This past weekend the Mahoning Valley lost an icon -- Tom Holden, news anchor for TV-27 died on Saturday night . . . Holden may have been one of the most, if not the most, respected man in Youngstown . . . he anchored the news desk for 30 years . . .
I was fortunate enough to have him for a journalism class at YSU . . . he was an outstanding teacher and like everyone has said, he was a nice guy . . . think about it, how many of today's news people act like their "crap doesn't stink" when out in the public . . . not Tom Holden . . . Holden would talk to anyone and always had a smile or nod when passing by . . .
As a young kid, my family always watched TV-27 news with Tom Holden and Don Gardner on sports . . . Holden was one of the "good guys" who stayed loyal to the Valley . . . he was a staple of this area . . . there was no doubt that he could have moved on to a bigger city, but he was content doing the news at TV-27 and living on the southside of Youngstown . . .
I interviewed him for an article and he said that he was fortunate to have a good job . . . think about it, most people today want to keep moving up in the job market in order to show they are successful . . . Holden wasn't like that -- he was a simple person . . . he loved his Mahoning Valley and especially his Youngstown . . .
What I also think made Holden unique is that he had his flaws just like the rest of us . . . it was widely known that "back in the days" Holden would like to have a nice cold one or two . . . but that is what made him real . . . he was not some plastic glamour wonk hired to attract viewers . . . he wasn't too good to sit next to the average Joe and have a beer . . .
This Valley needs more people like Holden in order to improve . . .
Tom Holden will be missed . . .
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