Former News-Press editor, columnist Joe Workman dies

Update: A memorial service for Joe Workman will be Saturday, Dec. 31 at 11 a.m. at St. Raphael's Church, Williams Drive, Fort Myers Beach. 

In his final News-Press column in 1997, Joe Montgomery Workman described how he rolled into Fort Myers in a red 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air with a few bucks in his pockets and $100-a-month car payments.

Workman, who died Tuesday at age 78, retired after a 35-year career he thought would last  all of two years and settled with his wife Grace on Fort Myers Beach.

That Feb. 23, 1997, column, his last after a 14-year stint as a columnist, looked back at his tenure and observed the sea-change that had overwhelmed journalism.

"Newspapering has changed. Back then, newsrooms were smoky, editors shouted and growled, reporters told bawdy knee-slappers and somebody was sure to have a bottle tucked out of sight," he wrote.

"Always in the background was the clackety-clack of Linotype machines, Teletypes and typewriters. Alligators lived in the office fountain. A buck-naked streaker dashed through the newsroom.

"There still are mountains to climb, rivers to cross and, hopefully, a few knee-slappers along the way. So this is goodbye and thank you for reading.  It has been a pleasure."

Those who reported, edited, and wrote during Workman's days at The News-Press agreed that the West Virginia native had a passion for words and for Southwest Florida.

"He was the best-loved and respected News-Presser in the 40 years I have been associated with the paper," said Mark Stephens, a former reporter and editor at The News-Press.

Looking for substance in officials' water claims

Though he mainly knew Workman as a columnist, retired executive editor Terry Eberle said he was indebted to him for providing guidance when he moved here from Pennsylvania.

"He taught me what was important. He cared about the community. He was an old-time journalist and a good man," Eberle said.  "He took the time to explain to me what Florida was all about."

Workman cared deeply about the people, places and events that made up the News-Press coverage area, he said.

"He tried to get people and the community to change," Eberle said. "He wrote about tough issues."

In addition to columnist, Workman filled many roles at The News-Press in his 35-years — associate editor, assistant managing editor, regional editor and city editor.

Retired News-Press reporter Lee Melsek wrote in a 1997 story about Workman's retirement: "Reared in West Virginia's hardscrabble mining country, his upbringing in the Appalachian poverty belt made him a natural champion of the underdog. He frequently used his column as a sounding board for people fighting city hall and for those with good ideas or noble causes but little power to communicate them."

Beach plan no lifetime opportunity

Furthermore, Melsek said Workman's profiles of Lee County natives gave newcomers rare glimpses into the lifestyles and customs of earlier times here.

Joe Workman was a friend and a mentor

"To public officials, Workman offered advice. Don't forget who you work for, his columns would remind them," Melsek wrote, adding:  "You owe some attention to the poor bloke in Tice who can't untangle the addition to his back porch from the red tape at the courthouse. You owe it to the lady in Cape Coral who has been told she can't add a bedroom to her home for her sick mother. Treat every day like the election is tomorrow."

To the columnist who had to fill some considerable shoes, Sam Cook, Workman was a tough act to follow.

"Joe Workman was the columnist's columnist. Joe was an extraordinary storyteller. He wrote columns that made you laugh from beginning to end. Joe always had an eye out for corruption. He was superb at stepping on the toes of those in the wrong,'' Cook said.

"I was Joe's copy editor for a brief time before he retired. One time, I thought I had a better ending for his column than he did, so I called him and asked what he thought," he said. "I never did that again. He said: 'Sam, just look for typos and I'll take care of the endings.' ''

Workman's support when Cook took his place was important to the columnist.

"He knew it wasn't easy following a legend, even when he was the legend," Cook said. "Joe didn't hesitate to offer me encouragement. He would call or email when I wrote a column he liked.''

Denes Husty, a former reporter at The News-Press, described Workman as a role model and a great guy.

"He was just a very good, well-rounded journalist," Husty said.

"He was very encouraging. When others got awards he would say 'don't worry, your turn will come,' and it did," he said.

"He was your typical old-school journalist," Husty said "He just loved what he did. He lived and breathed newspaper journalism."

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