Compared with a bunch of folks, I barely knew former Columbian Editor Tom Koenninger.
A dozen years doesn’t qualify as much when some folks around these parts have known him for decades.
T.K., as most knew him in the newsroom, died last Thursday. There’s a memorial service for him at 11 this morning at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Fourth Plain Boulevard.
When Tom “retired” a decade ago, I remember him saying he had no plans to sit on the front porch in a rocking chair to watch one day tumble after another.
As was always the case, he was true to his word.
Read more about and by Tom Koenninger.
Tom — who wrote a weekly column when he was the editor — never missed a beat after he retired. He continued on with that column as editor emeritus — literally until he was too weak to write.
His column never pleased everyone (does anything?) But he was true to his beliefs and voiced them with sweet writing and solid research.
Tom was also old-school in his view on what an editor should do. There has always been an internal newspaper debate on how involved an editor should be in a community:
• Stay at arms-length distance so readers will not feel you have too many friends in high places.
• Or dive in deep, so you know what’s really going on out there.
Tom dived in.
The result of Tom’s approach was a strong understanding of how this community ticked. And many a reporter benefited. It also meant that Tom had a personal, strong bond with many people. But that bond never influenced the newsroom when we had to do a difficult story on someone he knew well.
• • •
A few weeks ago, we had an editorial board meeting with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. Tom walked in slowly, leaning heavily on a cane. The cane was a new necessity, and his disdain for it was evident. His poor health was weighing on him but he always attended these meetings.
Tom took a seat next to the senator.
We grilled Murray — as we would later do with her opponent, Dino Rossi — for an upcoming Columbian endorsement.
As the meeting concluded Murray extended her hand to Tom. He put her hand between his hands and smiled.
“Thank you for everything,” Tom whispered. The senator smiled back.
“Thank you.”
This was not about Democrats or Republicans. Not about issues and stands. It was about respect and friendship.
It would be Tom’s last editorial board meeting.
The day after Tom died I received an e-mail from Murray’s office.
“Sad day for The Columbian and for so many in the community,” an aide wrote. “But what an amazing life.”
Murray was looking for an address to send a letter to Tom’s wife, Marilyn.
“(The senator) was very touched by Tom and wanted to express her condolences.”
It’s the kind of impact Tom had on so many of the people who came in contact with him.
• • •
But through it all, we should never forget that Tom was a brass-knuckles news guy who knew the importance of a newspaper. He was, indeed, a news guy. And a dang good one!
That is Tom’s legacy.
He had ink in his blood.
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Lou Brancaccio is The Columbian’s editor. Reach him at 360-735-4505 or lou.brancaccio@columbian.com.
