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Suwanski, long-time M-I reporter and editor, passes away

mark mathis, messenger-inquirer, owensboro, ky.
·4 min read

Nov. 18—Rich Suwanski, who spent 40 years as a reporter at the Messenger-Inquirer, passed away Wednesday night, a day before his 73rd birthday.

Spending most of his career in the newspaper's sports department, Suwanski was a familiar face at games and sporting events, both locally and throughout Kentucky.

He was well known for his coverage of Kentucky Wesleyan College's men's basketball teams that won NCAA Division II national championships, as well as a range of other sports at KWC.

He covered the University of Kentucky basketball and football programs, including basketball national championship seasons and NCAA Tournament runs.

Suwanski was also a fixture of Kentucky Derby coverage for many years and extensively covered horse racing in Kentucky.

He was married to his wife, Janet, for 50 years, and they have two daughters — Jill and Ellen. He also has two grandchildren — Hendrix and Larkin Jones.

Suwanski arrived in Owensboro from Chicago and ran cross country for Kentucky Wesleyan College. It wasn't long after he graduated from KWC that he began covering teams at the school and plenty of others.

"We had a relationship back to when he was in college," said Roy Pickerill, former KWC sports information director and special assistant for college relations. "He knew the landscape, operations of Wesleyan and all the sports. He covered the championships when he was there, he went with us to Springfield, Bakersfield."

KWC won four of its eight NCAA Division II national championships from 1987 to 2001.

"He was knowledgeable and exuded that knowledge in the words he wrote about Kentucky Wesleyan athletics," Pickerill said.

Suwanski was a positive, fun influence in the newsroom, and he was an old school reporter and writer who believed in the importance of journalism, his former colleagues said.

"Not only was Rich an excellent reporter and writer, he was a great person and friend," said Bob Bruck, former city editor at the M-I. "His calm demeanor and ability to find humor in stressful situations always had a positive impact on those around him.

"Rich was humble and loved to laugh," Bruck said. "He took his job very seriously and probably never realized how vital he was to the newspaper. You could count on Rich to give 100% to whatever endeavor he took on. I feel blessed to have known him and been able to call him a friend."

Matt Francis, outgoing executive editor of the Messenger-Inquirer, said Suwanski was part of a core group of staff members who were the heart of the newspaper, leading the way for others by example.

"Rich was the type of reporter who made me proud to be a part of this newspaper and in producing community journalism," Francis said. "I valued his opinion and followed his advice far more than he probably ever knew. But when I think of Rich, work is not the first thing I think of. I think of our conversations about sports and fantasy baseball, his laugh and smile, and how he was so proud of his family and would light up talking about his daughters."

Hunter Reigler, a former news editor at the M-I, also lauded Suwanski's friendship and work ethic.

"When I arrived at the Messenger-Inquirer in 1989, it was obvious that everyone there liked and respected Rich, but I had no idea he'd become one of my best friends," Reigler said. "He was always quick to laugh, especially at himself, and was a thorough professional. While I was editing his stories, he'd be triple checking what he'd written to make sure he had everything right. He knew his stuff, especially when it came to thoroughbred racing.

"Rich was a sweet and gentle guy, who was always there when I or anyone else needed him. Even when he was sick, he wanted to know how I was doing. I'll miss his "Seinfeld" references, his telling me he's watching "The Bridge on the River Kwai" or "The Longest Day" for the umpteenth time, and his complaints about his beloved Chicago Bears and White Sox."

Jim Pickens, a former sports editor at the M-I, had a long working relationship with Suwanski.

"Rich was an outstanding writer and an even better human being. He was a true professional who cared about sports and cared about his craft. I am thankful for the working relationship I had with Rich for many, many years. He was a credit to his profession and a credit to the Owensboro community."