Elgin native Tom Shales, a hugely influential figure in the TV world during a writing career that spanned four decades, has died.
Shales was 79 years old.
Born on November 3, 1944, the son of Elgin mayor Clyde Shales, Shales began his career in media at Elgin’s own WRMN at the age of 18, where he served as the station’s disc jockey, local news reporter, writer and announcer. After briefly attending Elgin Community College, Shales transferred to American University in Washington, DC.
After spending time at the DC Examiner in Washington, Shales joined The Washington Post as a writer in the Style section in 1972, was named chief television critic in July 1977, and was appointed TV editor in June 1979, a position he held until leaving the paper in 2010.
Shales received the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1988 for his work at The Washington Post, including his coverage of the Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination hearings.
According to The Washington Post, Shales died of complications from COVID and renal failure.
