In Loving Memory Of 6 People Who Made The World Better

The telephone message from K-103 owner John Rook on Aug. 8 was barbed and to the point. Upon learning that I’d be on vacation for three weeks, he commented: “What? A vacation of three or four weeks! What are you? A Coeur d’Alene city employee?” Actually, my vacation package after 12 years with The Spokesman-Review comes to four weeks - not six as Coeur d’Alene employees with an equal amount of service receive. But who’s counting? The R & R in California was important for renewing family ties, relaxing and remembering why I had abandoned the teeming Golden State 19 years ago. Everything about the vacation was perfect - until I returned home and read the obituaries in past editions of the paper.

Ken Kohli, R.I.P.

I can’t imagine Coeur d’Alene without timber industry spokesman Ken Kohli. The 35-year-old whirlwind died in a plane crash July 26 along with industry officials Seth Diamond and Al Hall. Ken was intelligent, honest, devoted to his hometown and the timber industry and able to challenge opponents without making enemies. We scrapped occasionally when one of my comments hit a nerve, but we always quit as friends. I was amazed how fast he could talk when pressing his case, never losing track of his argument or facts. Ken and Seth were instrumental in fashioning a common-sense compromise for bear-protection efforts in the Priest Lake area last year. The Inland Northwest timber industry lost three giants.

C. Patrick King, R.I.P.

C. Patrick King, ex-publisher of the Coeur d’Alene Press and the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Mont., also died July 26. He taught me how to manage a newspaper - and how to fish Montana streams and to find huckleberries. When I was only 28, Pat took a chance and made me his managing editor. I was one of many journalists over the years helped by his tutelage. He was a gentleman.

Frank Premo, Cherie Faulkner, R.I.P.

Frank Premo, 60, was a tough, by-the-book police chief who refused to play politics. As a result, he was among the four Coeur d’Alene officials on Mayor Ray Stone’s private “hit list” when Stone’s administration came to power in January 1986. Premo survived three years longer in office, and the Lake City benefited from his decade of service. … Even when confined to a wheelchair, Cherie Faulkner, 59, of Coeur d’Alene, was a champion for the disabled. The Lake City’s handicapped have her to thank for expanded parking and building accessibility.

Ken, Seth, Al, Pat, Frank and Cherie left this world a better place than they found it.

, DataTimes MEMO: D.F. Oliveria’s “Hot Potatoes” runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can comment on the items by calling (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125 or by sending e-mail to daveo@spokesman.com.