Blogs 12 Long Island: TELL IT LIKE IT WAS

By Danielle Campbell

Each June the LI Press Club and News 12 LI honor Hank Logeman by awarding an aspiring LI high school journalist with a scholarship.

http://www.pcli.org/index.asp

{The Hank Logeman/News 12 High School Journalism Award went to James Brierton of Smithtown High School East. The $2,000 award, funded by New 12 Long Island, honors Logeman, a longtime journalist and UPI reporter who worked out of the Mineola press room.}

Hank, who lived and worked on LI for most of his life, was an accomplished correspondent from another era.

Hank graduated from the University of Michigan in 1942 with a Bachelor degree in Economics In 1947 Hank moved to NYC and took a job with the Long Island Press and the L.I. Star Journal as a reporter.

1951 Hank joined UPI, United Press International, retiring in 1991 at the age of 71.

Hank covered almost every major story of his era.

He interviewed The Beatles, General MacArthur, JF Kennedy, Liz Taylor, Marilyn Monroe.

He covered murders and scandals to numerous to count-- Many back in the day when reporters--all male back then, simply walked into the murder scene along with the cops and detectives.

He covered no less than 10 plane crashes--including Avianca where at the age of 70--he walked several miles from the town of Oyster Bay--all the way to Cove Neck where the crash site was located.

I remember giving a Hank ride back to town after we had spent close to 12 hours at the gruesome crash site.

Hank had a photographic memory--and was one of the most accurate reporters working--He was a real stickler for details--And everyday in the Press Room Hank was heard saying in his very distinctive voice--"EXACTLY how do you spell that?" He was a real whiz at details ---evident at a very young age.

He loved antique cars--- and Hank told us how at the age of five he could stand on the street corner and as the cars went by he could name every make and model--an ability he kept for as long as we all knew him.

He NEVER hesitated to help a young reporter.

In fact he patiently explained to me what an arraignment was when I was sent out on my first big murder case in Riverhead for 1010 WINS.

He had infinite patience and wisdom--He was a role model, not only as a journalist, but as a person.

He knew the courts and the criminal justice system like the back of his hand.

His writing was not only accurate --but beautiful.

I and many other reporters had the honor to work side by side with this great man.

Hank--was maybe 5 foot 2---always with folded paper under his arm--a cigarette draped from his mouth--and a small stub of a pencil ready to go.

How lucky I considered myself--to have worked with a true journalist--a man of integrity--wisdom and humor.

We all worked together in the Mineola Press Room--it was set up in the courthouse and it was where all of LI's important journalists worked--we were close to the action, the police and the politicians. {In those days Suffolk wasn't considered that news worthy}

One time I remember Hank asking me information about a story--I knew then he considered me a trusted journalist! Whenever that happened--it was a nerve-wracking honor!

Hank and his wife Laura raised their 3 children in Floral Park-- Near the end of his life Hank had been babysitting for his 3 grandchildren --they were by his side when he died.

Despite his height--Hank was one of the tallest people I ever had the pleasure of working with and knowing.

Hank taught us tenaciousness--accuracy --unbending integrity to convey the truth--and above all-he taught us to keep our sense of humor so that we could deal with the tragedies of life that bombarded us on a daily basis--- I personally thank Hank Logeman for all these gifts--

I asked Doug Geed, who also knew Hank to write his thoughts down:

Hank Logeman WAS the Mineola Press Room. It's where I and countless other young reporters learned our craft. Despite four years of college and a Bachelor of Journalism degree, I consider "Professor Logeman" one of my greatest teachers. One of my favorite pastimes would be discussing sports with Hank over a few beers. The memories of his beloved Detroit Tigers and so many other sports tales could entertain for hours. I just regret never following through on my oft-stated comment to Hank that I'd write a book with him about all the stories he had covered and people he had met. It's amazing how much territory he managed to cover by never once driving above 35 miles an hour. But his driving habits matched his journalistic skills: take your time, get it right. An outstanding journalist and a true gentleman, I've never met anyone who didn't love Hank Logeman. I'm just one person on a very long list. Thanks, Hank.

Ellen Mitchell of WCBS News radio 880, worked with Hank for over 20 years: "In looking back at the years I spent reporting out of the Mineola press room, my memories of Hank Logeman are among my most cherished. Our desks were adjacent. We sat four feet from each other on an almost daily basis and I cannot recall ever having a disagreement with the man. We became fast friends on the day we met and remained so until the day Hank died. Hank was tiny in physical stature and yet he stood heads above the rest of us when it came to journalistic integrity, writing ability and an aptitude for cutting to the heart of the story quickly and accurately.

He was a reporter of the old school, devoted to his craft, skilled as a communicator, tenacious about uncovering every detail and insistent that what he reported on be honest and unadorned. Hank never wrote to please an editor interested only in ratings or glaring headlines. Many of you are familiar with the Hank legends.

The man kept sheets of paper for note taking folded over so that they fit into his breast pocket. He was a formal person and sports jackets with pockets were his style. He wrote his notes in columns, between the folds of the paper and he did so with pencil stubs. I think Hank purposely ground down new pencils so as never to have one that was more than 4 inches long. When all the reporters in the room were on a conference call with the police, which was something we used to do regularly, Hank could drive us all to distraction with his insistence on minute detail. I can still hear him asking, "Officer Kohler…how do you spell that name Smith?" The man was blessed with a charming sense of humor and each day he arrived with a new joke. Hank was a raconteur and he had this incredible wealth of rich stories to share. He had been a reporter longer than any of us and as the UPI man at Kennedy Airport he had seen it all. He had personally interviewed such bigger than life luminaries as Marilyn Monroe, the Beatles and Richard Nixon.

He never went out of his way to tell people about any of this but then he'd casually mention a name as part of one of his stories…such as " I was standing on the tarmac with Paul McCartney" or " I was in the VIP lounge interviewing Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton." Time and again I suggested to Hank that he write a book about his memories. He'd shake his head and I knew he'd never do it. He was a very humble guy. Hank never lived to see the wireless, digitalized, Blackberried, instantaneous style of news reporting of today. But, he was always open to change and he would have mastered all the latest technology---maybe not easily, but he would have done it. Still, sometimes it's good to recall a man who wrote with a pencil stub on long sheets of paper, never missed a detail and never dramatized his stories. Life as it happened was drama enough and Hank told it like it was."