Ex-Sun reporter Hyman covered big stories of era

Harold Hyman, a flamboyant journalist molded in the golden age of newspapers, died Friday in El Jen Convalescent and Retirement Center in Las Vegas after an illness of several months. He was 77.

Hyman worked for the Las Vegas Sun from 1965 to 1990, and covered the extraordinary stories of the era. In 1974, "Silver King" James Ray Houston, selling silver bullion to investors (and promising to store it in his own safe for them), became so rich and popular that he was running strong for governor. That was until newsmen Hyman and Lou Dolinar exposed the venture as a Ponzi scheme. Hyman also covered the small Las Vegas wedding of 50-year-old Frank Sinatra and 21-year-old Mia Farrow.

To simply entertain readers, he kept a straight face while publicizing the theories of bigfoot-trackers who said the Northwest's legendary sasquatch migrated through the desert near Las Vegas.

He was particularly noted for rushing to the scene of fast-breaking crime stories and digging out details others missed. Bob Allen, now a private polygraph examiner but formerly a night shift detective with Las Vegas police, said, "Harold drove that old yellow Camaro convertible and he got there first. He was the most proactive reporter I have ever seen. And he was a wonderful gentleman. You could depend on integrity in his reporting."

Chris Chrystal, the Sun's city editor in the late 70s, remember his effectiveness. "You could count on Harold to find a headline story on a slow night. He'd just get some detective to tell him some really interesting new detail about a running story, and we'd have our headline."

Review-Journal columnist Geoff Schumacher said his first job after college was covering the Sun's night police beat while Hyman covered it in the day. He said "Harold taught me a lot about covering the police beat, including not to be squeamish. He was the kind of reporter who could eat his lunch at an autopsy."

The central character of the popular 1970s television series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" -- in which a reporter for a thinly-disguised Las Vegas newspaper chased vampires and other supernatural villains -- was modeled on Hyman. (Hyman's fellow reporter, Jeff Rice, wrote the novel that spawned the series.)

Born Sept. 26, 1932, in Chicago, Hyman grew up in Los Angeles and hawked newspapers on its streets. His parents, immigrants from Russia and Poland, were orchestral musicians, and Hyman played clarinet and sax with dance bands after his graduation from Hollywood High School. Overseas service in the Korean War qualified him to use the GI Bill to major in journalism. His first reporting job was in Barstow, Calif., his second for the Sun, where he wrote for 25 years. He published many articles as a free-lance writer, especially in true crime magazines.

In 1990 Hyman left the newspaper and became an operative for private detective agencies. For most of that time, he was associated with the Professional Investigators, run by former homicide detective Tom Dillard.

Proud of his Jewish heritage, Hyman repeatedly volunteered to fight in Israel's wars of survival, but was rejected as too old. He once attacked neo-Nazi demonstrators in Las Vegas, and had to be restrained by fellow counter-demonstrators.

Hyman is survived by his widow and companion of 30 years, Glenda Harris Hyman. He is also survived by his former spouse, Mary Bredlau; and the children of that marriage; son Noel; daughter Tracy Chubbs; and two grandchildren, Jacob and Connor Chubbs. All live in Las Vegas.

Services will be at noon Sunday at King David Chapel, 2697 E. Eldorado Lane.

Contact A.D. Hopkins at adhopkins@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270.