John Elson

The cover image for the April 8, 1966, issue of TIME was the first in the magazine’s history to use only words: “Is God Dead?” The story brought a brimstone of controversy, but given the depth of the reporting, few could argue that the writer had not done his homework. “It would have been easier to do in the Middle Ages,” John Elson said of the story. “Easier because they had a God then that was consistent.” The pungent, witty remark was vintage Elson, who died on Sept. 7 at 78. In his four decades at TIME, Elson wrote more than a dozen cover stories and edited hundreds more. He had eclectic interests and a skepticism that had no patience for cant or showboaters. Budding editors had no better mentor. Elson once said the process of editing was the opposite of the American jurisprudence system, in that every writer was guilty until proved innocent. He had good advice for writers as well. “Never let the search for the perfect get in the way of the perfectly good,” he would say as deadline approached. Then he would take the story from you, guilty until proved innocent.

Kelly was TIME’s managing editor from 2001 to 2006