02/27/2015

Record-Courier staff remembers Persh Rohrer, oldest working journalist in Ohio

Editor's Note: In 2013 the ONA Bulletin ran a story about Persh Rohrer. Click here to access that story.

From The Record-Courier

By Tom Nader | Sports Editor

Pershing Rohrer’s career as a journalist spanned nearly 80 years, with each day highlighted by an inspiring enthusiasm as if it were his first day on the job.

More affectionately known as Persh, he was hired by what is now the Record-Courier on Sept. 5, 1952, and worked within the sports department until his death on Monday. His last content published on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, putting the final touches on a prolific and unmatched career with the company that covered 63 award-winning years.

He spent 37 of those years serving as sports editor, a position he retired from on Jan. 20, 1989.

Persh never fully retired, though. He loved his job, the people it introduced him to and the community it served. He remained on staff as a senior writer, helping coordinate his weekly golf and bowling page that published every Sunday.

At the age of 96, he was recognized by the Ohio Newspaper Association and the Associated Press as the oldest-working journalist in the state. Distinguished professionals in the industry, both locally and around the world, developed a profound respect for his longevity and ability to continually perform at the highest level.

When it came to his job, Persh was all in, all the time.

“He loved writing, he loved his job and he loved the Record-Courier,” Persh’s wife Mary said.

All of Persh’s assignments would begin within journalism’s longstanding principals: Get it right, get it done on deadline and write for your readers and not yourself.

His writing style had a unique narrative that allowed readers to develop a friendship with him by simply reading his stories every day and every week. They felt connected to their hometown newspaper’s sports professor and they trusted him.

“Persh was a true professional and wonderful person. His dedication to and love for reporting sports was incredible,” Record-Courier Publisher David Dix said. “He knew his readers and how to reach them. He truly enjoyed people and could make a person feel special just by being around him.

“He was loyal to a fault and always tried to balance the needs of the company with those of his readers,” Dix added. “I considered him a friend, and I know there are hundreds who, like me, mourn his passing. He’ll be missed. His passing leaves a big vacuum that will be difficult to fill.”

Persh was born in Cumberland, Md., on Nov. 11, 1918.

Being born on Armistice Day, he was known throughout his local community as “The Armistice Baby.” He was named after Gen. John Pershing, who was the famed commander of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe for World War I.

His pull toward sports was almost immediate.

In the 1930s, he organized baseball and basketball teams as a manager and would go on to write his first column for the La Salle High School newspaper called “The Torch” in 1935. After graduating in 1936, Persh began his career in the newspaper business, working for the Cumberland Time-News and also in Morgantown, W.V., at the Dominion News.

During World War II, he spent five years — his only stint out of the newspaper business of his professional career — in Baltimore, Md., in the defense industry as a clerk for the Martin Aircraft Company. He moved to Athens in 1946 and became the sports editor of the Athens Messenger. After a brief time working at the Courier-News in Plainfield, N.J., Persh was hired by the Evening Record, which would later become the Record-Courier, in 1952. The R-C was Persh’s home from that time forward, save for small stints working for the Indianapolis Times (1959-60) and Defiance Crescent-News (1960-62).

Regardless of location, Persh became known for the high standards he held for himself, along with his funny and likeable, but shy and humble, personality.

His performance was recognized many times over as validated by his multitude of awards and inductions into the Portage County, United Press International, Ohio Prep Sports Writer Association and Mid-American Conference Halls of Fame.

He leaves behind a lasting legacy founded on a tireless work ethic that will forever be a model for success at the R-C.