ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 10, 1996 TAG: 9604110097
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Cal Thomas
SOURCE: CAL THOMAS
Most of the coverage of the tragic plane crash in Croatia mentions the name of Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and "34 others." One of those "others" was a friend of mine, New York Times foreign correspondent Nathaniel Cushing Nash.
Journalists receive little respect these days. They are either hammered by a public that believs the few with a biased agenda represent the whole profession or, when at their best, are taken for granted. Nathaniel was unlike most of the rest of us in this business.
He was first and foremost a modest man in a profession that can nourish egotism. A Harvard graduate, he was a such a good tennis player that he might have turned professional had he not felt called to something else. It was typical of his life. Rather than centered on himself, Nathaniel constantly explored ways to direct his intellect and energy to benefit others. A sign of the esteem in which he was held came in the spontaneous reaction to his death by Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., who said, "Nathaniel had a sweetness - not necessarily the first word that springs to mind when describing a truly effective foreign correspondent - that was treasured by all who knew him.
In fact, after his initial years as a copy boy at The Times, the only newspaper for which he ever worked, some wondered if he was tough enough for the rigors of reporting. They needn't have feared. During the savings-and-loan scandals of the 1980s, Nathaniel covered the Charles Keating trial with insight and skill. He wrote about a complicated subject in a way that even those who have trouble balancing their checkbooks could understand. "Thorough" and "insightful" were two words often used by his editors and colleagues to descibe Nathaniel's reporting. Ho journalist could ask for a higher compliment.
Nathaniel was a true blueblood, but never a snob. he belonged to a New England family with Mayflower descendants on both sides. He attended upscale private schools in Massachusetts and was a star athlete in high school, earning nine varsity letters in basketball, tennis and soccer.
According to a friend, Nathaniel often spent his vacation time doing missionary work for various Christian causes and organizations. but he was not a show-off about his faith. He didn't have to be. He simply lived it, the ultimate "witness." He once confided to a friend that the way to thrive at The Times was to avoid cynicism - a rule of life that could apply to anyone and any career.
A former Times reporter, McCandlish Phillips, led Nathaniel to pursue journalism. On hearing of his death, Phillips suggested a major reason why Nathaniel was held in such high esteem by all who knew him: "When he came into a room, a gust of good will came right in with him.'
Nathaniel leaves a wife, Elizabeth, who was a missionary when he met her at a Bible study group in New York, twin daughters and a son. He also leaves many colleagues who admired him greatly aand will miss him terribly. At the Dover air Force Base ceremony, President Clinton called him a "brilliant correspondent." He was right. Nathaniel brought honor and distinction to a profession that needs more, not less, of those commodities. His leaving it, especially in the prime of his life and career (he was only 44), diminishes our work and saddens our hearts.
Those who didn't know Nathaniel Nash missed experiencing one of God's great creations. Those who did know him send him back to his Creator with thanks for a job well done and a life well lived.
- Los Angeles Times Syndicate. $
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