Political reporter Jack Germond, who died August 14 at
age 85, talks in a 2012 interview about working for the Baltimore Sun
Jack W. Germond, an irascible columnist and commentator who was a fixture on the American political scene for nearly 50 years, including nearly 20 of them in The Baltimore Sun's Washington bureau, died shortly after 4 a.m. today of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at his home in Charles Town, W.Va.
He was 85.
"Jack died from the consequences of a life well-lived. He died at his home overlooking his beloved Shenandoah River," said his wife of 18 years, the former Alice Travis Ruby, who recently stepped down as secretary of the Democratic National Committee.
"Jack was a truly dedicated reporter and had an old-fashioned relationship with politicians. He liked them but that did not prevent him from being critical when they did bad things and behaved badly.
That was a trademark of Jack's," said Jules Witcover, his longtime writing partner.
The son of an engineer and homemaker, Mr. Germond was raised in Boston and Baton Rouge. He began his newspaper career in 1951 after graduating from the University of Missouri, when he became sports editor of the Jefferson City Post-Tribune.
"I started covering politics in the 1980 presidential campaign for Newsday and Jack was the sage when it came to politics. He was the guy you went to when you were a junior reporter," said Susan Page, the Washington bureau chief for USA Today.
"He was very friendly to junior reporters. We had dinners and he was very generous with the stuff that he knew," said Ms. Page, who described Mr. Germond as a "funny, no-nonsense gruff guy."
Mr. Germond joined The Evening Sun in 1981 after The Washington Star folded, and retired from The Baltimore Sun in 2000.
He is survived by his wife; a daughter, Dr. Jessica Germond Moreland of Iowa City, Iowa; two stepchildren, David Travis and Abigail Travis, both of Los Angeles; and six grandchildren.
At Mr. Germond's request, there will be no services.
"Jack will be cremated and his ashes strewn in the Shenandoah River. He began and ended his days looking at that river and that is where he'll spend eternity," said his wife.
fred.rasmussen@baltsun.com
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