Gary Lautens was a Canadian humorist and newspaper columnist.
15 Facts About Gary Lautens
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Gary Lautens wrote for the Toronto Star from 1962 until his death in 1992.
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Gary Lautens began working for the Spectator after school and in the summers when he was just 13 years old.
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On graduation Gary Lautens joined the Spectator as a reporter in 1950.
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Gary Lautens became a sports columnist in 1954 and later served as the paper's assistant sports editor.
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Gary Lautens met his wife, Jackie, in 1957 when she was a contestant and he was a judge in the annual "Miss Tigercat" pageant.
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In 1962, Gary Lautens was hired by the Star to replace Pierre Berton.
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At the Star, Gary Lautens became the most widely read columnist in Canada.
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In 1982, Gary Lautens was named managing editor of the Star, and successfully increased the paper's circulation and profits even in the midst of an economic recession.
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Gary Lautens held the position for two years before returning to writing his humour column.
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Gary Lautens was awarded a National Newspaper Award and was a two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.
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Gary Lautens was staff writer for many seasons of the iconic CBC series Front Page Challenge and appeared, for two seasons, as a panelist on It's Your Choice.
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Gary Lautens's younger brother Trevor Lautens was a long-time columnist for the Vancouver Sun, his youngest son Richard Lautens is an acclaimed photojournalist for the Toronto Star and oldest son Stephen Lautens is a noted Canadian newspaper columnist.
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Gary Lautens died on February 1,1992, after suffering a massive heart attack at his home in downtown Toronto.
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In 2002 Gary Lautens family donated his papers, including correspondence, columns, scrapbooks and photographs, to McMaster University Library's William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections.