Burl: Journalism Giant and Medical Trailblazer

by Jane Wolfe

The riveting biography of Burl Osborne, former chairman of The Associated Press and publisher of The Dallas Morning News, who waged and won one of the last great newspaper wars in the U.S.

Burl is the story of one man’s unlikely rise from the coal mines of Appalachia to the pinnacle of journalism. After being diagnosed with a fatal kidney disease as a child, Burl Osborne pioneered home dialysis treatment and became the 130th person to undergo a live kidney transplant in 1966—then an unproven, high-risk operation.

While managing his challenging illness, Burl distinguished himself early as a writer and reporter with The Associated Press, eventually rising to the top of the wire service’s executive ranks. Then, against the advice of his colleagues and the newspaper’s own doctors, he sought an even greater challenge: joining The Dallas Morning News to lead the fight in one of America’s last great newspaper wars.
 
Throughout his life and career, he garnered respect from business and political leaders, reporters, editors, and publishers around the country. Burl thrusts readers into the improbable and remarkable life of a man at the forefront of both medicine and a golden age of journalism.

 
"Photos and excerpts from Osborne’s own writing bring his colorful personality to life: he captured the nation’s attention, for example, with reports on a man in West Virginia who nearly lost his dog in a mine shaft but emerged 'half laughing and almost crying as he carried his 3-year-old rabbit hound off the mountain.' The result is a moving testament to a consequential figure." — Publisher's Weekly

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

435 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2024

About the author

Jane Wolfe is the author of two previous biographies and one that will be published in September, 2022. Her first book, "THE MURCHISONS: The Rise and Fall of a Texas Dynasty," was published in 1989. Her second book, published in 1994, is "BLOOD RICH: When Oil Billions, High Fashion, and Royal Intimacies Are Not Enough." Both received highly favorable reviews, including this one about "THE MURCHISONS" - "If episodes of the TV show 'Dallas' were half as interesting as this real life Texas family, ratings would never be a problem."

Her current book is "BURL: Journalism Giant and Media Trailblazer," to be published by Andrews McMeel Publishing (AMP) on September 6, 2022. It is the story of the late Burl Osborne, former chairman of "The Associated Press" and publisher of "The Dallas Morning News," who waged and won one of the last great newspaper wars in the United States. The biography tells the riveting story of Burl's unlikely rise from the coal mines of Appalachia to the pinnacle of journalism - a remarkable feat made more so by his ongoing battle with kidney disease. In the early 1960s Burl pioneered home kidney dialysis treatment and in 1966 became only the 130th person in the world to undergo a live kidney transplant, a risky and unproven operation at the time. His is an exciting journey during the golden age of journalism, and his biography will be required reading for journalism and medical students alike.

Author Jane Wolfe lived in Dallas for forty years before recently relocating to her hometown of Columbus, Ohio. She has written for dozens of newspapers and magazines, including "The New York Times" and "Town & Country."

Reviews

[Books Forward · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great look into well known journalist Burl Osborne – a fascinating read for any and all writers!

[Kim Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Wolfe tells the story of Burl Osborne, a man who was in a hurry to live - and live now. I worked for Burl at the Dallas Morning News, and this book helps me understand better the sense of urgency that always radiated from him. Jane approaches the narrative in lean, crisp Associated Press style - an homage to Burl and the place where he tuned his journalistic muscle - which almost masks the enormity of his challenges, starting with his birth in a dirt-poor Kentucky coal-mining town. But the real sword of Damocles hanging over Burl nearly all his life was kidney disease. And it was bad. I can't even imagine trying to work by day and then hook yourself up to dialysis AT HOME by night. But that's what he did. The book also gets inside the news business and the newspaper war in Dallas in particular. You can guess who won. It's a bit of insider baseball, but compellingly told. The finish is sweet: Burl lived to the age of 75. One day at a time.

[Shell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burl Osborne was one of the first people to receive a kidney transplant. As such, the man seemed to live each day to its fullest. Rising from poor beginnings to lead one of the major daily newspapers in the country, one of his main values was that news was for the benefit of the public and should not be biased. He wasn't about sensationalism and just selling the news to make a profit. He had integrity and insisted his paper did to. After years and years of the news being slanted one way or the other, I long for people like Osborne to be in charge of news reporting again. Although I thought the medical pioneer aspect of his life was what really interested me, it turned out that his journalist life way incredible. I highly recommend this book.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway and was happy to read it. I entered the giveaway without knowing anything about Burl. However, I saw in the description that it was about a man from Appalachia who became a great journalist. I typically try to read anything about Appalachia as I'm from Appalachia. So, I was happy to read about someone who was from the mountains but still succeeded. I was also pleasantly surprised to read about Burl being one of the first successful kidney transplant recipients. My dad had a kidney transplant in 2008, so that really touched home as well. I'm glad to know more about this man and how he may have indirectly impacted my own life.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about Burl's life journey. It offers a look into the world of news, particularly the AP. It was interesting to see how news coverage worked. Burl also had to deal with kidney disease and some treatments that were brand-new at the time. What a fascinating life!

I received a copy of this book from Books Forward.

[Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for Southern Review of Books