Salem-News Writer is a Patriarch Among Oregon Journalists

While Henry Clay Ruark will continue to write stories for Salem-News.com from Central Oregon.

Henry Clay Ruark in the mid-40's

(SALEM) - Salem-News viewers are familiar with the name, Henry Clay Ruark, his name is known throughout Oregon in many media circles. Hank as he is more generally known to us, has been contributing opinion/editorial articles here for more than two years.

You see, at the age of 89, Hank is a patriarch among journalists in this state; his son Jeremy operates a radio newsroom in Bend, Oregon, while his other son Loren works as a main point man at Eugene's KVAL TV.

Back in the early 1990's when I was the News Director of Oregon coastal radio stations KCRF and KBCH, Jeremy was with Salem's AM station KBZY and we competed fiercely for the 1991 Oregon Associated Press Cooperation Award by providing news stories to the rest of Oregon via the AP.

Loren is Hank's son who has major mileage with the local news industry in Oregon. Today Loren shoots and sets up live shots for KVAL in Eugene. When I worked as photojournalist/reporter for Portland's ABC affiliate KATU Channel-2, Loren helped me countless times in the field on Salem stories that Portland and Eugene both covered.

Loren is the only TV news guy I've ever known who has his name painted on the side of his live truck. It reminds me of the nose art on a WWII bomber.

With almost nine decades of life under his belt, Henry Clay Ruark is living history. He is young at heart though, and he easily belies his age with an appearance and spirit of a younger man.

What impresses me the most is Hank's value system. He never became stale in his thought process, he never aged in the wrong ways, and he always places a special emphasis in getting the details right and crediting his sources.

"Op-Eds published in Salem-News are specially researched and thoroughly documented to bring you the best possible summary of realities directly affecting you, as we see them."

One interesting development is Henry's relocation to Bend, Oregon where he will reestablish the operation he has been at the wheel of for many years, Learning Management Associates.

He is joining son Jeremy --corporate news director for Combined Communications there-- in a single-level residence with office space for further LMA activities and Op-Ed reports for Salem-News.

While Hank will continue to write stories for Salem-News.com about the Oregon Legislature, he will also diversify our coverage of the state by living in Central Oregon.

His sometimes controversial "Opinion" pieces will continue, resuming next week. Watch for his next Op-Ed transmitted on Wednesday.