Clay Thompson was the first to answer Valley 101 questions. Here's how we're honoring him
One of the most recognizable writing styles in Arizona history came from Clay Thompson.
The Iowa transplant captured the hearts of readers with his Valley 101 column in the Arizona Republic for almost 20 years. Punctuated by the iconic Rodin statue, "The Thinker," Thompson wrote thousands of quippy columns and answered questions from readers about everything from cactuses to hiccups.
Thompson's writing style was recognizable and even bordered on snarky, calling his bosses "masters" and referring to readers as "you people."
"He loved chiding people for their either dumb questions or things that they should have understood that they didn't understand. They loved it, they ate it up," said Ed Montini, Arizona Republic columnist and dear friend of Thompson.
Continuing his legacy
About a year after he passed, this podcast was born to carry on the great work that he created. It was formed to help newcomers and natives alike better understand what makes Arizona so unique. Similarly to podcasting, Thompson had a way to speak directly to an audience.
"I think it's great. I think that people are moving here every day and it is a very confusing, complex, interesting, wild, wacky place. And so having something that helps people understand that is really great," said former Arizona Republic managing editor Julia Wallace.
As Valley 101 rounds closer to its 300th episode, Julia Wallace, Ed Montini and Arizona Republic reporter Richard Ruelas reflect on what made Thompson special and highlight the service he did for Arizona journalism.
In this episode you can hear readings from "Great Big Book of Life," "Occupy Gooberville" and "Try Not to Worry About It," collections of his columns.
Listen to the episode
Listen to Valley 101 on your favorite podcast app or stream the full episode below.
Submit your questions to us about metro Phoenix and Arizona for a chance to be chosen for the podcast.
Note: Valley 101 is intended to be heard, but we offer an AI transcript of the episode script. There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.
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Reach the reporter at aluberto@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @amandaluberto.
Catch up on past episodes of Valley 101:
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Clay Thompson answered everyone's question with humor
