Walter J. Fox, a journalist and retired Temple and West Chester University professor raised in Lansdowne has died, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

He died Aug. 8 at age 89.

He’s the author of Writing the News: A Guide for Print Journalists.

From 1955 through 2020, he worked as a writer and reporter for United Press International, the Norristown Times Herald, the National Catholic Reporter, and the Chestnut Hill Local.

He wrote news stories, features, editorials, and obituaries (including his own) for many publications, including The Philadelphia Inquirer.

A 2012 Inquirer article of his profiled his great-grandfather, Pvt. Joseph Serwazi, and his role in the Civil War.

He was  on the public relations staff at Fordham University, and was director of public relations at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York.

He ran his own public relations counseling agency.

“He loved words,” said Fran Fox, his wife of 63 years. “He had this great curiosity, and he wasn’t afraid to ask questions.”

Dan Fox, the youngest of his four sons, said his father “always found the angle of a story. He always got the money quote.”

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer about the life of Walter J. Fox, Jr.