The December 2024 Issue of Substance

Contact Substance | Suggestions (email)

We were forced to suspend subscriptions to our print edition a year ago, and after wishing we could get back into print have finally admitted that we can only continue as an online publication. Therefore, readers can no longer subscribe to Substance on paper, but those who wish to donate will be thanked.

Substance News to honor founder George Schmidt (1946-2018)

After Substance founder George Schmidt died in September 2018, many of us felt it was very important to keep Substance News alive and to continue George's work of advocating for economic justice, professional respect for . . .


Oral history interview of George Schmidt

Chicago Public School teacher and union activist, George Schmidt discusses his work as editor of Substance a newspaper covering public education that he helped found in 1975. A two and a half hour recording . . .


George Schmidt's life of love and service

[This article was originally published on Oct. 6, 2018.]
George Neil Schmidt's life was filled with his deep love of family and friends and an intense calling to serve humanity. He was born in Elizabeth, . . .


Saying goodbye to George – visitations, funeral, graveside

[This article was first published on Oct. 10, 2018.]
We held two visitations at Mt. Olive Church in Chicago on Sept. 20 and Sept. 22. Many friends came to pay their respects and comfort us. . . .


Thank you for your kind words

[This article was first published on Oct. 16, 2018.] In the few weeks since George has died, Dan, Sam Josh and I have been helped in our sorrow by the love and support shown to . . .


George's almost superhuman energy and brilliance

[This article was originally published on October 6, 2018.]
I will miss my friend and mentor. Without his support my long and rewarding career would have ended after eight years. When there was nowhere for . . .


Many additional articles about George Schmidt

In the weeks following George's death, many of our friends wrote articles about him. We published most of these October 2018. Each tells a different story about him as a teacher, union organizer, journalist, and . . .


Chicago Tribune obituary: George Schmidt, passionate Chicago Public Schools teacher, dies at 71

[This article was published online at the Chicago Tribune on Oct. 21, 2018, and in print on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018.]

George N. Schmidt was passionate about education and fighting injustice wherever he saw . . .


We were forced to suspend subscriptions to our print edition a year ago, and after wishing we could get back into print have finally admitted that we can only continue as an online publication. Therefore, readers can no longer subscribe to Substance on paper, but those who wish to donate will be thanked.

Contact Substance | Suggestions (email)