The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne) and HSPA lost a great one to the other side.
Tracy Warner, editorial page editor and a 31-year veteran at The JG, accepted a position in corporate communications at Indiana Michigan Power. He started April 22.
His previous positions at the paper date back to 1981 and include metro editor (which he calls “Lou Grant’s job” for those old enough to remember), news editor, copy editor and reporter.
The Hartford City guy’s journalistic reach goes beyond the newsroom.
Who knows how many student-journalists’ lives he touched while teaching at Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne and serving on the board that oversees the student newspaper.
The Indiana chapter of Associated Press Managing Editors and HSPA Foundation always began planning the Road Show for Reporters with Warner’s annual session on how to avoid ticking off your editor.
It never mattered how the committee spun the title, he always presented what he wanted newer reporters to know to keep them out of trouble.
Warner volunteered for other events as well – judging other state’s Better Newspaper Contests and interviewing at the annual Journalism Job Fair.
He also won numerous journalism awards over the years, including first place in the Best Editorial Writer and third in Best General Commentary categories in the 2012 HSPA Foundation Better Newspaper Contest’s largest daily division.
Citizens in Fort Wayne, colleagues in the newspaper business and HSPA staff will miss him.
