Remembering Peter Mackler: Nancy Shields: Testament to a special man

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Nancy Shields: Testament to a special man

I finally braved reading this blog tonight. It's hard to write a tribute when the screen blurs over from tears.

Bravo to James for creating such a precious legacy for Peter's daughters, a testament to a special man. That's what I want to write about -- the guy outside of work, who was more than a fabulous journalist. I met Peter my first weeks at AFP in 1980. I was briefly intimidated until I saw that heart of gold shine through and a quick repartee arose tapping an old US rivalry -- our home states, New York vs. New Jersey, the guy from Brooklyn and the Jersey girl. When news was slow Peter got fidgety.

"You are such a New Yorker! Calm down," I once teased. He stood still, thrust out his arm and shot back with what became a standing joke: "Alright Jersey girl, look at this hand, steady as steel." And he was. He was the Brooklyn Bridge, a solid expanse of optimism ready to help you across troubled waters and keep you focussed on that magical skyline waiting on the other side -- as once he did for me. Years ago we went to see "It's a Beautiful Life," the Italian film set in a Nazi concentration camp. When the lights came on, I was choked up fighting tears but Peter was smiling broadly. "Wasn't that a great film? The love of that father." That was quintessential Peter, the guy -- like the man in the film -- who could distill the best even from tragedy, the "papa poule" who'd do anything for his children, the husband still so in love he softened when Catherine spoke.

When I was in Washington last year, he asked for a private session to learn the new AFP interface. He absorbed all in five minutes then said, "Enough, now let's get down to the real stuff" -- which meant chatting about our respective kids, our lives, our adventures, Peter cracking jokes throughout. You can't talk about Peter without talking about Catherine. Peter was quickly smitten with this young French girl -- and he was unequivocal. He actually talked authorities into breaking down her apartment door when they were dating in New York City. He hadn't heard from her and was certain something horrible had happened -- which it hadn't. "Jeez, Peter, how'd Catherine react?" I asked. "Well," he replied with the ultimate Mackler grin, "I guess you can say she got the message that I really loved her."

I first met Catherine in their old apartment in Montmartre. Peter had invited some Americans for Thanksgiving dinner and there she was, gloriously pregnant with their first child, Camille, joking about all the different dishes, saying: "What do I know, I'm French!" A few years later, I too was pregnant with my first child, searching for a bigger apartment. I remembered theirs -- they were abroad by then -- and tried my luck, knocking on the concierge's door. Twenty-five years later, I'm still in that same Montmartre building where we celebrated that lovely holiday.

Your couple began in New York Catherine, but your family began here, in Montmartre. You know you and the girls are welcome, always, anytime -- for a peek back to where some of your own "beautiful life" began. And it will carry on -- the Brooklyn bridge never lets you down.

-- Nancy Shields

A NOTE FROM CATHERINE

Dear friends,

Camille, Lauren and I have been overwhelmed by messages of sympathy and testimonies from people all over the world on how Peter has touched their lives.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. We know now that Peter succeeded at what mattered most to him, that was to touch people's lives, make a difference and help them achieve their very best as men and women.

My husband was an extraordinary man in public, as you know, but even more so in private. We shared 31 years that have been rich with love, challenges, and adventures beyond belief. We grew together into what he called "better people." Although he always thought we were never quite there yet, I know that he certainly was.

I have to continue by myself the path that he has laid out so clearly for us. Camille and Lauren, who carry so much of him inside them and take his purpose even further, will be my strength.

Thank you very much for all your support and friendship. I am deeply appreciative of all of you.

Catherine Antoine
catherine@catherineantoine.com

Peter Mackler, a pillar of AFP, dies at 58

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Peter Mackler, a veteran of Agence France-Presse who covered wars, elections and was the driving force behind transforming the agency's English language service into a global powerhouse, has died at 58.

Mackler died Friday after suffering a heart ailment at work in Washington, where he had served as AFP's chief editor for North America since 2006. His sudden death sent shockwaves throughout the agency's bureaus the world over.

"One of the agency's best journalists has died," said AFP chief executive Pierre Louette. "He was for most of us a source of inspiration, a model."

"I know he had a total passion for the agency, a desire for it to be great and remain in the top rank," Louette said. "We will miss him terribly."

Mackler, an American who spoke French fluently, joined AFP in the United States in September 1979 after starting his journalism career at a rival agency, UPI, in New York.

Over his nearly 30-year career at AFP, the indefatigable journalist played a key role in developing the multilingual agency's anglophone service from Paris to the Middle East and Hong Kong.

He was also a passionate and energetic journalist who relished the big stories.

As a reporter or editor, he wrote and oversaw stories that have defined recent history: from the Gulf War in 1991 to the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and George W. Bush's presidency.

In the past year, he steered the Washington bureau's coverage of the marathon presidential nomination race with his usual vigor and focus in the face of intense competition from rival news agencies.

But between his long hours at the office, Mackler had also dedicated his time and energy to lending his vast experience to journalists working in developing countries.

In 2004, Peter Mackler set up Global Media Forum, an international media training programme, that grew out of work he had done for underprivileged children at Duke Ellington High School in Washington.

For the last year, he had worked with the AFP Foundation, a non-profit, and had been preparing a training project for journalists in Lebanon that had been requested by the United Nations.

"Peter Mackler was a man of many parts but to his colleagues he will be chiefly remembered for three outstanding qualities: his uncompromising commitment to the highest professional standards; his deep loyalty to his friends and colleagues; and his dedication to teaching young journalists," said AFP deputy managing editor Robert Holloway.

Born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn on August 22, 1949, Mackler graduated with a degree in psychology and began working as a psychologist for children in his neighborhood before joining UPI in 1973.

After starting at AFP in the United States in 1979, Mackler moved to the agency's editing desk in Hong Kong in 1982 and went on to become the bureau chief in Sydney and Singapore.

His work in Asia helped turn AFP's English dispatches into an essential source of news for newspapers and broadcast media across the region.

In 1991, he was dubbed "General Mackler" for his sure-handed organizational skills during the Gulf War as he helped AFP correspondents arrive in Kuwait City hours before the US Army.

After working in Brussels, he had his first stint as chief editor in Washington in 1994 before becoming the bureau's deputy regional director.

He was then named senior reporter based at AFP's headquarters in Paris to cover terrorism, a job that took him back to New York to cover the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and to Pakistan for the war that followed in Afghanistan.

He returned to Washington in 2004 to cover the State Department before being named chief editor for North America two years later.

He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Catherine, and his two daughters, Camille and Lauren.