I never saw Larry again. His life was cut short by pneumonia last week.
Though he was 77, I say cut short because with his Robert Redford looks, trim build and enthusiastic approach to life (and driving), he seemed 20 years younger. It's unfathomable that someone who was so alive is now gone.
Much has been written about Larry's career in the Long Beach media, but I wanted to pay tribute to him because he spent his later years living in Laguna Beach and commuting to Long Beach, where he remained the Press-Telegram's editorial page editor. I know he has family in Laguna and close friends in Newport Beach.
Larry was like that — a friend the moment you met him. Like most good journalists, he was curious, and he did a great job of asking questions that required you to think deeply about the answers. And he was the best listener I've ever met. He displayed little ego in conversation, waiting patiently while you spoke and not sitting on his hands to get a word in.
He had a quiet confidence and no need for praise and attention. Though he had many career successes, including cases of newspaper-industry awards, he almost never called attention to them. He wasn't in the business for the recognition that sometimes comes with it. He did it for the right reasons: to hold government accountable and tell good stories along the way.
But he also lived outside of the cloistered world of newspapers. He spoke fondly sometimes of a small group of men, corporate executives mainly, whom he met with on occasion and about the great friendships he forged with them.
