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The Shaun Higgins I knew

By Ross McPherson

McPherson Media Group

Shepparton, Australia

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Shaun Higgins’ passing is not just a blow for INMA, the news industry, The Spokesman-Review, and Spokane, but a wrenching loss for all those who knew and loved this brilliant, funny man with a gift for storytelling and sharing his knowledge with an astonishing memory for anecdote and quotations.

Long-time INMA Board member and Treasurer Scott Stines of Iowa and I shared at least 13 road trips with Shaun, before or after INMA World Congresses in the United States. They started out as an aid to me getting over my jet lag after the long haul from Australia — but turned into fascinating journeys through history and landscape, often planned many months ahead. 

After hearing of Shaun's passing, Ross McPherson spent some time looking through old photos such as these of their time together.
After hearing of Shaun's passing, Ross McPherson spent some time looking through old photos such as these of their time together.

We went up and down each side of the Rockies, both sides of the Mississippi River, across the south and the north, and our often long days of travel would feature a string of Higgins soliloquies on the history, politics, and culture of the state or region we were traversing. 

Whether it was “The Mind of The South” in Montgomery, Alabama, the route of Lewis and Clark through Big Sky country out of Missoula, Montana, or the impact of Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency on conservation, Shaun’s prodigious knowledge added richly to our appreciation of where we were.

The proud son of a butcher, Shaun was a polymath: 

  • He knew how to break down a side of beef. 
  • He knew where to find the great museums of American art — in Fort Worth, Texas, or Cody, Wyoming — or the weird and wonderful Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles, or the Pacific War museums in New Orleans. 
  • He knew where to find the finest example of glass artist Dale Chihuly (The Biltmore in Ashville or at Bellagio in Las Vegas) — or he might conduct a guided tour of the extraordinary architecture of Columbus, Indiana.
  • He had a love of iconic hotels in so many American cities from Austin, Texas (The Driskill, for its western-themed bronze sculpture) to Portland, Oregon (The Heathman, for its original Warhols on every floor) to Three Forks, Montana (The Sacajawea, for its Native American heritage). 
  • He was a member of the Churchill Society and loved their annual gatherings where members would present well-researched papers with new material. 
  • He was a personal friend of Gunther Schuller, the composer and conductor who wrote the formidable Early Jazz, but he could enthusiastically recite lyrics from Country singer Lyle Lovett  and was a great supporter of the Spokane Symphony. 
  • His massive book collection overwhelmed his house with his beloved wife Ann and ancient cat, and flowed into a splendid private office he kept across the road from The Spokesman-Review, a base for his writing and movie reviews, with cabinets bulging with first editions.

And, yes, Shaun was a devoted bon vivant. He knew his way around a wine list, whether it was at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town or the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. He was wont to arrange a blind pinot or whiskey tasting (he christened our road trips “Whiskey & Lies”) and sought out the finest de gustations the world had to offer. He lured us to Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, Per Se in New York, and Alain Ducasse’s Delano in Las Vegas. But he also knew where to find the best buttered lobster roll in Maine (Red’s in Wiscasset).

His appetite matched his soaring intellect, knowledge, and endless store of insights, always accompanied by his deep, trademark chuckle. Shaun Higgins leaves a very big hole.

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