January 2015 was a “Red Letter” month for PLSN. It was the month Nook Schoenfeld penned his first editor’s note for PLSN. It was filled with trepidation.
He had never been an editor. He knew that by taking this position, he was going on a journey to where he had never been. There was angst, but a resolve in it. I knew he would find a way to get to where he needed to go, and he did.
Like most of us, when we decide we are going to do something, we just keep putting one foot ahead of the other until we get there. Little did Nook know he was already there when he said yes to the job. His knowledge of lighting technology, production, leading others, life on the road, and course how to tell a good story was in him all along.
So as the story goes, Nook was great at being editor of PLSN. Seven years later we started talking about an exit strategy for Nook from the position. He wanted to stay on for a couple of more years, but he wanted to move on by the time he was 65. Nook liked to plan ahead.
Little did we both know, a month later, those two years would pass in 30 days. Nook was faced with his greatest challenge. But as he faced all his challenges, he did it with determination and maintained his infectious joy for living all the way to the end.
Along with Patrick Stansfield, Nook was one of the great characters in my life. He was always upbeat in the midst of any adversity. He always raised my spirits with every conversation with him. I will miss him. If you knew him, I am sure you will too. RIP Nook.
— Terry Lowe
President, Timeless Communications
Hey Buddy
As an industry, we have lost a dear friend, trusted colleague, creative designer, an accomplished writer, and a kind soul. I have lost a friend and mentor. I will miss hearing the words, ‘Hey Buddy.’ I loved getting Nook’s ‘Hey Buddy’ calls. It could be for an assignment, clarification, or to talk about the industry, life, or the Green Bay Packers. Nook loved sports; he would have made a Helluva sportswriter! But the press boxes loss was our wonderful gain. When Nook told me about his cancer diagnosis, he said, ‘But look buddy, I am going to beat this.’ When he did, I got to make a ‘Hey Buddy’ call to him to congratulate him! I am humbled to be in his old job now and I intend to continue to honor him by championing new people in the industry and striving to always be kind.
— Michael S. Eddy
Editor, PLSN
A Wellspring of Stories and New Ideas
As Managing Editor of PLSN magazine since January 2008, I had the pleasure of reading (and sometimes trying to tame) Nook’s unique prose, which he often wrote on the fly between lighting gigs, first as PLSN’s back page LD-at-Large, then as the magazine’s editor. Always bursting with new ideas, Nook packed the issues with story after story, and even when PLSN was so enormous that it landed on the desk with a heavy ‘thunk,’ there would still be a bunch of stories that Nook really wanted to include but couldn’t, because we just didn’t have enough space in the magazine. Nook reflected—and helped instill—the wonderful backstage camaraderie that is the hidden treasure of the live event industry, discoverable to anyone who has the good fortune to pursue this line of work as a career. And if you weren’t able to meet him in person, you can still hear him tell some great tales from the road. Just read his book, The Old Man’s Musings — 45 Years of Gigs.
— Frank Hammel
Managing Editor, PLSN/FOH
