Farewell to Milton Jaques, train-lover and quintessential newsman

Milton Jaques, who died August 9, was a NARP member (and my uncle by marriage).

His passion for trains was described in a special, second memorial service at the National Press Club September 30 attended by many people in the news business.  Well-known attendees included Helen Thomas, the Hearst Newspaper columnist and White House Press Corps member who for 57 years covered the White House for UPI; Mark Shields, syndicated columnist and political analyst who is the liberal side of the NewsHour’s Friday ‘point counterpoint’ discussions; and Eleanor Clift, Newsweek contributor editor whose weekly “Capitol Letter” is posted on Newsweek.com and MSNBC. She is also a regular panelist on The McLaughlin Group and a political contributor for Fox News Network.

Here are some of the comments they heard (from Frank Kane who as Washington correspondent for the Toledo Blade shared an office with Milton): “Milton wisely bought a house in Edgewater near Annapolis years ago, but even after U.S. 50 [Washington-Annapolis super-highway] was built, he argued that it would have been much better to build high speed transit. He was a great fan of the railroads. He would have banned cars and trucks in the city. He was clearly not a great friend of either the auto or energy industries.”

Uncle Milt was the Washington correspondent for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1969-1983) after which he founded and ran a speakers bureau for reporters. He was a long-time, active member of the Gridiron Club.

—Ross Capon