Farewell Rocky Mountain News

Last week's closing of the Rocky Mountain News - albeit not surprising - was depressing.

One of my fondest memories of the Rocky came when I was managing the media relations surrounding the opening of the Pepsi Center. Janet Reeves, the Rocky's photo editor, had sent a photographer over to capture images of the home of the Nuggets and Avs a couple of weeks before its opening. The photographer was 30 minutes late. Apparently, this was is first day on the job in Denver and he'd gotten lost. I was frustrated. I had a lot of work to do and I was going to be stuck wasting a morning with this guy who couldn’t find a 20,000-seat skyline-changing arena.

As I was impatiently waiting, I noticed the decorative arches had just been installed at the entrances to the grounds. I pointed this out to the photographer when he finally arrived and he immediately walked over to one and started shooting. To my surprise, we spent an enjoyable couple of hours together, the photographer noticing details about the arena others would have unknowingly passed by.

The next day, a photo of a shimmering arch with the words “Pepsi Center” appeared on the cover of the Rocky, credited to Barry Gutierrez.

Since then, Barry has become a Pulitzer Prize winner and has captivated Rocky subscribers with riveting images of notable Colorado happenings like the Hayman Fire and, more recently, the Democratic National Convention.

Thanks for the memories, Barry and the RMN. We'll miss you.

- Larry

Comments

[Gregg]

It is indeed depressing news. Just another portent of the demise of the written word in a society obsessed with instant gratification -- often at the notable expense of credibility. RIP. RMN.