My brother, Jim Church, was a  unique and special man. He worked his way through college in the farm fields of California and later as a stringer and reporter for the Fresno Bee and news writer for several Fresno radio stations. At Fresno State College he led the school newspaper to become one of the first daily college papers. He won the national 1963  place prize in the William Randolph Hearst Award program for journalism excellence for a series of stories about the rescue of a child from a an abandoned well, just prior to being drafted into the U.S Army. He served in the Army as a military correspondent and base press officer. He was an outstanding collegiate journalist in the early 60s, and had a long, notable career as an Associated Press reporter, editor and bureau chief in Jefferson City Mo. and Salt Lake City Utah as well as a stint in San Francisco covering the tumultuous Berkeley riots; and a long career as a political correspondent in Salem, Oregon. He interviewed many hall of fame athletes, the SF Giants, basketball teams in the ABA Salt Lake City Stars and Oakland Oaks; he even had his hand in the D.B. Cooper story. He interviewed Jimmy Carter, Willy Mays, Cesar Chavez, and Muhammad Ali during his time as a AP reporter.

The best gift my Father gave me among many other things, is the Saturday nights at the sate capital building in Salem while he was in the AP news room working, my brother and I were often roaming the capital building and sliding down the marble banisters. When the security guard brought us back, both the security guard and my Dad had a smile on their face. I watched the teletype machine shooting out stories and knew my Dad was important because he wrote them. He loved family, going out to breakfast on Sunday, getting free popcorn at Ace hardware, flashlights, holidays, cigars, and funny cards. He loved to watch his Grandson's basket ball games and offered to give him a dollar for every shot he made. He made me mad and made me laugh all in a short five minute visit. He gave me a special childhood and loved my brother and I to the moon and back. He will be deeply missed.