It is expected of any profession, at a time when it loses one of its exemplars, that its members pause, reflect on their loss, and extend all due respect to the deceased. This is true even of journalists, by and large a cynical tribe.
All cynicism was cast aside this week, however, at the news that not one but two of the profession's most distinguished sons had passed on. Neither James White's death nor that of Clark Porteous was expected. Both would go on forever, we had assumed. Porteous was an ageless lion of the trade who, at 86, was still newspapering in Collierville until he got married in January and moved with his bride to Atlanta. White, who had also distinguished himself in politics and the law, literally teemed with talent and vitality and was rehearsing a song-and-dance number for the local Gridiron show when he suffered what proved to be a fatal heart attack Sunday.
Both men had starred for the late, lamented Memphis Press-Scimitar, the afternoon daily which for decades was a spunky, alternate voice in the community. Porteous -- who was one part William Faulkner and another part David Broder -- largely defined the art of public affairs reporting, and he may have been the first area journalist to raise seriously the issue of environmentalism. White toiled bravely and diligently to establish the Newspaper Guild locally, then as a state senator sponsored the first legislation to open up government meetings to the press and the public. He let fresh air into the public arena and was still doing so as a General Sessions Judge at the time of his death.
Both deaths were attributed to "heart failure," but this was true only in the most literal sense. It can surely be said that Porteous and White possessed hearts which, through decades of invaluable service, never failed their fellow citizens.
In this week following the logic-defying performance of 21-year-old golfer Tiger Woods at Augusta National Golf Club, when Jackie Robinson's memory is so much with us, we should all take time to remember that ours is still essentially a segregated society. We live in a world in which equal opportunity may be the law, but too often is not the practice.
Before we congratulate ourselves too heartily on the integration of major league baseball 50 years ago, or the first African-American golfer to win the Masters, we should seriously question how far our society has progressed. We should remember that Tiger Woods, phenom though he is, would not be welcome at several private golf courses in Memphis.
The country clubs of Memphis which steadfastly hold to their whites-only admission policies should consider the accomplishments of Tiger Woods from a societal perspective. By opening their doors to all qualified members, the elite of Memphis society could make a difference in our world. Until they do that, however, success stories like those of Robinson and Woods will always seem incomplete.