Thanks, Russ...

Some columns are easy to write. In fact, at times, it seems like the words just spill out of my brain, usually much faster than my hunt-and-peck approach to typing can keep up with.

Others, however, are much harder to write. Maybe its because these tough columns come not from a place of logic or reasoning, but from a place in the heart. It can be so much easier to discuss statistics and politics than to tell the world what someone meant to you, especially when you realize you didn't tell that person nearly often enough.

And such is the case of former Big Spring mayor Russ McEwen, who recently passed away.

For those who knew and loved Russ, it's not hard to understand how he had such a deep impact on not only the community, but on so many individual lives. He wasn't the type to just sit on the sidelines and hope things got better. No, he wasn't the least bit afraid to jump into the fray and get his hands dirty, whether it was championing children causes or just recognizing the hard work of others.

While I could sit here and go on and on extolling the many virtues of Russ for hours, that's not what this column is about. The story I want to tell today is about the effect Russ had on me, both as a reporter and a part of the Big Spring community.

I first met him during his bid for mayor, hot on the campaign trail for an office many local residents wouldn't serve in if you blackmailed them with explicit pictures and a Communist flag hanging up in their garage. However, McEwen, a former member of the Big Spring City Council, was a bit of an optimist and was ready to serve his community in the best way he knew how.

Around that same time I was something of a tenderfoot in reporting, having only moved to West texas a few years earlier. In all honesty, you could have floated a battleship with everything I didn't know about city government, elections and the world in general.

During the course of McEwen's election, I interviewed him several times while I was working as a reporter and news anchor for NewsWest 9, and, I have to say, I probably asked him some of the dumbest questions any politician hears during the course of their career.

And, for those of you who hold by the old adage, “There's no such thing as a dumb question,” you've obviously never been interviewed by a television news crew.

Despite the obvious chaos encountered on the campaign trail, Russ was more than happy to take the time to explain things to me, regardless of how complicated they were or how thick-headed I was in trying to understand. He never lost his patience with me, which is more than I can say for most of my friends or coworkers.

It was that same understanding that helped me become a better reporter long after Russ won the mayor's office and began tackling the city's problems, which, for the most part, were mounting up quickly.

As the years went by, Russ became more than just a politician, however. Whenever I ran into him at a local store or on the street, he always took the time to talk to me and ask how my daughter was doing. His love for children was legendary, to say the least, and on more than one occasion he offered me advice as a father who had successfully raised his children.

And trust me, as a single dad I needed all the help I could get.

I spent time talking with Russ on a number of non-city related topics during numerous trips to Austin and at other community functions and it was within those conversations I got a glimpse beyond the politics and meetings and was able to meet the man I'd go on to consider a close friend.

Now, don't think for one moment Russ was without his faults. He was human, after all, and although we'd all like to eulogize him straight into sainthood following his passing, I think Russ would rather have the people who knew him remember him for who he truly was.

Yes, we laughed at the expense of certain local politicians, especially during and following the council meetings that would eventually lead to the design and construction of the Big Spring Aquatic Center. We laughed about speedos, innocuous outbursts from council members and a number of other topics — many of which I will take to my grave — but Russ never lost sight of what he was trying to accomplish.

I suppose if I tried to sum up what Russ McEwen taught me through the years, it would come down to one idea: If you know it's right, then don't give fighting for it a second thought. He knew what was right, both for the community and especially for the children of the Crossroads area and he was not afraid to fight for those things.

On election night, talking to some friends, I made a quip about our current mayor and someone said something that hit a deep chord within me. They said, “Mayor? I only have one mayor and he recently passed away.”

I suppose that sums up how this reporter feels. Thanks, Russ, for all the help and great talks. I feel like you helped me be a better dad. You will be greatly missed, not just by the Big Spring community, but by this wayward writer.