Larry Beaupre's career in journalism began in upstate New York, where as a young reporter he was part of the team that produced the Rochester Times-Union's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Attica prison riots of 1971.
It ended in Scranton, where as managing editor of The Times-Tribune, he led the newspaper to dozens of state and national awards and oversaw the transformation of Times-Shamrock newspapers into the largest news-gathering team in Northeast Pennsylvania.
In the more than four decades in between, Mr. Beaupre built a reputation as a hard-nosed newspaperman who saw opportunities where others saw only obstacles, once even using a carrier pigeon to get photographs to the newsroom on deadline.
A husband, father, friend, mentor and leader, Mr. Beaupre touched the lives and guided the careers of countless journalists who mourned his death Sunday at the age of 68.
"He was the single most important mentor I had in my career, and really, really the finest journalist that I've ever known," said J. Keith Moyer, a longtime friend, former colleague and senior fellow in the journalism school at the University of Minnesota.
A born journalist who took great pride in vastly improving the newspapers he edited, he was a tough, demanding boss who challenged his reporters, editors, photographers and graphic artists to be the best. He was also a kind, supportive coach with a sharp, often self-deprecating sense of humor.
"He was very funny. I don't think many people knew that, because he could be so intimidating," said Laura Schwed, who, along with her husband, Peter Johnson, worked as an editor under Mr. Beaupre for 11 years at newspapers in Cincinnati and Westchester County, N.Y.
"He was definitely one of the editors I learned the most from," Ms. Schwed said. "He was very disciplined and extremely ethical. He was a terrific editor, and every newspaper he went to, he drastically improved."
Mr. Beaupre could be intimidating, but he encouraged his editors to think for themselves, Mr. Johnson said.
"When I became night editor in Westchester, people were afraid to make decisions," Mr. Johnson said. "He told me, 'I don't want you to base your decisions on what you think I want you to do. I want you to use your own judgment. I may disagree with you, but if your position is based on a solid reason, I'll back you up.' And he was true to his word."
Trained at Illinois
An Illinois native, Mr. Beaupre was trained in journalism at the University of Illinois, where he served the college newspaper, the Daily Illini, as sports editor in 1964 and 1965 and as editor-in-chief in 1965 and 1966.
He earned a bachelor's in communications in 1966 and a master's in journalism in 1968. He got his first reporting job at the Rochester (N.Y.) Times-Union the same year, but was drafted into the Army. He served from 1968-1970 at Fort Sill, Okla., in the public information office.
When he returned to Rochester as a reporter, he contributed to the newspaper's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Attica prison riots. He rose through the ranks, becoming the newspaper's managing editor in 1980.
In April 1984, he moved on to become vice president and executive editor of Gannett Suburban Newspapers in White Plains, N.Y.
"He certainly made the Westchester papers better," said Mr. Moyer, whom Mr. Beaupre hired as features editor in Rochester and who followed Mr. Beaupre to Westchester years later. "And then he went to Cincinnati and made Cincinnati better."
Mr. Beaupre spent six years at the Cincinnati Enquirer, also owned by Gannett, and where he was named Editor of the Year. Three times, he led newspapers that won the company's Most Improved Newspaper award. Twice, the Enquirer was named Ohio's best, becoming known for extensive investigations that exposed wrongdoing.
The newspaper published an 18-page special section on how Chiquita Brands International, headed by a wealthy local businessman, had exploited laborers in South America and violated environmental laws. Without Mr. Beaupre's knowledge, one of the story's reporters illegally hacked into Chiquita's voice-mail system to gather evidence.
The newspaper published a full retraction and apologized. Mr. Beaupre always stood by the story, though he denounced the reporter's methods.
Journey to Scranton
After leaving Gannett, Mr. Beaupre ran a newspaper consulting business for seven months. One of his clients was The Scranton Times.
The paper was going through tough times in the operation of its newsroom. Harold F. Marion, the newspaper's general manager at the time, said Mr. Beaupre produced a detailed report of the problems and helped search for a new managing editor.
Mr. Beaupre developed a list of 26 candidates and planned to stay on as interim managing editor for a year, said Mr. Marion, who really wanted to hire Mr. Beaupre for the job.
"I offered him the position, and he said, 'No,' he'd just as soon not do that," Mr. Marion said.
As Mr. Beaupre interviewed other candidates, he had a change of heart.
"He came in one day and asked if the opening was still available for him. I said, 'You got it,'â" Mr. Marion said. "We were thrilled. He took us from an era that was really not our strongest era at that time to a real professional staff."
In Scranton, the smallest market in which he ever worked, Mr. Beaupre found his footing again and told friends and colleagues his work here was some of the best in his career. He often said he relished the fact that the newspaper's publishers actually read the newspaper. He said The Times-Tribune was large enough to produce first-rate journalism "but also small enough that I could get my arms around."
"This one taught me the real meaning of local news and the impact you can have on the community with a really vigorous newspaper. ⦠I have enjoyed getting up every day and coming to work and trying to produce the best local newspaper we possibly could," Mr. Beaupre said in August, when it was announced he would retire at the end of the year.
"I always said that he was by far my best hire," Mr. Marion said. "He did the most for us. We used to put him in charge of all major things that we were doing, all of our different researches that we would do, and all of our strategic plans ... Whenever you gave him a task, it was done to the n-th degree."
The publishers said they treasured Mr. Beaupre's honesty and integrity.
"He had the ability to tell the truth and he would tell us what he thought," Publisher Matt Haggerty said. "Sometimes, it's not what you wanted to hear, but you knew it was the truth, and we would often be very interested in what he thought because we knew we would get the truth."
Mr. Beaupre "recreated, rebuilt and redefined that newsroom," Publisher George Lynett Jr. said.
"His passion for excellence was contagious," Publisher Scott Lynett said.
As an editor, Mr. Beaupre's greatest concern was always for the readers, said Larry Holeva, who last Wednesday was named to succeed Mr. Beaupre as executive editor.
Mr. Holeva recalled a discussion among editors after the 9/11 terrorist attacks about where in the newspaper to play a photograph of people jumping from the Twin Towers.
"We talked that photo through, and we knew that it was too important not to show, but it was way too graphic to show in a dramatic way. And I remember ⦠we ran the picture inside (the newspaper)," Mr. Holeva said. "It was all about making sure that you did what was right by your readers, and in the meantime, making sure you did what was right by the standards of good journalism."
Under Mr. Beaupre, The Scranton Times, the afternoon newspaper, and The Tribune, the morning newspaper, flourished. He directed the redesign and merger of the two papers into The Times-Tribune in 2005.
Awards follow
After years of only occasionally winning journalism prizes before his arrival, the newspapers began piling up awards.
In 2008, the newspapers earned the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association's Sweepstakes Award for coverage that included an exposé of the state's sex-offender tracking system, the Valentine's Day snowstorm in 2007 and the birth of a baby at the Lackawanna County Prison.
Mr. Beaupre began the newspaper's BusinessWeekly section, and twice, the section was part of entries that led to the newspaper being given "Best in Business" by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.
This year, The Times-ÂTribune was named "Best Overall Newspaper" in the state by the Keystone Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Vast experience
In 2006, Mr. Beaupre was inducted as part of the inaugural class into the University of Illinois Media Hall of Fame.
He was a past national president of the Associated Press Managing Editors, where he was an officer or board member for 20 years, and former president of the New York State Professional Journalists. He conducted professional workshops at the American Press Institute, Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Canadian Professional Journalists, Suburban Newspapers of America as well as numerous universities and other organizations, including a "journalism boot camp" for students at the University of Scranton.
Times-Tribune editors said Sunday they appreciated Mr. Beaupre's vast experience and low-key but demanding style.
"There is not one question that I could ask him about this business that he wouldn't say, 'Oh, in 1980-whatever, this happened; we handled it this way, and I later found it probably wasn't the best way to handle it, so I think you should do this,'â" said Faith Golay, the newspaper's Lifestyles editor. "From every single thing, ⦠on every level, every single floor in that building, he knew something about it whether it was circulation, advertising, news. It was just incredible, the energy he brought to everything."
Mr. Beaupre will also be remembered for his ingenuity and determination. In 1986, when he was in charge in Westchester, N.Y., he was planning coverage of the unveiling of a renovated Statue of Liberty. At the time, the Internet and cellphones journalists rely on today weren't available. Mr. Beaupre knew the traffic would be too heavy for his photographer to get back to the newspaper on deadline, so he got creative.
He found a Westchester County farmer who trained carrier pigeons. Mr. Beaupre sent his photographer to the assignment with a winged courier who could bypass the traffic. The photographer strapped his film canister to the pigeon's leg and it flew back to the farm, where Mr. Beaupre had a car waiting to pick up the film.
John Murphy, the Times-Tribune's assistant managing editor under Mr. Beaupre, said he was the "consummate newspaperman."
"Everything he did was for the improvement of the newspaper and to the benefit of the newspaper and its readers," Mr. Murphy said. "He was demanding, but he had a way of bringing the best out of people. He expected you to do your best and before long you would start expecting more out of yourself, too. ⦠He was the smartest newspaper guy I ever met, and I will always consider it a privilege to have worked with him as long as I did."
Mr. Beaupre was much more than an editor to those closest to him, said Times-Tribune Metro Editor Jessica D. Matthews.
"Every conversation with Larry was an invaluable learning moment," she said. "He taught me how to not only be a better journalist but a better person. ⦠He was compassionate, and cared greatly about this newspaper, its staff and its readers. He was a leader, a teacher, a mentor and like a father to me. Words cannot describe how much he will be missed. It's not only a loss to his family and friends but to journalism.
"I remember the Saturday after the devastating flooding caused by Tropical Storm Lee when I called Larry to discuss how the newspaper could help flood victims in Northeast Pennsylvania. This was a chance for the newspaper to be a leader in our community and there for residents beyond just giving them the news they needed about the flooding.
"Larry jumped at the opportunity and was instrumental in creating a flood-relief campaign. In the end, the paper raised more than $300,000 to aid flood victims. It was one of the things he was most proud of because it gave directly back to residents in the communities the newspaper serves."
The Times-Tribune's coverage of the flood won the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association's Public Service Award for 2011. It was formally presented Friday at the association's annual convention in Scranton. Mr. Beaupre was too ill to attend.
Mr. Beaupre, who also served as executive editor of Times-Shamrock Communications, suffered from cancer for four years mostly in silence. He rarely missed a day of work, and was in the newsroom Wednesday.
He died less than three months after announcing his retirement, and 10 days after his 68th birthday.
He is survived by his wife, Laurie; his children, Becky, Peter, Alexandra and Laura; four grandchildren; and two dogs, all part of a Times-ÂTribune family that will never be the same.
"We've lost a husband, a father and friend who was our man of strength, inspiration, humor and devotion," Mr. Beaupre's wife and children said Sunday night.
"He loved his family, his dogs, his newspapers - and White Castle, but not the frozen kind. He spent his last week doing the things he loved: using power tools, covering an election, eating carrot cake and chicken Parmesan, sharing his birthday with family, and fighting to beat the odds in a disease that is so far unbeatable. Our lives will forever be better because he was a part of them."
Contact the writers: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com, ckelly@timesshamrock.com