Editorial: Joe Delaney led life of sharing, caring

Thursday, Aug. 8, 2002 | 9:17 a.m.

Friday, in his last column for the Las Vegas Sun, Joe Delaney shared another of his original insights gained from 50-plus years in the entertainment world. In his succinct style, Joe took readers back to the earliest days of the Nelson Riddle Orchestra and traced its progression through the decades, dropping such names as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald and Linda Ronstadt. The column noted that the orchestra would be playing Saturday evening at the Stardust. "It should be a perfect night for dancing, listening and just reminiscing," Joe wrote.

Now we find ourselves reminiscing about Joe, who died Wednesday morning after suffering a stroke on Saturday. He began his music and entertainment career as a young jazz trumpeter and, after service in the Army Air Corps during World War II and earning a law degree, went on to become a recording executive, TV and radio host, educator, charitable fund-raiser and Sun columnist. For 35 years, readers of his column enjoyed the insider's view he shared from having worked with the greats, such as Louis Armstrong, and the up-and-comers performing locally.

Here at the Sun, we knew him as a man who shared stories of his family, including his beloved basset hounds. We knew him as a huge tennis fan. We knew him for the doughnuts and candy bars he regularly passed around. We loved his jokes and the stories he told that taught us about Las Vegas. And now we join with thousands of people in saying how much our lives have been enriched by the life of Joe Delaney.