Fortune’s Serwer: Hard to say goodbye to Carol Loomis

Fortune managing editor Andy Serwer writes his editor’s note in the next issue of the business magazine about Carol Loomis and her retirement from the magazine after working there for more than 60 years.

Serwer writes, “Carol was born on June 25, 1929, and raised in Cole Camp, Mo., a hamlet of about 1,000 people in the middle of that state. She joined Fortune in 1954. Let’s stop right there to note two points: (1) Carol just turned 85 years old. And (2) this year marks her 60th as an employee of Fortune and Time Inc., a record surely never to be broken. Ask yourself if you know anyone who has worked that long at a single company (besides one that the person founded). There may be a few, but are these people also the most highly regarded in their fields? Note that if Carol had retired at age 65—20 years ago—she wouldn’t have written a number of groundbreaking pieces, like her story criticizing the merger of AOL and Time Warner, then Fortune’s parent company.

“Did I mention that Carol is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met? And generous in sharing her knowledge, and not shy about speaking up when she sees something wrong? And that she loves a good yuk?

“I am happy to report that Carol plans to continue writing some for Fortune in retirement. But her piece on Larry Fink of BlackRock in this issue— typically comprehensive, penetrating, and authoritative—will be her last as a staff writer at Fortune. I have had the privilege of working with Carol for nearly 30 years. Her contributions to Fortune, to journalism, and to business are immense and incalculable. Her retiring from Fortune is the end of an era for all of us.”

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