Leo Greene, 1945-2008
You don't judge a man's character when things are going well but when they're not. Based on that, Leo Greene consistently proved himself both principled and courageous.
Leo, an award-winning journalist and genuine nice guy, died sometime Friday night. He had ALS. The 62-year-old won two Emmys at KCET public television in Los Angeles and shared a Peabody Award for investigative reporting at KARK-TV in Little Rock, Ark.
I met him as a reporter at the Daily Bulletin. He was the quietest guy in the room, but I soon realized he was one of the most respected. Nearly everyone in the room, at one time or another, went to him for advice. He never boasted of his past, nor lamented his stumbles.
His battle with addictions cost him dearly, but he acknowledged his errors and tried to make amends. With the newspaper industry in turmoil, he didn't despair. He embraced change. And when he was diagnosed about a year and half ago with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, any fears were partly funneled into a massive project to enlighten readers. Leo, who graduated from Bonita High School, truly believed that journalism was a noble profession.
Knowing that most ALS victims don't live past two years, Leo once said in a column:
"Having a notion of when the end might come allows time to prepare, to adjust priorities.
Spiritual knowledge can be found in an awareness of the life around us."
My Grandmother, Jean Borden, died of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) more than a dozen years ago. She managed to struggled for nearly five years with it.
It is a frightening sentence, which many of its victims face with the utmost courage and remarkable dignity, as did Grandma.
Leo Greene should be remembered as a man of such courage and class.
My thoughts go out to his family.