In memory, James Melroy
Jun 28, 2008 3:26:51 GMT -5
Post by Wad on Jun 28, 2008 3:26:51 GMT -5
I was shocked and saddened to hear the news of the passing of a great colleague and friend, James Melroy.
He was the prep sports editor for the Long Beach, Ca. Press-Telegram. He had worked at the paper for over a decade. As part of his already busy schedule, he had attracted a national audience for his reporting on pro wrestling and mixed martial arts.
The 36-year-old wrote an obituary for his grandfather that published on Thursday, the day he died. He had changed his last name to Sonye to honor his grandfather.
James had worked at the Press-Telegram for 11 years. He was born with arthrogryposis, a disfiguring and painful disorder affecting the joints. The congenital disease did not stop him from tackling the toughest writing and copy editing assignments. He had a sharp mind for sports facts -- which was essential for the paper's insanely tight deadlines -- and he would usually be the one writing the toughest of assignments. He got all this done with a great sense of humor and enthusiasm.
James also had the record for having the most page views for any story on the Press-Telegram web site. His MMA coverage brought in a wide audience through the home page and links from UFC and other fight sites.
Among his other achievements, James had also coached high school basketball and became an Eagle Scout at age 18.
A remembrance was written by columnist Bob Keisser:
origin.presstelegram.com/ci_9723217
Tributes came in from his past and present colleagues at the blog run by the Press-Telegram's newsroom union:
lbguild9400.blogspot.com/2008/06/farewell-james.html
One tribute had come from Rob Van Dam. James had interviewed him several times, and Rob, a Southern California resident, helped gain James contacts throughout the WWE and other federations. The last interview the two conducted was a podcast earlier this year. Van Dam's e-mail:
Wow! That is a shocker. It seems like I was just talking to him a few short weeks ago.
I've been thinking about him and an interview we did.
Thank you for passing this information on to me, as sad as it is.
My condolences to his friends and family.
RVD
Many of James's colleagues -- including me -- were transferred to a sister paper in March. No matter where we are, we could never forget James.
He was the prep sports editor for the Long Beach, Ca. Press-Telegram. He had worked at the paper for over a decade. As part of his already busy schedule, he had attracted a national audience for his reporting on pro wrestling and mixed martial arts.
The 36-year-old wrote an obituary for his grandfather that published on Thursday, the day he died. He had changed his last name to Sonye to honor his grandfather.
James had worked at the Press-Telegram for 11 years. He was born with arthrogryposis, a disfiguring and painful disorder affecting the joints. The congenital disease did not stop him from tackling the toughest writing and copy editing assignments. He had a sharp mind for sports facts -- which was essential for the paper's insanely tight deadlines -- and he would usually be the one writing the toughest of assignments. He got all this done with a great sense of humor and enthusiasm.
James also had the record for having the most page views for any story on the Press-Telegram web site. His MMA coverage brought in a wide audience through the home page and links from UFC and other fight sites.
Among his other achievements, James had also coached high school basketball and became an Eagle Scout at age 18.
A remembrance was written by columnist Bob Keisser:
origin.presstelegram.com/ci_9723217
Tributes came in from his past and present colleagues at the blog run by the Press-Telegram's newsroom union:
lbguild9400.blogspot.com/2008/06/farewell-james.html
One tribute had come from Rob Van Dam. James had interviewed him several times, and Rob, a Southern California resident, helped gain James contacts throughout the WWE and other federations. The last interview the two conducted was a podcast earlier this year. Van Dam's e-mail:
Wow! That is a shocker. It seems like I was just talking to him a few short weeks ago.
I've been thinking about him and an interview we did.
Thank you for passing this information on to me, as sad as it is.
My condolences to his friends and family.
RVD
Many of James's colleagues -- including me -- were transferred to a sister paper in March. No matter where we are, we could never forget James.