Carl N. Tyson

My heartfelt sympathies to all the family members during this most difficult time. You have lost a caring and loving son, brother, and father. I have lost a loyal and amazing manager/colleague, friend, and we have all lost a publishing treasure. Everything about Carl was writ large. In addition to the great photos that some of my dear colleagues have posted, I have also found some oldies but goodies. As you know, Carl had a charming and special set of talents. Once you met Carl, and shook his hand or gave him a big hug, you knew that would be an unforgettable moment. You could not tell that he had all those advanced degrees in history from his beloved Wichita State and University of Oklahoma, and that he even wrote a book on Native Americans because he was so unassuming. He was vastly intelligent and could converse on seemingly a wide array of topics and current events. I remember how we were all sitting in the cafeteria back in the 80’s and he joked with Karin whether he would receive a book that he had just ordered from a company called Amazon. Unlike many of my colleagues, Carl knew where Ukraine was and this was back in the 80’s. He called me “Yuri.” On one of our trips to Canada, we could translate meters into miles before I could say “what.” He had a bad dream one night, woke up in the middle of the night and scared the hell out of me. He would often say, “Yea I sleep like a baby, I get up, cry, fall asleep again, get up, cry….” Carl had a spark, vitality, and smile that could fill a room, a wonderful sense of humor, self-deprecating, and biting wit. I can still hear him teasing Ben, Arnold, Greg, Michael, Scott or one of the marketing managers (we paved the way in the industry thanks to his and Jim’s support), reps, authors, editorial staff, and others about this or that. How he stayed up in the wee hours of the morning playing cards or telling jokes was remarkable. The laughter would never end. One of his favorite jokes had to do with publishing being like a circus, and the circus newsletter editor walking behind elephants with a broom. He loved to entertain colleagues on business and at his home (he always won Trivial Pursuit), and everyone who worked for him was not just a colleague but a friend. He had a talent for making ordinary meetings be it a small meeting with marketing managers, or a large NSM, extraordinary and memorable. He had a big heart. Carl was a kind, generous friend who was always there for you whether you needed or wanted a caring shoulder to lean on. He was loyal and supportive to an extreme. You’re supposed to get support from a caring leader for the company you work for. But when he left for McGraw-Hill, I’ll always remember him telling us that at their NSM, some of the reps were discussing the competition and were knocking one of his dearest author friends, Charles Miller, who had just passed away. He got up and told everyone to stop it in Carl’s unique style. You didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Carl. When he talked, you listened. If you had an issue, problem or just needed to talk, he was always there with a helping hand, or a needed hug. Hugging him was like getting lost in the arms of a big cuddly bear. He was a big care package! Carl was a gifted story teller. I can still hear him talking about everything from the tragedy surrounding the Wichita State Football team to how native Americans were treated to Michael, if not mistaken, falling asleep on a pillow loaded with hotel chocolates, to how he got to meet Willie Nelson at his favorite breakfast place in Austin. We can only imagine what they did together. As you know too well, publishing life involves lots of traveling from town to town, to meetings and conferences, and to being away from family. Those times must have been difficult for you as well. Thank you for sharing an amazing brother, sister, and son with us. He would often let us know with pride what his children were doing so we got to know you a little through him. His spirit, larger than life, is always with us, will be remembered and live on! Peace.