Peter Noble-Kuchera
WFIU was shocked and saddened to learn of the untimely death on June 8th of our friend and colleague Peter Noble-Kuchera. Peter was the movie critic for WFIU and The Herald-Times.
His reviews were a regular part of WFIU’s programming, and a favorite among our listeners. He loved movies, and everything associated with the art and craft of film.
Originally from Columbus, Indiana, Peter moved to Bloomington in 1998. He completed four years of film study at the University of Minnesota and two years of film production in the Film Cities in St. Paul. In 2008 he received a second place award for Best Radio Critic at the Los Angeles Press Club’s First Annual National Entertainment Journalism Awards in 2008. He began reviewing movies for WFIU in 2003.
Audio: Listen to Peter’s final movie review (Pixar’s “Up”) with a special introduction and remembrance by WFIU Arts Bureau Chief David Wood:
Executive Director of Radio and Television Services Perry Metz recalled Peter’s enthusiasm for public broadcasting, which he called, “contagious.”
“He viewed public broadcasting as an essential part of a democracy and saw his movie reviews as a contributing part of that effort. We’ll miss his influence.”
WFIU Station Manager Christina Kuzmych describes Peter as “an artist.”
“He expressed in words what the painter paints on the canvas, or the director captures on film. His reviews were not only insights into a movie, they were a literary delight. Peter was a great talent and a colleague who will be sorely missed.”
Cary Boyce, WFIU’s operations director and program production manager, noted, “Peter was good at many things, but his love of film and media informed discussions with him on every topic. When he liked something he was enthusiastic and encouraging. When he didn’t, he usually felt the result could have been better with a little more care. We will miss his work, humor, and care for his work. And we will miss the exceptionally fine person behind them.”
WFIU jazz producer David Brent Johnson recalled how when he came to work at the station in the morning, Peter was usually the first person he’d see, “standing outside the doors to the Radio-TV Building, looking over one of his movie reviews or a TV script.”
“There was this frenetic charge of creative energy around Peter, but he was also a very supportive and concerned person who always took a real interest in what the rest of us were up to. It’s just so hard to realize that I’m not going to see him standing by those doors anymore.”
Peter was producer of on-air fundraising for our sister station WTIU, a position he held since 2006. WTIU Station Manager Phil Meyer described the importance of writing in Peter’s life.
“Above all, Peter believed in the transcendent ability of writing—whether it was a screenplay, a review, a novel, or a television or radio script—that words could lift us up above the everyday. We will miss his creativity, his sense of humor, and most of all, his friendship.”
Peter’s supervisor in producing WTIU’s on-air membership campaigns was WFIU/WTIU Membership Director Eva Zogorski. She recalls, “Peter brought a tremendous amount of energy, enthusiasm and creativity to his work. He was passionate about public broadcasting and he was always eager to help out wherever needed. He will be missed by so many.”
Brent Molnar, WTIU’s program manager, was both a co-worker and friend.
“Whenever I would go over to Peter’s house, he would always warn me about what a mess it was going to be. He said that he loved having toys that had been played with left in the middle of the floor, or projects that were half finished splayed out across the kitchen table, or even random dishes in the sink that he didn’t put there—because they were all signs of life going on around him, even when he wasn’t there. Peter loved being a dad, and a husband, and really enjoyed and appreciated his friends. I hope we never forget him.”
Peter Noble-Kuchera’s warmth, humor, and contributions to WFIU will be sorely missed.
A public celebration of the life of Peter Noble-Kuchera will be held this Thursday (June 11th) at 3pm. The service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, 2120 North Fee Lane at the Bypass. The family will host a reception after the service at the church.
A memorial fund for Peter’s children, Benjamin and Sekou Noble-Kuchera, is being set up for their education. Checks should be made out to Day Funeral Home and the all donations will then be transferred to the Fund. Please send mail to:
The Education Trust Fund for Benjamin and Sekou Noble-Kuchera
C/O Day Funeral Home
4150 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN 47401
June 8th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I am very shocked and saddened to hear this news. I worked with Peter during my days at WTIU, and he was very kind with a wonderful sense of humor. I recall quite fondly how Peter, after much begging, let me host a member drive night on WTIU featuring a Paul McCartney program since I am a huge Beatles fan. My thoughts are with both Peter’s WTIU/WFIU family as well as his own.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Here is the information about donations. Checks may be made out to the Education Trust Fund for Benjamin and Sekou Noble-Kuchera, in care of Day Funeral Home, 4150 East Third Street, Bloomington IN 47401.
With love, and deep sadness,
Yael
June 10th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
My days will have a void without the wonderful contributions of Peter. My thoughts and honor for his life are with his family — extended and WFIU/WTIU families.
June 10th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Poetic phrases from Peter’s movie reviews would often echo in my mind for days. I kept one haiku-like expression taped to my monitor for months. His insight and monumental character/presence, both physical and metaphysical, will be greatly missed.
Nancy
June 11th, 2009 at 9:39 am
I was walking into the back door of the Fine Arts building one morning when I spied Peter outside having a cigarette. I thought about saying Hi or complimenting his latest review or something, but decided to leave him in peace with his thoughts. It’s too late to say so now, but I suppose it’s better late than never.
Hey Peter, take care man.
June 11th, 2009 at 10:09 am
The wonderful memories that I shared with Peter are scrolling through my thoughts constantly since I heard the news. I’m still in shock. I will always remember his sense of humor, spunk, and his beautiful eyes.
June 11th, 2009 at 10:39 am
I knew Peter as the guy I stood in line with for EbertFest each of the last several years. He enlivened my hours of waiting and I learned a lot about film from him. His passion and deep appreciation for the details that distinguished great films from the rest refreshed and entertained me. I think Peter was a prime example of what it means to be ’steeped’ in a topic–his depth of commitment came across as a certain air of authority in his reflections about movies and life. The 2010 EbertFest just won’t be the same. Peter had interesting things to say–it’s all very sad that he’s gone too soon.
June 11th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I’ve never been a particularly big fan of movies, but as I ran into Peter’s reviews while listening to other programs I became more and more interested in what he had to say — about films and about the world in general. He was a very thoughtful commentator. What a great loss!
June 12th, 2009 at 11:40 am
It was a wonderful tribute to the lives that Peter touched that the remembrance on Thursday featured an overflow crowd that included virtually a complete cross section of our community. I saw people from every walk–executives to kids, students to retirees. That spoke volumes about who Peter was.
As a writing professional, I was truly in awe of the ability he possessed. Peter found the words to express thoughts most of us can’t hope to formulate. A mind that can do that operates on a level few of us touch. I envied that ability of his and relished the opportunity to hear him read his writing.
In March, I sent an email after a particularly stunning piece of writing aired on WFIU. Here’s part of what I sent to Peter:
“Everything you write is just beautifully done, and this was just outstanding. Your word choice in particular was just perfect. My wife was driving back from Binford this morning and I saw her just after it aired and I asked if she heard it too. She paid what I consider one of the best compliments ever. In her English classes, she uses a short Truman Capote essay in which she asks the students to find the unnecessary words. Once you analyze it, you realize there are no wasted words whatsoever. She said your review was comparable to the Capote piece.”
Peter was a rare talent and a rare person. Phrases he wrote pop up in my head all the time. I hope we all realize how lucky we were to know him and enjoy his work.
June 12th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
I looked forward to Mr. Kuchera’s movie reviews every Friday morning, on my way to work. We all have been spoiled not only by the usefulness of the information he always provided, but also by the insightfulness of his comments, his interesting analogies, great choice of words or sense of humor. He will be terribly missed. . . . My sincere condolences go to his family.
June 18th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I so miss hearing Peter’s reviews. He always amazed me with how well he wrote, and I trusted his opinions of the films. He was so much better at his job than most who write for this country’s biggest publications!
November 24th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Peter is my brother -my one and only brother and sibling. I am unable to speak of him in past-tense simply because I know at his end, he was asking the deepest of all questions about the meaning of life, not just his own, but the whole picture.
I love my brother and he is with me now. His spirit has been freed and I believe that what the world saw of my brother was a pale reality to what was just under the surface. A radiance that was Peter was waking up again, and it was that old friend of mine who used to sit next across from me in his room, me in mine, in the dead of winter -us both looking at each other as we shivered and tried to warm ourselves up on the heaters on the floor. He taught me not to smoke, even though he was cranking them down faster than you could imagine -Filterless Pall Malls at that.
We had years together in California. We traveled everywhere from San Francisco down to Santa Monica. We played pac-man together the day it came out. We saw Raiders of the Lost Ark on opening weekend. We watched movies from up inside a projector booth when we were eight and twelve respective. We stayed up late and managed movie theaters and watched prints of movies till 4 in the morning. We cried together, laughed together, experienced the best and worst of life together. He saw me through hell once for as long as he could. He helped me find myself again.
There are so many things to say about a man I love so much. I can’t stop crying a I write this. I can’t say anymore than I want to hold him again and tell him I love him in a place where the sun never sets.
November 24th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Correction. The sun sets in Heaven so the stars can come out. I plan on holding Peter in Heaven, a beautiful sun on the shorts, a beautiful night with the stars.
But, the sun never sets is the idea behind eternal life. That’s a life I want to have with him.
I love Peter and I miss him. I look forward to seeing him again. We had a conversation in one of my dreams just a month ago. He was in a nice kitchen making a terrific meal and we were talking about a movie. He had a pony tail like he always liked, and he was thin and looking at his best. It was his kitchen, just the way he liked it, or…dreamed it to be.
I plan on that meal being real one day. I can’t wait to see him in person. I’ll see you soon, Peter.