The Indiana Publisher

Page 2 June 2021 HSPA Board of Directors Ryan Reynolds Courier & Press (Evansville) The Courier & Press family lost one of its most treasured members June 16 with the death of Kevin Swank, who until his retirement in 2014 served our readers as a photojournalist and photo editor. He was a family man first and a journalist second, and he was so good at both that most people wouldn't be able to set a ranking. Kevin came to the Evansville Courier in 1979 and built a 35-year love affair with the peo- ple of the Tri-State, capturing moments from their lives and their neighborhoods and their parades and their sporting events and so much more through his photography. He was a giant of a man, standing somewhere between 6-foot-3 and 7-foot-10 in my memory, but he had the kindest, softest heart you'd ever find. And quiet feet, too. "Kevin's nickname was The Big Cat. He had a talent for being right next to you one moment and then he'd be gone," said Denny Simmons, visuals editor for the Courier & Press. "He'd appear just as quickly as he disappeared. It's not easy for a man that size to be so stealthy, but he pulled it off." It was Kevin's kind nature that made him a terrific colleague. But it shined in other facets of his life even more brightly. He doted on his grandson Merrick, and one of the highlights of the year for Kevin was always "Special Kids Day" at the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival, when he'd do double duty as both a Courier & Press photographer (chronicling the event) and a loving grandfa- ther (helping Merrick enjoy the rides, games, food and fun). And I haven't even gotten to the best part: Kevin Swank was Santa. His beloved wife Sue was Mrs. Claus. Every year he'd grow out a ridiculously wonder- ful beard and put on the red suit. Sue would get dressed up and the two of them would bring holiday magic to children. He was Santa at the Courier & Press Christmas parties and local schools. How many people can say they shared office space with Santa Claus for so many years? "Anyone who knew (Kevin) would tell you that he was a great family man," said former Courier & Press Editor Tim Ethridge. "Our jobs led to strange work shifts, yet he always made time for his kids, for Merrick, and most of all Sue. They made the best Santa and Mrs. Claus for many Christmas seasons because of the love they had for kids young and old." Back in the old days, when the building at 300 East Walnut Street was full of newspaper employees and local Cub Scout packs would come in for tours, some of my co- workers dodged talking to the kids as they came through the news- room. Kevin never did. He always took time to show our guests how pictures got from a camera to a computer, and how he decided which ones to use. "I believe Kevin had the most knowledge of anybody in the building when it came to how the paper was made each day," Simmons said. "He had a handle on every facet of the process from the designing of pages, to the printing of them. We lost a lot of institutional knowledge when he retired." And he had such great stories. When he was a younger man living in northwestern Indiana, Kevin got in the ring with Victor the Wrestling Bear. On his hind legs, Victor stood more than 7 feet tall. He weighed more than 500 pounds. The deal was, Victor got to start with his gigantic paws on his human opponent's shoulders. Kevin said once he felt Victor's enormous weight pressing down on him, he knew he didn't stand a chance. So Kevin was Santa Claus. And he wrestled bears. And he made magnificent pictures. And he was a great co-work- er and boss. "I loved working with him in storytelling, because with his natural curiosity and easygoing manner, his questions usually drew out better answers than mine," Ethridge said. Kevin was the best of us. Great at his job. Great with people. Great with his family. Here's how he said goodbye to Courier & Press readers in a 2014 column: "I have covered events big and small — from tragedies that destroyed lives to quiet, intimate moments I was amazed to witness. But with all the changes, the one constant is people. I have been fortunate all these years to work with journalists who are talented, professional and passionate. And when I add that to the wonderful people who have allowed me to witness and document a portion of their lives through pictures and words, I realize how great my career has been. I still plan to shoot pictures ... I just won't be coming to the office every day. I look forward to retirement, but I will miss the people." We will miss you, too, Kevin. A Celebration of Life is scheduled for 2-6 p.m. on June, 27 at Boone Funeral Home in Evansville. Longtime C& P photographer, editor Kevin Swank dies at 69 Kevin J. Swank, director of visuals at the Courier & Press, gives Cub Scouts a lesson in picture editing during their tour of the newspaper Nov. 24, 2014. Photo by Denny Simmons HSPA Foundation Board Members Alan Achkar, South Bend Tribune Gillian Kelk, Sullivan Daily Times Brenda McLane, Hometown Media Group Mark Miller, e News-Banner (Bluon) Kathy Tretter, Ferdinand News and Spencer County Leader (Rockport) HSPA Board Members Bill Connelly, LaGrange Publishing Co. Bud Hunt, AIM Media Indiana Curt Kovener, e Crothersville Times Robert Shegog, Indianapolis Recorder Scott Stanford, Fort Wayne Newspapers Chris White, e Times Media Co. HSPA Board of Directors HSPA Officers President: Beverly Joyce, CNHI Vice President: Larry Hensley, e Hoosier Times HSPA Foundation Board of Directors HSPA Foundation Officers President: Bill Hackney, e La Porte County Herald-Dispatch (Michigan City) and e Rochester Sentinel Vice President/Secretary: Robyn McCloskey, CNHI HSPA Staff Steve Key, executive director, general counsel skey@hspa.com (317) 624-4427 Pamela Lego, advertising director plego@hspa.com (812) 350-7711 Shawn Goldsby, statewide advertising manager sgoldsby@hspa.com (317) 803-4 772 Ruth Witmer, communications specialist news@hspa.com (317) 624-4430

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