Journalist Bruce Garvey passes away

Hard-news journalist Bruce Garvey died at the age of 70 on Sunday from lung  cancer. He had 50-year
career in journalism.

A National Post obituary about the former Post columnist reads:

“In his nearly 50 years in journalism, Bruce Garvey covered presidents and prime ministers, civil rights and moon landings, Watergate and Chernobyl.

“Gruff, hard-drinking and heavy-smoking, Garvey was a relentless contrarian who kept working a story long after his competitors had given it up.

“He was one of the few reporters still at mission control covering the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, when a crew member issued the understated warning, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.”

“In an epic piece of reporting on NASA’s efforts to save the astronauts, Garvey wrote in the Toronto Star: “For America’s brilliant space program, it was the longest night.”

The Post speaks with Garvey’s former colleagues, who tell some behind-the-scenes stories from his best scoops, adding:

“Originally from Essex, England, Garvey came to Canada at age 19 and took a reporting job in Pembroke, Ont. He later worked for the United Press International, the Montreal Gazette, Toronto Star, Global Television, the CBC, the Ottawa Citizen and the National Post. As bureau chief in Ottawa, he covered the Trudeau government.”