Picture this: losing journalists

Nov. 25—We have all lost people around us. They move away, leave jobs, retire, and, I am reminded more lately, die.

One group of people I've known my whole life is journalists, people who do jobs similar to my own. Regardless of what you might think of the profession across the globe, the journalists I've known personally never delivered any "fake news."

Some of the journalists I've known who have passed away include Dorothy Milligan, Omer Gilliam, Patty Reese, Tony Pippen, Bob Forrest, Ann Kelley, Ed Blochowiak, Lisa Jones, Joe Claxton, Marsha Miller, Cindy Byrd, and Carl Lewis.

Thoughts about these journalists came to a sharp point last week when another journalist, Pamela Young Hudspeth, died.

Pam worked for my newspaper in 1990, 1991, and 1992. She wrote columns and Lifestyles stories, including a column called "Senior Source," which advocated for improved care for our senior citizens.

Pam moved away in the fall of 1992, but she resurfaced in my life a few years ago, and we became friends, mostly thanks to our relationship as journalists. While she was no longer a professional journalist, she still wrote opinion pieces, and kept an extensive journal.

When my wife died 20 months ago, Pam was a great listener.

Pam dreamed of finding her way back to the profession, but she had a long history of health problems.

She was a good friend. She died November 15.