Revisit the past: Letter from Tim Chavez to Dennie Hall

Tim Chavez

Former Editor for The Vista

Dear Mr. Hall and Vista Staff:

I was hoping to save the next paragraphs of thoughts for my last editorial as editor. However, the events of the past few days, and indeed, the summer and fall semester, have made these thoughts appropriate for now.

Two years ago, a columnist for Newsweek magazine lamented in a piece of his work that there were no more heroes left in the world, awe-producing figures like Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth or Sergeant York were missing from the modern scene. I disagreed with that columnist’s conclusion then, and after these last few days, I again hold his assumption to be false.

In my life, I have had three heroes. First there was my mother, a lady whose devotion for her children and husband was a lesson in self-sacrifice and humility. Next my father, whose cold outward manner, interwound with flashes of anger and laughter, instilled in me a discipline and love to labor. Finally, there was my parish priest, who I served as an acolyte for the 10 most moldable years of my life. He showed me the joy in serving man and the Church, sacrificing materially in order to prosper spiritually. His constant exhibition of humility convinced me that his vocation was possibly the only way I could fulfill my goals in life. “The spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. “Today, I add a fourth figure … Dennie Hall.

The struggle for truth and the free expression of it has been a martyr-filled battle ever since the beginning of civilization. Even in a country where such rights are guaranteed in writing, the freedom to exercise them is constantly under a threatening barrage of innuendo and strong- arm pressure tactics.

The majority of the power in this world and here at CSU, is in the hands of those who would manipulate and oppress the truth for their gain. Because of this, the cause of seeing that the truth be preserved, along with the free right to express it, is not a pleasant task to undertake. For the most part, it has been the press which has embraced this noblest of causes, and many of the fourth estate have paid the price. “In the long, fierce struggle for freedom, the press, like the church, counted its martyrs by the thousands.” James A. Garfield.

In the fight here at CSU, Mr. Hall has too had to pay a price for a cause he espouses with the fervor of a charismatic. His paternal protection for these First Amendment rights is so strong, I think, for two reasons.

First, he wants such rights to be preserved in his lifetime, and second, he wishes to protect these rights for all of the young journalists after him. It is futile to thank you enough in words, Mr. Hall, for your efforts.

The pressures and heart aches that have been defecated on Mr. Hall because of this job are terribly unfortunate. To think that in the United States, there are men in the high offices who wish to defile and desecrate First Amendment rights, is abhorring. These men of dark characters are here on this university, usings the tactics of inaccuracy and pressure to discredit and frighten those who carry the cause of First Amendment preservation.

These disciples of Nixonian philosophy have succeeded in only making Mr. Hall more adamant in his protection of these rights. 

Your sacrifice for this cause is immensely appreciated Mr. Hall, the long hours of work under pressure. You could have abandoned the fight because of pressing matters at home along with a heavy teaching schedule. But you endured. You are a scholar, a gentlemen, a friend, a professor who teaches with actions, not words.

Your actions have inspired me. I, too, embrace this cause of protection of truth, the preservation of First Amendment rights. These privileges are not just for us on The Vista, but for our readers as well. The Vista must make the campus aware of this. In closing, the columnist needed not to look to the sky, or to the sports arena or the annals of military history. All he needed was to look around, to think of his loved ones or acquaintances who had impressed upon him ideals of goodness and sincerity. These figures are the heroes. I turned around and saw such a man this week.

Tim Chavez

Editor, The Vista

Tim Chavez (1958-2009) worked for The Oklahoman as a business writer and TV columnist before becoming an opinion page editor for the Observer-Dispatch in Utica, New York. He then became a reporter and political columnist for The Tennessean, syndicated by Gannett. He won three national awards from the Education Writers Association and the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

This description was provided by the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.