Bob Hamm, a longtime Hub City newspaper editor, has died. Hamm passed away Wednesday night at Lafayette General Medical Center after a lengthy illness.
Hamm spent decades at The Daily Advertiser, most recently in the role of editorial page editor. His writing was the voice behind many an Advertiser editorial over the years. Hamm also served as the newspaper’s city editor, a position he vacated to become news director at KATC TV3, where he worked for several years in the late 1960s and early ’70s before returning to print.
“Bob was a consummate professional,” says Acadiana historian and columnist Jim Bradshaw, a longtime colleague of Hamm’s at The Advertiser. “Bob loved the English language,” Bradshaw adds. “He worked very hard to use it properly and to use it well.”
“I met Bob at my first job when I was a receptionist at KATC TV 3 in the early seventies,” recalls Phyllis Walters, former lifestyle editor at The Advertiser. “Bob was always the first with a quick and clever quip, but whatever he said, you could trust his word. His knowledge of ‘old’ Lafayette was astounding: there was no better storyteller than Bob Hamm. I often share them and claim them as my own. I bet he’d get a kick out of that.”
In fact, until about three years ago, Hamm and Bradshaw co-hosted “Prime Time” on Saturday mornings on KPEL radio. The call-in show centered around memories of Lafayette. “He was a very private person in very public jobs,” says Bradshaw. “Nobody sees you on the radio. I’d come in in jeans and flip-flops and he’d have a suit on.”
Martin & Castille Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Bobb Hamm was 74 years old.
... written by Scott Brazda , April 23, 2009 - 07:51 pm
Gosh, he was a legend--- When I was growing up, I watched him all the time on KATC, and his storytelling abilities were classic. He truly set the bar of how to craft a good story; in fact, I remember going out on a feature story, with no real game plan, and after plenty of frustrating minutes, I asked myself, "O.K., o.k.-- Now how would Bob Hamm put this together?"
Of course, his reading of ââ?¬Å?The Cajun Night Before Christmasââ?¬Â is classic.
I never met him, but I was a huge fan--- he always came across as the consummate professional, and you could tell both the spoken and written word was so very important to him.
Acadiana just lost one of its journalistic pillars.
... written by MsTea , April 24, 2009 - 03:58 am
I am so sorry to hear this! I will miss seeing him everyday at the office. He always wore a suit and had a strong clear voice which was a give-a-way that he was once in radio. Always had a smile and a blink as he would pass by my desk which I will miss along with his presence. He was a sincere, honest, sweet man that gave a lot to this community. He will be missed and not forgotten. My sincere condolences to his Family.
... written by Todd B , April 24, 2009 - 03:28 pm
Let's not forget the substantive public relations work he did for LAGCOE, work that helped chart a course for our region during boom and bust times.
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Hamm spent decades at The Daily Advertiser, most recently in the role of editorial page editor. His writing was the voice behind many an Advertiser editorial over the years. Hamm also served as the newspaper’s city editor, a position he vacated to become news director at KATC TV3, where he worked for several years in the late 1960s and early ’70s before returning to print.
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Of course, his reading of ââ?¬Å?The Cajun Night Before Christmasââ?¬Â is classic.
I never met him, but I was a huge fan--- he always came across as the consummate professional, and you could tell both the spoken and written word was so very important to him.
Acadiana just lost one of its journalistic pillars.