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We also got our hands on John Huey's staff memo announcing Rick Stengel's appointment as managing editor of Time, and, for the most part, it reads as a first-person version of the public press release. But there's one line, down near the bottom, the caught our eye:

Incidentally, Rick and Jim Kelly are the oldest of friends. They first met in John McPhee's writing class at Princeton.

Of course they did. How cute that you women and Jews* and gays in the running ever thought you had a chance.

Full memo after the jump.

* Yes, we know Henry Grunwald was Jewish. But, you know, one of those WASPy Jews.

* OK. We're told Stengel is Jewish, too. But, you know, one of those Princeton Jews. You know what we mean, right? No? Oh, fine. Never mind the Jew part.

May 17, 2006
To: Time Inc. Staff
From: John Huey
Re: Staff Announcement

Searching for a new Managing Editor of Time is a daunting task, especially when trying to find a successor to one as able and successful as Jim Kelly has been.

Well, the search has ended, and I am pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Stengel, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, as the new Managing Editor of Time, succeeding Jim.

Rick, of course, is familiar to most everyone on the Time staff, of which he has been a part on three different occasions. He was first hired in 1981, and has served as Nation Editor, Culture Editor, and Editor of Time.com. As a senior writer, he covered both the 1988 and 1996 presidential campaigns. Rick has also written for The New Yorker, The New Republic, and The New York Times.

I find him an especially exciting new M.E. because he has both the outsider's perspective and the insider's appreciation and knowledge of who and what makes Time tick. His intellectual depth and breadth are long established, as are his leadership qualities and competitive spirit. But in his stint as head of the Constitution Center he has gained a new appreciation for the skills and strategy required to harness the energy of an organization like Time and drive it into the future.

His resume is rich and varied. A 1977 magna cum laude graduate from Princeton University, Rick played on its 1975 NIT winning basketball team. As a Rhodes Scholar he studied English and history at Christ Church College, Oxford. The author of several books, he collaborated with Nelson Mandela on the South African's bestselling autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom", and also helped produce the 1996 Oscar nominated documentary, "Mandela." And he has been a frequent television commentator on CNN and MSNBC.

Rick once taught a course at Princeton called "Politics and the Press" then moved into the political arena himself as senior advisor and chief speechwriter for presidential candidate Bill Bradley.

Rick is a true multi-media editor who is approaching this daunting new assignment with tons of ideas, energy, and just the right amount of confidence. It should be an exciting period for Time, which is in the middle of a great run right now, having just won two national magazine awards, one for general excellence, and one for its 52-page special report on Hurricane Katrina.

A native New Yorker, Rick is married to Mary Pfaff, who is from South Africa, and they have two young sons.

Incidentally, Rick and Jim Kelly are the oldest of friends. They first met in John McPhee's writing class at Princeton.

Let's all welcome Rick back to Time Inc. once again and wish him the best in his new job.

J. H.