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Show Hard to say goodbye to an old friend By PAULCHALUS News Editor It is hard to say goodbye to an old friend. 1 am having a tough time coming to grips with the death and loss of Carrick Lea v itt , the Clipper ' s managing editor. r. Panorama F1 -a by Paul Challis I v While working in the newsroom a week after his funeral, I still keep looking over at the stairs to see if he isn't going to walk into the newsroom and, in his unique way, say to all of the reporters, "pick up the pace." I am glad I had the privilege of working with Carrick for one last time, even if it was for only a few months. I worked with him for several years in southern Utah at The Daily Spectrum and learned many valuable lessons from him. No one has had a more vital impact on my own journalism career than Carrick. In my opinion he is and was peerless! I loved him like a brother. While at the Spectrum. I worked as his news editor for about four years and enjoyed every minute of it. He made me a better journalist; he challenged me to improve my skills and taught me how to do it. He made all his staff writers md editors feel worthwhile and through his- example he showed that hard work was the only way to accomplish ac-complish good reporting. He inspired in-spired all who worked with him to accomplish greater tasks and to reach for a more responsible presentation presen-tation of journalistic communication. communica-tion. He wanted the complete story, with all the facts. He wouldn't per mit laziness. He wanted quality more than quantity all the way. Carrick was a kind man and would back you up and would support sup-port his staff in all ways. Carrick would always go to bat for you no matter what. He was a close, personal friend who cared not only for me but for my family. Even during the years he worked for UPI and lived several miles away, he would call and ask about my son and wife with true concern. When you worked with Carrick, it was like working with family. He was more than a boss, he cared and wanted the best for you. I feel the journalism world has been robbed of a great contributor. He could have helped the Fifth Estate to continue to improve its way of communicating the news the best way possible to the public. He had much to offer, and it is a great loss for all who knew him and read the publication to which he contributed. con-tributed. We are, however, blessed to have known him, and to have learned from him. I guess the old phrase "the good die young" is true. It certainly applied in his case. He was the best. I will miss him and his wisdom and understanding. I am sorry that Davis County residents didn't get a better chance to get to know him, read more of his editorials and recognize his insight as a great journalist among journalists. jour-nalists. He cared about the common man on the street and wanted to improve im-prove the community through the newspaper. He was excited to move from California back to Utah, his home state, and he felt he could make a difference. He didn't know he was coming home to die. He would tell me, "We are going to have fun, report the news and make the area a better place." He did just that. Although it was only for a short time, he was successful. suc-cessful. It is sad that he is gone. It is a great loss. |