Phyllis Thornley, who worked as a librarian and administrator in the Minneapolis Public Schools for nearly three decades, died last month, according to the Star Tribune. On Oct. 29, a Star Tribune reporter wrote an obituary on Thornley.
The reporter interviewed people close to Thornley, including a friend, one of her sons and her niece. The three sources illustrated the theme of Thornley's life: that she loved books and reading.
The reporter used more of a feature-style lead. He opened the piece with an anecdote from Thornley's friend, who said she was impressed with Thornley's collection of books.
While Thornley was by no means a news maker, she seemed to be a well-respected figure in her community. She was a leader in many educational initiatives in Minnesota. Her death is notable to those in the field of education and library science.
The reporter listed Thornley's many achievements, but the piece was not a resume. The article was based around one central theme- that Thornley loved books- and all of the information supplied supported this central theme. The biographical information, such as the names of her family members, didn't come until the last paragraph.
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