A consistent life well lived
When I first started work for the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 1976, Jesse Scott had already been in town six years as the executive director of the NAACP. Our paths never crossed in the early years.
Jesse Scott, 1920-2010
When I became editor of the newspaper in 1988, he dropped by for a cup of coffee and his first words to me were something to the effect of: "You're a young man!" And, I guess I was then at 37. But it was what he added to that exclamation that stuck with me. He said:
"You could do some good in this community."
I told him that was the plan. We then coffeed-up a few topics of the day. He complained about the editorials in the R-J being "too conservative". I told him I thought they weren't conservative enough. And that began a long acquaintance.
We didn't always agree. But we found ourselves on the same page when the Review-Journal lead the way in reporting a controversial case in which police burst into the apartment of Charles Bush and killed him as they tried to subdue him. It lead to a series of stories on a controversial chokehold and, in general, police brutality. People who thought we were picking on the police picketed the newspaper with signs that read: "Sherman Frederick ... Resign!". It was a gritty time. One day I'll write more about it. (Sidebar: It also distinguished in my mind the bravery of Frankie Sue Del Papa, of a young attorney general who broke with the power structure to prosecute the case. She never got enough credit for that in my view.)
Anyway, I last saw Jesse Scott a little more than a year ago when he dropped by the Review-Journal to attend the coming out party of "Black Image", a monthly magazine available free by request to Las Vegas Review-Journal subscribers. It's a great magazine created and produced in partnership with Charles Tureaud and Kimberly Bailey-Tureaud. The primary theme is to speak to black Las Vegans throughout the Valley. He thought the magazine was a good idea. When he shook my hand that day, I reminded him of what he said to me when I first met and asked: "How am I doing?"
"You're doin' good," he said. He smiled and then complained about those conservative R-J editorials.
Jesse Scott died Monday. He lived a good life and I was glad to know him.
