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| The passing of a legend |
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| News | |||
| Written by Brian McCauley and Gene Morris | |||
| Wednesday, 04 November 2009 07:00 | |||
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Bob Harrington first started working for The Miami Republican newspaper in Paola on May 24, 1949 — he would never leave. Harrington, who developed a strong community following covering sports, outdoor sports, farm, record and other news, passed away Sunday at the age of 83. He was still working for The Miami County Republic at the time of his death, putting his tenure with the company at more than 60 years. A public memorial is scheduled to take place at noon Nov. 13 on Paola’s Park Square. When Harrington first started working at the newspaper office, Drew McLaughlin owned the Republican, which at that time was competing with the other paper in town, the Western Spirit.  Drew’s son Phil was born in 1950, and he grew up in the newspaper office, where Bob worked as a linotype operator, among other duties, in the early years. The linotype machine made it possible to set type for many newspaper pages on a daily basis. “He had a loyalty to his work,” said Phil, who took over ownership of the newspaper following his father’s tenure. “He was the face, and sometimes the voice, of the paper. When you work that long, you are going to touch a lot of people, and he did.” During Harrington’s career, he worked for the paper in almost every capacity, including founding the sports pages, working as a news reporter and covering the police and court beat. Phil said for a long time Bob was the on-call reporter for vehicle wrecks and other emergencies. “He’s seen more accidents and their aftermath than anyone else,” he said. All of the children loved Bob, longtime Paola High School athletic director Dick Gilman said. “When Bob retired (to two days a week) I wrote in his book that the kids at Paola never had a better friend than Bob,” Gilman said. “And, I stand by that today. “I guess he shot enough team photos to cover the walls,” Gilman said. “He was very supportive of all of the high school athletic programs.” Gilman, who went hunting and fishing with Bob on occasion, said the man was a wealth of knowledge. “He was the most perceptive person I ever met,” Gilman said. “He knew so much about nature and how everything worked together. He was a real education to go hunting and fishing with. I really think he was a top flight outdoors writer, as good as any of them. “He was very knowledgeable and shared that with everyone,” Gilman said. “He was a real blessing to the community and was involved in so many things. He is going to be missed. He is walking through a better door now than the ones you have at the newspaper office.” Bill Rayne, who worked with Harrington for several years at the newspaper before retiring about 11 years ago, said he’s never seen someone work harder at their chosen profession. “I don’t know anybody who put more time in down there than Bob,” Rayne said. “It’s a big loss for the paper.” When Harrington wasn’t working for the paper, he often could be seen helping out one of the many organizations he participated in throughout the community. John Domoney, president of Paola Rotary, said there will be no way to replace Harrington. “He was a tremendous Rotarian and asset to the community,” Domoney said. “You couldn’t be involved in anything in Paola without running into Bob.” Gene Farmer, commander of the Paola American Legion Post 156, said Harrington, who served in the U.S. Army in the 1940s, remained a dedicated veteran throughout his life. He was a member of the Legion for 64 years. “Bob was a top-notch veteran,” Farmer said. “I don’t know which was his top priority, kids or veterans.” Harrington’s longtime friend Harley Keeton learned about Harrington’s dedication to his fellow veterans firsthand when he got out of the Navy around 1950. “I could hardly walk because of my back pain. The Leavenworth VA had an outreach clinic in Paola, and Bob insisted that I go,” Keeton said. “They checked me over and straightened my back up. He sold me a life membership.” When Keeton was diagnosed with cancer about three years ago, Harrington started picking him up and driving him to meetings at the Masonic Lodge. “He was an exceptional man,” Keeton said. “He’s the greatest guy a person would ever know.” The Paola Chamber of Commerce office released a statement Monday stating that “those of us who were privileged to know Bob realize the profound impact he has had on our community and to all who came in contact with him. He will be dearly missed.” Harrington was an active member of the Chamber. Even with much of his life dedicated to work and organizations, Harrington also found time for his hobbies, which included fishing, hunting and everything else an outdoorsman would enjoy. Gene Murray, who has known Harrington ever since they went to junior college together in Fort Scott about 60 years ago, went on an annual fishing trip with Harrington to Canada for about 15 years. “He was probably the most conservative guy you would ever find, but if something came up like paying a bill or running the motor, he was the first to step up. He was a good companion,” Murray said. Murray said he remembers resting in the cabin or playing cards with the others, but Harrington would still be out fishing. “He never wasted any time he could be fishing,” Murray said with a laugh. “I’m going to miss him, he was a great guy.” As for the newspaper office, Miami County Newspapers Publisher Sandy Nelson realizes there is no way to replace Harrington. “There are people who leave a mark so deep that it becomes hard to forget them. Bob was one of those people,” Nelson said. “Replacing him seems nearly impossible. He will be dearly missed.” Perhaps Farmer said it best at the close of an e-mail sent out Monday on behalf of the Legion. “We will all miss him, and it will be difficult to fill his shoes. Happy hunting and better fishing, Bob.”
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