![]() ![]() Like the story of James Lee Woodard, who came to Wade's home studio in Dallas for an interview on the very day he'd been exonerated and released from prison. When Wade Goodwyn wasn't working, he had four loves - his family, playing golf, riding motorcycles and spending time on his boat. "Especially the deaths of these children seem to have shaken everybody." "I think it's trite to say a community is hit hard by any disaster, but this small- what is really a small Midwestern town - has really taken the tragedy very hard," he reported. He was reporting live from the scene on NPR's Morning Edition in less than 24 hours: Murrah Federal Building, killing and injuring hundreds, including kids in a day care. One of his biggest stories was the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, when domestic terrorists set off a truck bomb at the Alfred P. ![]() Some of his most rewarding work was breaking news He reported on the rise of the Tea Party, covered the Enron financial scandal and trial, and remembered the wit and wisdom of Molly Ivins. ![]() and Laura Bush, Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, Dick Cheney and Beto O'Rourke. He had a knack for politics, doing profiles over the years of a host of rising political stars from Texas - among them George W. "It's been a very rough day, the roughest day the city has had in some 50 years," he told Morning Edition, likening the mood to the aftermath of President Kennedy's assassination. He started freelancing for NPR, and was assigned in 1993 to cover a high-profile story - the standoff between the federal government and cult leader David Koresh in Waco, Texas. He told Current in 2016 that he was so absorbed by the voices and stories he heard, he decided to pursue a freelance public radio career back home in Texas (where the rents were more affordable). There, he got hooked on NPR member station WNYC. Out of college, Wade left Austin to work as a political organizer in New York City. He'd been a history major at the University of Texas, a natural field of study for the son of noted historian Lawrence Goodwyn, who had been active in the civil rights movement and wrote books on grassroots populism in America. Radio storytelling is what pulled Wade Goodwyn into journalism. "He was just an amazing storyteller," says Drummond. Wade Goodwyn had a knack for finding stories that few others could - like this 2013 piece about camels trekking in the Texas desert.ĭrummond says that skill for observation - combined with his big, deep, rich voice - made it a pleasure to listen to Wade on the radio, even if he was delivering bad news. For instance, this memorable line from his coverage of Hurricane Rita in 2005: If his voice pulled you in, his way with words kept you listening. ![]() A profile once described his voice like "warm butter melting over barbecued sweet corn." But Goodwyn argued that his writing is what really mattered. Wade's soothing bass had a way of pulling listeners a little closer to the radio. You were in for a true treat, whatever the subject matter.," His keen writing and "big, deep, rich voice" From the first words of one of his stories, you always knew you were being taken on a journey by a master of our craft. "Aside from that instantly recognizable voice, Wade was a uniquely gifted storyteller and a brilliant reporter. "For generations of public radio listeners, including me, he was one of NPR's iconic voices," said NPR CEO John Lansing in an email to staff. He was 63.įor more than 25 years, Wade reported on his home state of Texas and the southwest United States, covering top stories including the Oklahoma City bombing, school shootings, hurricanes, the American Sniper murder trial, and the Boy Scouts sexual abuse scandal. Longtime National Desk correspondent Wade Goodwyn died Thursday of cancer. NPR has lost one of its singular and most recognizable voices. He's pictured here at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., in 2018. Wade Goodwyn reported for NPR for three decades and was known for his deep Texas bass and keen reporting observations and sharp writing. ![]()
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