RIP Benny Phillips and Harold Pearson

[CosmoMorgan]

Longtime sports editor of High Point (NC) Enterprise -

http://hpe.com/view/full_story/17284197/article-NASCAR-journalist--former-Enterprise-sports-editor-Benny-Phillips-dies?instance=homesecondleft

(From Moddy: I edited to get in info about Harold, based on question below. Obit is below)

 

[Tarheel316]

Re: RIP Benny Phillips

Oh no! So sorry to hear that. Benny was always kind to me.

 

[Moderator1]

Re: RIP Benny Phillips

Great guy. Very much hate to hear this. RIP Benny

 

[SportsGuyBCK]

Re: RIP Benny Phillips

Also heard that former Richmond motorsports writer Harold Pearson passed away today ... Moddy, can your sources shed any light on this?

 

[vandelayindustries]

Re: RIP Benny Phillips

Benny was absolutely the best.
It was honor to work with him for a short time, and I often think about his respect, dignity, hard work and wisdom.
He was pioneer in his profession -- universally known as one of the best NASCAR writers -- but he was an even better person.
I wish I had YouTube video of his appearances on ESPN.

 

[Moderator1]

Re: RIP Benny Phillips

Damn. Had not heard that about Harold. I will check.

 

[Moderator1]

Re: RIP Benny Phillips

Sadly, the news about Harold is true. RIP to another terrific guy:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports/pro-sports/2012/jan/26/tdsport02-former-t-d-sportswriter-harold-pearson-d-ar-1640406/

 

[CosmoMorgan]

Thank you for adding the news about Harold - or "Old Weird" as we affectionately used to call him around NASCAR. He also covered golf for the Times-Dispatch for many years.

 

[Moderator1]

No problem, though it wasn't news I was particularly happy to add.

 

[kleeda]

Ed Hinton (yeah, he's one of my writers) wrote a blog about Phillips, a longtime friend. The photo at the top of the blog is particularly haunting to me, as four of the five men pictured are now gone. Only Randy Laney survives. I met all five, but can only count Hunter as someone I really knew.

Tom Higgins wrote a nice obit, too.

Hinton Link: http://espn.go.com/racing/blog/_/name/hinton_ed/id/7507035/nascar-benny-phillips-death-leaves-void

 

[lone star scribe]

Covered many an event with Harold, especially golf, when I was still learning the trade. Loved his catchphrase when he called in his story to the desk: "Make it sing!" His prose usually did.

RIP, old friend.