| Show Vet Veteran rqn Sports Editor Succumbs in ii Salt Lake John C C. C Derks Was Known as J IJ C. C p. p To Tribune Readers I The ninth inning g ended Saturday I for J. J C. C D. D John C. C Derks sports editor of The Salt Lake Tribune for many yea years s recognized baseball authority author author- I ity ty and friend and uncountable uncountable un un- un countable ball play rs great anc and near near-gr near great at died at his home Fourth avenue at PI p. m. m Mr Derks 69 suffered a st stroke oke on October October- 1 1940 at his home not long after he had left his desk at the Tribune editorial rooms where he had written his last sports column As J. J C. C D. D Sees It The death of ot the veteran editor and writer brought to a a close a remarkable newspaper career it extended far beyond the mere reporting of news a career tha that t bo ought brought the friendship and admiration admiration ad ad- and respect of f men of b baseball and men of other sports the over He was was' in close touch with all forms of sport as editor and write writ writ- e er But base baseball bail first and last was his love bye and it was in his work ork ir in inthe inthe the national pastime that he became became became be be- came a nationally known author author- ity Yet for all his knowledge of the game his love for it he pr preferred to remain anonymous which probably probably ably was a a. characteristic th that t marked his entire life He shunned bylines in his writ writ- ings Yet the readers of rhe The 5 ci 1 m S S S' S John JQhn C. C Derks Veteran newspaper writer a and d edi edi- tor Tribune for many years knew a aJ aJ J 1 C. C D. D story because of a a aspe aspe- special cial touch that lifted it above the ordinary in sports reporting It was only only- in later years that he consented t to write writ under a byline the goal of ot so many newsmen And that byline carried only his initials S When Whim the Salt Lake franchise in the Pacific Coast league was transferred to Holl Hollywood wood after the close of ot the 1925 season Mr Derks ver went with the club lub as assis assistant to Charles A A. A Spider Bauni Baum club secretary He returned to The Tribune as sports editor in November November November No No- vember 1927 and had remained until stricken He was a native of Weston Mo where he was born August 6 1873 Mr Derks before becoming a newspaper man was a a. telegrapher He had worked in this this' capacity for forthe forthe the Western Union Telegraph company com corn pany Union Pacific railroad and Northern Pacific railroad His early newspaper experience included include e cc ed 10 io years with the Anaconda Standard at Butte Mont a and d four years with the Record at Helena Mont He joined the staff of ot The Tribune in October 1909 He served first as a reporter feature writer and then city editor He became sports editor in 1913 During the world war he worked in Los Angeles for a y year ar then returned to The Tribune S |
