bill block sr., r.i.p.

Bill Block Sr. passed away yesterday at 89. Bill was a grand old newspaperman and, simply, a grand old man. His family owns The Toledo Blade, my former employer, so I got to know Bill a bit over the last decade. First met him in Toledo in 1996; last had dinner with him in Pittsburgh last summer. The P-G editorial calls him “an uncommonly good man,” and I think that’s right — he was pure of heart, an honest and graceful and kind fellow who, despite his riches, refused to put on airs. My condolences to the family.