Political Quotes

“I would like to take a moment to honor the memory of a longtime journalist and true friend, Norman Runnion, who passed away in a Vermont hospital last month at the age of 85. Norm was many things to many people, but as they say of those in the newspaper business, he had ink coursing through his veins. Norm was born into a news family and he loved to tell stories of his early days spent in newsrooms, watching his father work the trade. But when tragedy struck home--Norm's father was killed after falling under a train--the younger Runnion dedicated himself to the profession. From his gritty beginnings working the night cop beat on Chicago's South Side, Norm worked his way up as a reporter and editor with United Press International, covering the biggest stories of the day, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Warren Commission report. By the mid- 1960s, Norm made the wise decision to ply his skills in Vermont and settled in at the Brattleboro Reformer. He soon made his way to the managing editor post, where he earned deep respect from his community and his State over the next two decades. When newspapers lost a bit of luster for Norm, he turned to the seminary and became an Episcopal priest, further dedicating his life in public service. In retelling the path of his colorful news career, Norm suggested that fate led to his successes. ``I was really incredibly lucky,'' he told a younger reporter who he once mentored.…”