspapers, only to fade from view after Mr. Adams made racist comments on a YouTube live stream.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Confirmed by BOP: Aldrich Ames, the deadliest traitor in CIA history, dies in prison at 84. Walter Pincus with the @washingtonpost.com byline. www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
washingtonpost.com
Aldrich Ames, most damaging CIA traitor in agency history, dies at 84
He reportedly caused the deaths of at least 10 recruited CIA or allied intelligence agents.
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
One more reason to subscribe to the SERIOUSLY? newsletter from @shaneisland.bsky.social: You get his 24-word obit for Spanish fresco restorer Cecilia Giménez. "She taught us that done is better than perfect, that forgiveness is better than permission and that Jesus looks better with his mouth open."
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Nobody does it like the Brits. The lede from @thetimes.com obit for Justin Toper, whom Piers Morgan once called "the best astrologer in the galaxy”: www.thetimes.com/uk/obituarie...
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Frannie says it feels good to have never lost to Michigan. Hook ‘em
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
On A1 today: Our obit for gospel star Richard Smallwood, whose song “Total Praise” became a church choir staple and was covered by Stevie Wonder and Destiny’s Child. By @ethanbeck2003.bsky.social 🎁🔗 wapo.st/4q11s5d
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Harrison Smith @harrisondsmith.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Parachuting in on Bluesky to share a couple recent end-of-year projects I'm proud of — one something new, the other a bit of a throwback.
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