Robb Brady's Calls

We all got the calls. Robb would ring one of the ICL staff and begin with something like, “I’m thinking about something for Sunday.” This meant he was working on an editorial for the Idaho Falls Post Register and wanted to talk over his thoughts. Nearly every conversation with Robb probed issues from all angles and then expanded to broader themes of conservation and politics.

When Robb retired several years ago, I voiced sadness that his calls would end. He promised they would not and that he’d still write the occasional editorial.

With Robb’s passing last week, the calls have really ended.

Journalists who had the pleasure of working with him have written good tributes. Look at these by Rocky Barker and Marty Trillhaase, both experienced writers who sharpened their craft and enriched their lives working with Robb.

Robb was an editorial writer of courage and impact. His decades of work capture the path of Idaho and the influence and importance of editorial writing at a daily newspaper. Robb wrote editorials at a time when the daily paper was core to people’s lives and he used his position to great effect.

His editorials literally pioneered environmental journalism, framing conservation issues of all kinds for a broader audience.

We talked scores of times about the Boulder-White Clouds and various legislative endeavors to protect them. The fact we could even talk about that was based on the fact Castle Peak still stood un-mined and intact, in great part because of Robb’s influential editorials in the late 1960s.

His writing about the mine helped inform and inspire a set of leaders, including Cecil Andrus who’d carry this issue into the governor’s chair in 1970. 1972 brought passage of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Congress. This stopped the mine but didn’t protect the White Clouds as wilderness, a job that remains unfinished.

The picture of Castle Peak with this blog was taken by Ernie Day. Castle Peak isn’t visible from a highway; it's an Idaho icon many Idahoans had not seen as the mine controversy exploded in the news in the late 1960s. Ernie’s image helped people see what this majestic mountain looked like. Robb’s editorials actually made the case—well-honed advocacy for preservation, repeatedly laid out with passion and purpose. Back then, resources were there to be used. Being on the front end for such advocacy took conviction and courage. Robb never held back, and not just for Castle Peak and his beloved White Clouds. The issues Robb wrote about are to too numerous to mention, covering everything from the backyard to global climate change.

His impact on the Idaho Conservation League was also significant, in part because of his impact on our staff. His frequent calls to discuss conservation issues were detailed and probing, and while he was largely ‘on our side’ he never gave us an easy pass. If he thought we were off track, he said so. If he thought we were too shrill, he said so. We learned from the master as he honed his thinking and crafted commonsense conservation messages for his readers from complex and difficult issues. I had scores of these conversations.

In 1999, we created the Robb Brady Award for Environmental Journalism, in part to honor journalists from across Idaho, but mostly we did it so Robb would really hear how much we respected him. He was quick to deflect praise. Creating this award in his honor meant that he knew we really meant it.

He was also one of the most generous and warm people I have ever met. Truly, this was a loving man, firm of conviction, yet deeply caring of all. He was a role model for many of us, and in so many ways, will always remain so.

Sadly, I now know for certain he’ll not be on the phone next time it rings.