Ray Bateman, New Jersey Great, Succumbs

Ray Bateman at a Christie Town Hall Meeting, April 11, 2013

If you have not yet checked your newspaper, smartphone or TV, you may not have learned that the Garden State just lost the presence of one of its finest public servants.

 

All major news outlets have already covered the details of his life, all of which include an abundant list of his lifelong achievements in journalism, political and educational realms.

Today’s (Sunday) edition of My Central Jersey, as well as the Courier News print edition, carries one of the most complete accounts of his life, so I won’t repeat those here.  I would, however, like to share a few words with you from another perspective:

There are many ways that one can come to know of another person and, although I have never met this giant of a man, I began to learn something about him in several other ways – specifically by my observations at a few public forums, but, most notably, by reading his columns which appeared regularly in the Courier News. 

 

Those columns covered a wide range of topics.  His knowledge of so many people in this state and his accumulated wisdom of human nature and of politics gave him an unlimited, fertile field of themes to discuss. 

 

New Jersey Senator Ray Bateman (Sr.) was never shy about stating his mind.  His writing, which could be just as pointed as a freshly-sharpened pencil was nevertheless consistently civil.

He came from the old-school of journalism, a trusted source by which he imbued each of his paragraphs with integrity and respect for his craft, no matter how tough he might have been with words.

I learned a great deal from those columns -- mainly about the man himself, all to the good.

In particular, there was a certain aspect to his writing that impressed me the most, one which, in my view, revealed perhaps his best traits as a person and his largesse of character – Raymond Bateman never missed a chance to express his gratitude and love for his nuclear and extended family as he sprinkled his columns not infrequently with those sentiments.

I observed him several times in public gatherings:  always – always, his presence loomed – people listened to him – and, as he aged a bit, friends approached to greet him with the deference and respect that he so well had earned.

Thanks for reading.  Stay well in this heat.