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Monday’s revelation about Bob Wraight’s passing caught me by surprise.
It has been about 15 years since Bob and I last spoke. That does not diminish the fact that he was a larger-than-life character in my tenure at the Tazewell News ( now the Morton Times-News) so many years ago.
Soft-spoken and quick to smile is what I remember most about Bob.
I must admit, looking back, a lot of those smiles on his part toward me must have been forced.
I was struck by a comment Bob made some years ago that were included in the story the Journal Star ran on Monday.
“Don’t put yourself in a position of leadership if you don’t want to be criticized. Your intelligence, integrity, motives, and competence will be questioned publicly by people who have little or no knowledge of the issues,” Bob said in a 2006 story in Public Works Magazine.
“You’ll get scars dealing with problems and people after a certain amount of time.”
I may have given him a few of those scars. To say I was a pain in his side at times, while I was a reporter and editor at the Tazewell News, would be a vast understatement.
I got under his skin on more than one occasion. He got visibly angry with me on only a few occasions. But, it always quickly blew over.
Bob almost always took whatever comments or questions I had in stride. He would then gently, but very persuasively, present his side.
Bob forced me to be very prepared and think long and hard about a story.
He was not one to volunteer information unless he wanted it out.
Bob could be very maddening at times if I was not prepared. But, when I was prepared it paid off.
“You asked the right question,” he would say, a hint of a wry smile on his face.
Bob and I were very different people. He was a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. My style was in-your-face.
Bob did not seem to enjoy confrontation. I sought it out.
On more than one occasion when I confronted a village leader Bob told me I should have more respect for the man and the office.
Those conversations always ended with me telling him, “I’ll save my respect for my readers.”
Over the years I have learned Bob was right. Anyone willing to serve in elected office does deserve some respect.
Despite our differences I liked and respected Bob. He always seemed to have what he thought were the village’s best interests at heart. He did not seek out attention. He seemed embarrassed when it was thrust upon him.
In 2006, Bob was named one of the country’s Top 10 public works directors by the American Public Works Association.
He deserved that accolade.
Morton, where Bob worked for 35 years, 33 of those as head of the public works department, fit him comfortably.
But, the Bob I knew was simply a man with a big job, a big passion for public service and a small ego. That, alone, was enough to make him stand out.
Monday’s revelation about Bob Wraight’s passing caught me by surprise.
It has been about 15 years since Bob and I last spoke. That does not diminish the fact that he was a larger-than-life character in my tenure at the Tazewell News ( now the Morton Times-News) so many years ago.
Soft-spoken and quick to smile is what I remember most about Bob.
I must admit, looking back, a lot of those smiles on his part toward me must have been forced.
I was struck by a comment Bob made some years ago that were included in the story the Journal Star ran on Monday.
“Don’t put yourself in a position of leadership if you don’t want to be criticized. Your intelligence, integrity, motives, and competence will be questioned publicly by people who have little or no knowledge of the issues,” Bob said in a 2006 story in Public Works Magazine.
“You’ll get scars dealing with problems and people after a certain amount of time.”
I may have given him a few of those scars. To say I was a pain in his side at times, while I was a reporter and editor at the Tazewell News, would be a vast understatement.
I got under his skin on more than one occasion. He got visibly angry with me on only a few occasions. But, it always quickly blew over.
Bob almost always took whatever comments or questions I had in stride. He would then gently, but very persuasively, present his side.
Bob forced me to be very prepared and think long and hard about a story.
He was not one to volunteer information unless he wanted it out.
Bob could be very maddening at times if I was not prepared. But, when I was prepared it paid off.
“You asked the right question,” he would say, a hint of a wry smile on his face.
Bob and I were very different people. He was a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. My style was in-your-face.
Bob did not seem to enjoy confrontation. I sought it out.
On more than one occasion when I confronted a village leader Bob told me I should have more respect for the man and the office.
Those conversations always ended with me telling him, “I’ll save my respect for my readers.”
Over the years I have learned Bob was right. Anyone willing to serve in elected office does deserve some respect.
Despite our differences I liked and respected Bob. He always seemed to have what he thought were the village’s best interests at heart. He did not seek out attention. He seemed embarrassed when it was thrust upon him.
In 2006, Bob was named one of the country’s Top 10 public works directors by the American Public Works Association.
He deserved that accolade.
Morton, where Bob worked for 35 years, 33 of those as head of the public works department, fit him comfortably.
But, the Bob I knew was simply a man with a big job, a big passion for public service and a small ego. That, alone, was enough to make him stand out.
