Commentary: Russell Baker and why you should read the obituaries

With the death of Russell Baker on Jan. 21, America lost one of its great journalists. The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist had not written regularly for many years, and some obituaries referred to him as a humor columnist, which is a mischaracterization. Baker was an essayist who wrote humor quite well, but was so versatile he could write, with wit and compassion, about anything - politics, journalism, history, current events or language.

Upon his death, what bears mentioning is his unmatched ability to write about