By Jordan Green, Editor-in-Chief
Journalism is all about lines. There are headlines, datelines, bylines, storylines and, worst of all, deadlines. And when we report on tough subjects, people are quick to say newspaper folks are crossing the line.
Dayle McGaha was accused of that a time or two because his newspaper reported on controversial, and important, topics. When people criticized The Blackwell Journal-Tribune, he was deeply hurt because he cared about the newspaper. But more importantly, he was hurt because he wanted people to know, believe and act on the truth.
He devoted his life to seeking, finding and telling the truth like nobody’s business – because that was his business.
Dayle, the longtime publisher of The Blackwell Journal-Tribune, died Monday morning at the age of 88.
Few people could ever calculate the impact he had on Kay County through his journalism and community leadership. And I can’t come close to describing the difference he made in my life.
Dayle was one of the greatest journalistic mentors I’ve ever had. Although he retired in 2000, about 17 years before I began working at the newspaper, Dayle was always an ardent reader. I met him not long after I began working at the paper, and I was fascinated by his tales about the good old days of print journalism. I had the honor of writing a feature story about him several years ago, and we’ve been best friends ever since.
Even in retirement, he never lost his love for journalism. He was probably The Journal-Tribune’s biggest cheerleader, offering compliments on exceptional stories and making sure his friends read them. Even when his ailing vision kept him from reading, he asked others to read stories aloud to him. Knowing that Dayle would read my stories was a tremendous privilege – and all the more reason to tell those stories well.
Dayle gave me quite a few good story ideas through the years. But his contagious passion is what meant the most to me. I can’t count how many times he told me he believed he had the best job in Oklahoma.
As the publisher of The Journal-Tribune, he attended every ribbon-cutting for new businesses, shook the hands of every visiting political leader and directed a newspaper that virtually everyone in the region read. Yes, he loved what he did – and it showed.
On occasion, I’ve glanced through the archives of The Journal-Tribune from Dayle’s era. It was a different time, no doubt, one in which newspapers were the kings of advertising and information. Still, the award-winning Journal-Tribune was better than most. It was filled with information about towns all across the region, and it often highlighted the good things happening in them: new businesses, school events, features on interesting people and tales of heroism on the part of local police officers and firefighters.
The paper also didn’t shy away from coverage of government functions and crime – the kinds of stories that don’t make people happy. However, these are the same kinds of stories that really bring about change in a community and need to be told. Dayle ensured that they were.
No matter the nature of the news, Dayle wanted the newspaper’s coverage to be fair, balanced, accurate and complete. He upheld those ethics in an effort to make the newspaper a platform to bring the community together.
Dayle may never have been a famous Washington correspondent, the publisher of a massive media empire or an investigative reporter whose stories are told across the nation. But what he excelled at is something much more personal; he was an underdog, a community newsman who worked tirelessly to make Kay County a better place to live. His work may not have garnered him national praise, but he never wanted or needed that. First and foremost, he wanted to see his hometown thrive, its leaders to be held to account and its citizens to be informed. In this area, his accomplishments are unrivaled.
A lot of people, myself included, unconsciously talk about someone’s professional life apart from their personal life. But Dayle was the same at the newspaper as he was at home: always friendly, listening and showing love to the people he was around. He was one of the most selfless men I’ve ever met, and one I hope to be like one day.
Best of all, Dayle took time to help young bucks like me learn a thing or two. His advice on stories and handling problems with people was sage. He could have written a best-selling book about relationships because he was a master of winning people’s hearts.
In the last several months, we’ve had some long and heartfelt conversations. The main points he got across to me were these: Love God, love and serve your family and others and love yourself. Powerful truth from a man who did it all.
Dayle spent most of his life on deadline, and now that his final story is written, it’s up to those of us who knew and loved him to keep alive the kind of journalism Dayle lived out: good, old-fashioned truth-telling. If anyone was truly in the truth business, it was Dayle McGaha.
Thanks, Dayle.
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