Remembering Tim Russert: The Loss of Buffalo's Favorite Expatriate

The city of Buffalo is no stranger to heartache. Four consecutive Super Bowls ending in defeat. A controversial overtime goal in the final game of the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs - that no one had the guts to call back- crushing longtime hopes of hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup on home ice. But no single event has ever come close to shaking loose the number of Queen City tears than the sudden passing of the ultimate local-boy-done-good, Tim Russert.

Best known as the tough moderator of Meet the Press, Russert was famous for making even the most seasoned politician sweat under his tenacious quest for the truth. Meticulously prepared, he was determined to uncover the answers he felt the American people deserved. But he did it politely. He listened. And he always came out on top as a class act.

This high degree of character is something that the citizens of Buffalo also know well. It is these values that Russert praises in his best selling memoir, Big Russ and Me. He relays the lessons he learned from his World War II veteran father, a man who taught him about the importance of hard work, family, and helping others. But the book is also a love letter to the city itself, and it is a love affair that I know all too well.

Raised in a suburb of Buffalo, I too had an upbringing where family came first, a father who worked hard to support four kids without complaint, and a mother who demanded nothing short of my best. Like Russert, I also have fond memories of playing hockey with the neighborhood kids in my frozen-over backyard, I followed the Buffalo Bills religiously, and as Russert says, I knew what all Buffalonians know: that "Niagara Falls was only for visitors."

Of course, Russert left Buffalo to pursue career aspirations that were too big for our small town, as did I. From North Carolina to Manhattan, I lived in other parts of the country and logged as much international travel as I could pack in. But when it came to deciding where to raise my son, I found myself in a moving truck headed for Buffalo, the city closest to my heart, and to my family.

Although Russert remained in Washington, as one local newscaster put it, he wore his love for Buffalo on his sleeve. A staunch Buffalo sports fan, he ended many a Meet the Press episode with "Go Bills." He made frequent trips home, happy to patronize the American Legion post with Big Russ. Ask any Buffalo local and they'll tell you when he sat down on the bar stool next to you, he didn't expect special treatment. He was just another kid home from the old neighborhood.

NBC's Brian Williams, who was born just a few hours south of Buffalo in Elmira, New York, said at a debate earlier this year: "What are the chances that two kids could grow up in Upstate New York and end up on the stage together at an event like this?" I'd say the odds are actually quite good. Ever hear the name Wolf Blitzer? Also a born and raised Buffalonian. If one can look beyond the stereotype of Buffalo as simply being a rust-covered haven for abandoned factories, they'd see why. Russert knew that much more came out of his hometown than bone chilling blizzards and fiery chicken wings- and he didn't keep it a secret. Never was he ashamed to admit he was from a city so many others turned their noses up at.

And neither have I. Not just because I know of the strong family and neighborly bonds that exist in the Queen City. I know the facts. The Elmwood Village, an eclectic area of Buffalo was named one of the 10 Great Neighborhoods in America by the American Planning Association. Buffalo's City Honors School is consistently at the top of the Newsweek's list of America's Best Public High Schools, this year coming in at number eleven. Also calling Buffalo home is plenty of cultural treasures: the Albright Knox Art Gallery, Frederick Law Olmsted's Park System, and the Darwin Martin house built by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. And of course, Buffalo houses the most loyal sports fans in the nation, who bleed their hometown colors year in, year out.

Tim was well aware of Buffalo's redeeming qualities, and although his presence will be missed across our nation, his absence will be felt even more so in his hometown where a void has been left that seems impossible to fill. The city of Buffalo is in mourning over the loss of our biggest cheerleader, and one of the best examples that our city forms strong communities and successful kids. Tim Russert was everything Big Russ could have hoped for: a devoted family man, an incredible journalist, and an all around good guy.

Although Tim has left us, I doubt the man who worked so hard on Earth will be slowing down any in heaven. I'm sure his white board is still getting a workout, and once the presidential election is behind us, perhaps he could continue representing his people by asking the Big Guy a question that has been burning in the souls of Buffalonians since the beginning of time: "Could we please win a Superbowl- just once?"

We'll miss you, Tim. Go get 'em. And go Bills.

SOURCES:

http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/neighborhoods/index.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oWLhbNNSM8&feature=related
http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380