Ray Redmond: Reporter with a capital R

Ray Redmond’s obituary in the classified section lists his occupation as Reporter with a capital R. It’s unusual to capitalize the title of reporter, but Ray truly was a reporter with a capital R.

You would never call Ray a journalist--too stuffy a title. . He was not a flashy or brilliant writer. Writing ability is valued asset for a reporter, but it is only one asset. Ray’s skills are best recalled by the complaints of his fellow reporters on the old Beacon Journal State Desk.

He could get on the phone and come up with enough stories to fill his section front while other reporters spent hours scrounging around their beats in the outlying counties to come up with a decent play story for the page.

Surprisingly, Ray did not spend that much time in the office. He got around. Every official or township flunky in Portage County knew Ray. Better yet, they must have loved him, too, because when news happened they made sure Ray knew about it first. . And there were no cell phones then.

He did not get much credit for his work in covering the Pulitzer prize story of the Kent State shootings. The best staff members were dispatched to cover the story. And yet, it was always Ray who got the first word of any new development. After the story broke, Knight Ridder sent in its top guns to bolster the coverage in case the local reporters did not have enough moxie

There probably was not much glory in Ray’s career. Like many good reporters who learned their craft from the bottom up, Ray spent hours writing countless obituaries about others. Perhaps someone at the Beacon Journal will write a decent obit for Ray. I cannot. He was 90 years old but many of us who glanced at the obit pages today cannot believe that Ray died.
~ harry liggett

BLOGGER NOTE: Usually we relegate our comments to the commentary sections of our website. The classified obit (in 215 words) follows:

Raymond Redmond, 90, passed away April 3, 2008.

Born in Warren, Ohio on July 4, 1917, he and his wife Nea lived in Akron all their 57 years of married life, where he was a Reporter for the Beacon Journal for many years. He was member of the Fairlawn V.F.W. Post, the Order of Ahepa, and the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.

SSgt. Ray proudly served in World War II with Patton's 3rd Army Hdqtrs. in North Africa and Southern France. Ray was involved in the invasion of D-Day in the infantry in 1944. He also served overseas for 3-½; years. Ray was awarded a Pulitzer prize for his story he covered on the Kent State riots.

Ray is survived by his loving wife, many loving cousins, and dear friends. Ray and Nea enjoyed traveling to Europe, Paris, Ireland, and Greece.

Services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 129 S. Union St., Akron, 44304, with Rev Fr. Jerry F. Hall officiating. Interment at Rose Hill Burial Park where military services will be conducted by the Copley V.F.W.-American Legion. Friends may call one hour prior at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Building Fund or the AMHAS Scholarship Fund. (Billow, 330-867-4141)
[Beacon Journal, Akron, OH, Friday, April 4, 2008, page B7, col. 3]