Prez pays tribute after untimely death of IL statehouse reporter

[BeyondGeography]

via Lynn Sweet of the Sun-Times

WASHINGTON--President Obama paid tribute on Monday to CLTV political reporter Carlos Hernandez Gomez, 36, who died Sunday after battling cancer for more than a year. Obama knew Gomez from his days as a state Senator.


Said Obama, "I was saddened to hear of the passing of Carlos Hernandez Gomez. Our paths first crossed when I was a State Senator. He was a throwback in the style of Chicago's storied political reporters.

"He loved Chicago, and he relentlessly sought to tell its story with the commitment to truth and the insatiable curiosity that any good reporter has to have. I quickly learned that when you saw his sharp fedora in a crowd, hard questions were coming. But Carlos always played it straight.

"And I always enjoyed our interactions in Springfield, Chicago, or on the campaign trail. Carlos was a role model to many, and an integral part of the Chicago story he strived to tell. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Randi and his family."

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/01/president_obama_pays_tribute_t.html