Charles B. Seib, the former ombudsman of The Washington Post, died on Oct. 23 following a brief illness. He was 84.
Seib graduated with a journalism degree from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., and took a job with the Evening Chronicle in Allentown. After working at The Associated Press, the Philadelphia Record, the International News Service and the Gannett News Service, Seib joined The (Washington) Evening Star in 1954 as a reporter on the national desk. He was later promoted to be the paper's Sunday editor and managing editor.
In the 1970s, Seib was tapped to succeed Robert C. Maynard as the Washington Post's fourth ombudsman. His job was to answer readers' complaints and monitor the newspaper for fairness. He was the first Post ombudsman to work under a long-term contract.
The author of "The Woods: One Man's Escape to Nature," Seib spent the last years of his life teaching journalism part-time at the University of Maryland, Harvard University, Northeastern University and Syracuse University. His historical papers are housed at the University of Maryland library.
Charles Seib's book "The Woods" was a wonderful find for me (given as a gift many years ago)and made me feel very connected to this person I never met. I was saddened to hear just now of his passing.
Posted by Steve Laughlin on March 16, 2005 8:27 AMI only know of Mr. Seib through an article I read many years ago in a magazine (name unknown). It was a 5-6 page article on the cabin with a picture of the cabin in the woods and another of the inside. I have kept this article for probably 25 or more years in a folder entitled "Dream Cabin." My dream cabin never came to pass but I have often reread the article and gained much pleasure from doing so.
I recently visited a site somewhat like Mr. Seib's cabin site and wondered what his site might be like now. If this information is available, I would very much appreciate someone sharing it with me. His writing gave me a dream.
Charles Seib was an inspiring and demanding professor, and I was privilged to have been in one of his graduate classes at Syracuse in the early 1980s. I still have many of his handouts...particularly those from The Post's coverage of its "Jummy's World" debacle.
He gave a somewhat insecure young journalist confidence through his judgment and encouragment. He is among the top five teachers I have had in my career.
I have got the his book and like it very much.I am in China and cant find the more information of him and anybody can help me? I would much appriciate him(or her).
Posted by le on August 24, 2006 5:03 AMCharles Seib is my grandfather, he was a great person and will be missed. I still have a signed copy of his book The Woods on my bookshelf that I'll cherish forever.
Posted by Adam Dawson on July 8, 2007 7:51 PM