Well, I took a few days off and away from the blog due to a heavy demand on my time. The nice thing about having your own blog is that you can choose to post when you want and not have any deadliines to meet. However, I do respond to emails in a timely manner. The past week has been a busy one: work demands, attending a child's birthday party, meeting the needs of my Granddaughter, spending time with friends, watching Nascar and U of L (go Cards!) and other family matters. I'm currently working on a new blog entry that I hope to have completed later today. And just for the record, while the main thrust of this blog is about Oldham County politics and government, I also reserve the right to comment on statewide and national issues from time to time, since state and federal government issues can and do affect Oldham County as well.
My tribute to the late Chuck Olmstead of WHAS-11 television...when I began college in 1977, I was accepted into the Internship Program that WHAS television had going back then. I grew up around television news (not WHAS though) and was pursuing a degree in journalism. I wanted to get my foot in the door and was eager to absorb and learn all I could about television news journalism. My internship lasted through the fall semester, followed by an internship in the spring in radio news, hence the beginning of the radio career that I had.
The way the program worked at WHAS was rather unique at the time. An intern spent two week rotations in various capacities in the newsroom. I spent two week intervals shadowing and learning from Hal Stophel, the assignment editor, a photojournalist, Paul Rogers in sports, the late Chuck Taylor in weather (back when they used magnets on a weathermap), Jim Mitchell at the anchor desk, copywriting with everyone, floor directors and a two week rotation with a reporter. I got lucky...I was paired with none other than Chuck Olmstead.
Chuck had been in town for about two years at the time and was very gracious and giving of his time to me. He was about 11 years my senior and two things I remember well of our first day together...age was not a barrier and neither was the difference in the color of our skin. Chuck was actually in my opinion a trailblazer as an African-American reporter. He showed no bias in any story he reported and implored in me that getting your facts straight and being accurate were the hallmarks of being a good reporter.
Spending two weeks riding along with him and his photojournalist to cover various stories were a treat. We talked about the story at hand, news reporting, current events and about Louisville. Knowing that I was a Louisville native, he constantly asked me about local history (since he knew my own background at the ripe old age of 17), local politics and shared his passion for true journalism. He was a storyteller, and an extremely gifted one at that. And I loved his stories about his native city of Boston. Humor in things was not lost on him and he could be so serious one moment, and funny as hell the next.
Chuck and I stayed in touch over the years, as he promised he would. He offered me advice, followed my career in radio from a distance, and always asked about my family and life in general. When I left radio for good a few years back, we ran into each other at The Comedy Caravan. He was there taping a show with his two sons and we spent some time catching up and commenting on the downward spiral direction that a lot of local journalism had taken. I assured him that I was happy in my new career and that while I missed the radio days, the decision I had made was the right one for me. In our brief time together, he became a friend and mentor in many ways, and for that I am grateful.
To have stayed in the same market for going on 35 years (except for that short six month trip to New York) is in itself, amazing. Chuck loved Louisville and Kentucky, our people and his work. In this day of revolving doors and cutbacks in the media, his tenure here is pretty remarkable.
Chuck, when you read this from Heaven, know that I always thought of you as a class act, a man with integrity, a family first attitude and the passion for getting it right. Many of the reporters you've left behind could do well to learn from the legacy that is yours. Your body of work stands tall. Thank you and may God bless you and your wife and sons always.
The Oldham Observer
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