This morning, we lost another great journalistic inspiration of our time.
Former White House Press Secretary and Fox News anchor Tony Snow died at age 53, after battling colon cancer.
Snow had been a prominent broadcast journalist since 1996 on Fox News, where he anchored the network’s Sunday news show. In May 2006, Snow replaced Scott McClellan as White House press secretary after McClellan’s resignation.
But Snow held the post for only 17 months, as he faced intermittent problems as the cancer resurfaced in his body, and resigned in September 2007.
He was known for his jovial camaraderie with White House journalists and his critical interview technique as a Fox News anchor, and he has certainly left his mark on the journalism world.
But once again, in less than month, I’m left mourning a journalistic inspiration that I’ve had the honor to meet… and I’m left wondering why such a powerful media icon was taken from us so soon.
I met Snow at the 2008 National Press Foundation awards dinner in Washington, D.C. in February. Five of my colleagues at the Washington Center for Politics and Journalism and I received tickets to the dinner, which had more than 1,000 people in attendance.
I didn’t know that Tony Snow was going to be there until I noticed him at the far end of the head table. I remember turning to one of my friends, “Oh, my God! Tony Snow’s here!”
At the end of the dinner, I asked my friends, “I’m going up there to meet Tony Snow. Anyone want to come with me?” They looked at me like I was crazy… or unusually brave, I can’t tell.
But a couple of them agreed to come with me, and I led the way up to the former White House press secretary.
He was talking over the table to someone else down on the main floor, and I waited my turn to approach him. When he was finished, I boldly - but shyly - asked him for his autograph and a picture. “Sure,” he said. “Come on up!”
Snow graciously signed my autograph book and then took time out from mingling with all the other more important people vying for his attention to talk with three humble interns and get his picture taken with them.
Snow was refreshingly kind, caring and generous with his time — something that he didn’t have to do, but he did - because that’s the kind of person he was.
It was only a few minutes before we were with Snow again, watching him jam out with his band at the NPF dinner’s post-reception.
Watching Tony groove on his saxophone and rip on his guitar, you’d never know he was fighting an internal battle with cancer. His last surgery was in 2007 — and nearly a year later, as I watched him on that stage, he looked healthy and happy.
That’s what makes today so hard for me…
I knew Tony Snow was fighting cancer, but when I met him that February night, he was the picture of health: Upbeat, friendly and energetic.
Two great journalistic icons gone in less than a month, both taken before their time: Tim Russert and Tony Snow. And I had the privilege to meet them both — it’s heart-wrenching.
~ Kristen M. Daum, City Desk intern at The Oklahoman.