My heart aches for Bill Strothman's family. I thought the world of Bill. We all did. The first story I ever did at KOMO was with Bill. It was in late September, 1989. He was so kind from that very first day. He questioned, very gently, my desire to do a stand up (which is when the reporter appears on camera in a story). I didn't do a stand up that day at Bill's suggestion. It was a learning moment for me. The story didn't need one. I learned so much about storytelling from him over the years. For Bill it was all about the story and storytelling. His stories with reporters Kim Griffis and John Larson were extraordinary.
Bill and I worked together in the aftermath of 911 in NYC. Bill put his heart and soul into every story we did that week. Bill was a pro. He worked so hard, and was so good at what he did. He cared about our craft and he cared about the people in our stories. He flat out cared. If you had the good fortune to work with him - which I did for eighteen years at KOMO - it was guaranteed he would make your story better, with his touch. Bill's touch and passion and wisdom and grace; I will miss all those things. I will miss this great man. My heart aches.
