Clyde Thomas Linsley Jr.

Clyde Thomas Linsley, Jr. was born October 17, 1942 in Little Rock, Arkansas to Dorothy Kellum Linsley and Clyde Thomas Linsley, Sr. Clyde was raised in Little Rock with his two brothers, Richard and James, and was a student at Little Rock Central High School in 1957 during the infamous desegregation. His stories of that time were fascinating, and as a result of his lived experience, he made sure that his children knew the full history of the civil rights movement and that they had a responsibility to fight for justice and equality.

This interest in social and political issues led Clyde to graduate from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism in 1964. After graduation, he worked as a reporter and disc jockey for WBNC Radio in North Conway, NH and then on the public relations staff for Winthrop Rockefeller’s campaign for Governor of Arkansas. He later attended Colgate Rochester Divinity School for two years, studying theology and social ethics, before taking a job as the Director of Radio and Television for the Republican National Committee from 1967-1969.

In April of 1968, during the race riots in Washington, D.C., after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Clyde met Nancy Main, who lived in the same building, and they began dating. They married on July 12, 1969 in Holderness, NH.

In 1969, Clyde took a job as a reporter for the Hartford Times in Hartford, CT, and in 1973, their first daughter, Meredith, was born. While working for the Hartford Times, Clyde wrote about education, labor, and state government, and also theatre and entertainment reviews. In addition, he had a weekly popular music column, and as a result of this column, he would soon amass a remarkable collection of vinyl records that he cherished.

in 1975, Clyde, Nancy and Meredith moved to Northern Virginia and Clyde began work as an information specialist with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Through his work for the DOT, he wrote speeches, position papers, radio and television scripts, magazine articles and op-ed pieces, planned and directed implementation of public information campaigns in connection with airline deregulation, truck deregulation, highway and transit funding and more.

Clyde became the Managing Editor of AAA World magazine in April of 1981, and in October of 1981, Clyde, Nancy, and Meredith welcomed twins, Bradford and Elizabeth to the family. At AAA, Clyde directed the startup, development and growth of a four-color consumer-oriented magazine for 2 million AAA members, published in 12 bimonthly regional editions. He was immensely proud of those magazines, and he kept copies of every single regional copy of every single publication.

In 1986, Clyde made the switch to freelance writing and editing, where he remained until his retirement. This switch allowed him time to work on personal interests. Clyde is a published author of five mystery novels: Death Spiral, Death of a Mill Girl, Saving Louisa, Die Like a Hero, and Old River, as well as countless short stories. He was a member of Washington Independent Writers, Malice Domestic, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Society of Professional Journalists.

Clyde was a devoted father and husband. He loved traveling with Nancy, chaperoning his twins’ band trips and competitions, volunteering with Brad’s Boy Scout Troop, taking Meredith to drama classes, and driving. He had a great sense of humor, and deeply loved satire. He was a voracious reader, and because of his work, he knew a little bit about everything. He loved the History Channel and documentaries and could frequently be found reading several books at the same time. Musicals and music were a personal favorite of his, and he and Nancy were longtime symphony subscribers of the National Symphony Orchestra and Theatre subscribers at The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, and Signature Theater. He loved to make up his own lyrics to songs, and his children grew up knowing his lyrics as well as the real lyrics. He was also an avid ice cream and gelato connoisseur. 

As his dementia began to rob him of many of his favorite things, his grandchildren continued to bring him joy. He loved seeing pictures and videos of them, and watching them in person made him very happy. He was deeply loved by his family. 

Clyde is survived by his wife Nancy, daughter Meredith (Chris) Charles, son Bradford (Kimberly) Linsley and daughter Elizabeth Linsley; grandchildren Lorelei Charles and Olivia, Kellum and Bennett Linsley. Clyde is also survived by his younger brothers Richard and James.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of Clyde to the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism: Missouri School of Journalism, Office of Advancement, 103 Neff Hall, Columbia, MO 65211 https://www.giving.missouri.edu/s/1002/20/home.aspx?sid=1002&gid=165&pgid=4853 

A celebration of life will be held in the spring. Services and burial will be private.