Columnist Jeff German: Deskin was hero to many

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2004 | 11:17 a.m.

Jeff German's column appears Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in the Sun. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4067.

Every time you talked to Ruthe Deskin, you left with a feeling that this was a woman of integrity.

Her death leaves me feeling empty today because I know I have lost a friend and mentor -- someone I could always count on for honest advice.

Health problems kept Ruthe away from the Sun for much of the last two years, but I still felt her presence. Once in a while she would drop me a line or an e-mail about something I had written, often offering words of encouragement.

That was typical Ruthe. She took an interest in reporters at the newspaper and loved to chat with them about the crucial issues facing the community. She knew the important role they played in shaping those issues.

And the reporters, especially this one, appreciated her vast knowledge of Nevada and journalism, much of it acquired in the trenches as the longtime assistant and confidante of Sun publisher Hank Greenspun, who died in 1989.

Beyond discussing the serious issues of the day, Ruthe and I shared a love of watching the Runnin' Rebels at the Thomas & Mack Center, through the championship years and the rebuilding years. Frequently I would see her, dressed in a Rebel red sweatshirt, cheering the basketball team on across the arena floor with her daughter, Terry, at her side. At the office the next morning, Ruthe rarely missed a chance to critique the team's performance. Sometimes she would get angry with the caliber of play, but she never stopped going to the games and supporting the team.

Ruthe was a soft-spoken woman. In 25 years I never once heard her raise her voice in the newsroom. But she was very opinionated, which made her a fine columnist. Her biggest joy was writing about the problems facing seniors and disadvantaged youth. She could be warm and compassionate, yet as tough as the legendary Sun publisher.

Of all of Ruthe's attributes, including her great sense of humor and loyalty to the newspaper, her integrity is what I will remember the most about her. That may be the biggest legacy she leaves behind.

These days journalists are about as popular as lawyers and used car salesmen, so if you don't have your integrity in this business, you have nothing.

So principled was Ruthe that she wasn't afraid to confront the dynamic Greenspun if she felt he had crossed an ethical line with the newspaper. Most of the time Greenspun wound up listening to her.

Like everyone else, he respected her integrity.

At the end of the day, critics outside the paper could say anything they wanted about the hard-hitting publisher, but if they uttered one nasty word about Ruthe, they would feel his wrath for eternity.

Rex Taylor, the Sun's production manager, knew Ruthe for as long as anyone at the paper, more than 36 years. Over the past several months, Taylor had been taking Ruthe's mail to her home.

Though he had many conversations with her, Taylor had no trouble remembering the last words he said to Ruthe a couple of weeks ago.

"I told her 'Mrs. Deskin, you've always been one of my heroes and that still holds true today.' "

It does for me, too, Ruthe.

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