With his feet propped up on his desk, arms behind his head and a smile on his face, Bob Heisler would welcome Daily Orange staff members into his office to talk about anything.

This is the image Robert Tembeckjian, editorial director from 1971-72, has of Heisler. Through the connected door between their offices, Tembeckjian would watch Heisler engage anyone walking by in conversation.

Whenever Heisler and Tembeckjian met for lunch at their favorite Mexican restaurant in Manhattan years later, Heisler would always wait for him with a margarita, chips and guacamole, and a smile on his face.

‘He always had that same smile on his face that was his hallmark 40 years ago,’ Tembeckjian said.

Heisler died last Saturday at age 60, after a long struggle with cancer. He was diagnosed in February 2011. He will be remembered as a legacy at The D.O., as a respected leader and as an inspiration to young journalists.

‘There’s an entire generation of people in journalism who have been calling and saying how he is responsible for their being journalists,’ said Sarah Heisler, his daughter.

From 1971-73, Heisler served as The D.O.’s editor in chief. It was during this time the student-run newspaper became independent of Syracuse University. Less than 1 percent of college newspapers across the United States were independent.

After Heisler graduated from SU, he continued his journalism career at several publications, including the Philadelphia Daily News, Newsday, the Stamford Advocate, the Providence Journal, the New York Post and the Journal News. His most recent position was managing editor for features at the New York Daily News.

Heisler had a quiet passion for journalism, said Bruce Apar, features editor of The D.O. from 1971-73. Although he was soft-spoken, it was clear to those who met Heisler that he was passionate about his life, family and profession, Apar said.

Heisler stored wingtip shoes and a suit at The D.O., and was sometimes seen wearing one shoe while the other rested on a filing cabinet in his office. The shoe would remain there for decades after Heisler left The D.O., with incoming editors in chief using it for a traditional beer chug at the start of their term.

‘I didn’t know too many 20-year-olds that wore wingtips in 1971,’ said Barbara Beck, managing editor of The D.O. from 1971-73. ‘I thought that was really weird.’

Beck said Heisler inspired people to become better reporters, writers and editors. He also taught her the importance of journalism.

‘He made me believe that being a newspaper reporter was close to God’s work and that there wasn’t any job out there or anything we could do that could be better than that,’ Beck said.

Heisler had a vision for the paper and a strong sense of what it meant to be a journalist. He believed the newspaper was not only a place for campus news, but also for city and national news. He once sent Tembeckjian to Chicago to cover a convention for student leaders who were engaged in anti-war activity, Tembeckjian said.

‘He had a vision of what the newspaper ought to be and how it ought to operate freely from editorial influences like the faculty and administration,’ Tembeckjian said.

Heisler also emphasized the responsibility of the paper in terms of reporting fairly and aggressively. When student journalists covered antiwar protests on campus, Heisler made sure stories were reported from an objective point of view, Apar said.

His maturity and ability to manage people were his strengths as a leader. Apar said the best phrase that applies to Heisler is ‘wise beyond his years.’

‘Even as the Daily Orange student editor, he was like the old man of The Daily Orange in terms of his innate wisdom,’ he said.

His wisdom showed in his managing style. Heisler had an instinct for knowing what worked, what people responded to and how to manage them, Apar said. Beck said Heisler knew how to match reporters’ skills with the right jobs.

‘There are people who have been managers for 20 years who could learn from Bob Heisler, the student editor when he was 19, 20 years old,’ Apar said.

When Apar worked at The D.O., Heisler let him put out an artsy weekly magazine that contained fiction stories. The paper thrived because Heisler gave people freedom to do what they wanted while maintaining a standard of excellence in the quality of coverage and editing, Apar said.

His friends also remember him for his sense of humor and wit. While Heisler was working at The D.O., Tembeckjian told him not to let his position as editor in chief get to his head. Heisler said, ‘Don’t worry, I already know this is the most important job I’ll ever have in journalism.’

In another instance, the publishing company that printed The D.O. switched from hot typesetters to cold typesetters. Heisler made sure everyone learned how to use the cold typesetters and joked that if journalists learned how to set type, they would always have a job in the newspaper business, Tembeckjian said.

That sense of humor stayed intact while he was fighting cancer.

When Tembeckjian told Heisler a friend would be visiting from Costa Rica to see him, Heisler said, ‘Good. I’ll try to stick around to see her.’

‘He fought his cancer aggressively for the better part of two years,’ Tembeckjian said. ‘But in the end, he accepted the inevitable with grace and class and humor.’

Heisler was able to find common ground with people he met and make them laugh within five minutes, Sarah Heisler said. Her father was the funniest man she ever knew, but she did not realize his significance in journalism until she was in high school and college.

In February 2011, Heisler visited Syracuse to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the D.O.’s independence. He told current staff members and writers about the newspaper’s history, including the Shoe.

‘It’s very humbling to think about what an influence he had, apparently,’ Sarah Heisler said. ‘Obviously he’s responsible for everything that is good about me, but it’s nice to know that he influenced everyone else, too.’

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Published on May 11, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Laurence: [email protected] | @lgleveille