Bob Fleming, a 'savvy newsman,' dies at 53

BOB FLEMING was at the Daily News less than four years, but he made a powerful impact on those who worked with him - not only as an editor and writer but as a man who genuinely loved people.

"Bob was a newsman who was really passionate about good writing," said Daily News senior writer Will Bunch. "He was a real student of the craft."

"He was an extraordinary journalist and human being," said Julie Brown, former Daily News night city editor, now with the Miami Herald.

"He had this funny little thing he would always say to me during those times in my life when he pulled me up by my bootstraps and told me that I could do something that I didn't think I could do.

"When I thanked him, he would joke, 'Well, I'm just a giver.' He would say it sarcastically, but he truly was a giver."

Robert J. Fleming, deputy front page editor for USA Today since 2004, and a man of many interests, which included guitar-playing, songwriting and filmmaking, died Thursday after a short illness. He was 53.

"Anyone who ever appreciated the precision, fairness, economy of words and sometimes playful headlines on the front page was seeing Bob's work every morning," said David Colton, USA Today's page-one editor.

Bob worked for the Daily News from December 2000 to September 2004, first in features and later in news before leaving for USA Today.

"Bob Fleming mastered the fine art of motivating staffers, always demanding journalistic excellence without ever losing his cool," said Daily News editor Michael Days.

"He was the consummate editor, passionate about the business and the importance of what we do - and a great human being to boot."

Gar Joseph, the Daily News' city editor, said that Fleming was a "savvy newsman with a good eye for quality writing," and pointed out that he was instrumental in the launch of Bunch's hugely successful Attytood blog.

Bob was born in New Orleans and graduated from Louisiana State University. He began his reporting career in Biloxi, Miss. He also formerly worked for the Virginian-Pilot and Los Angeles Times.

"He worked tirelessly, often until late at night, with both rookie reporters and with jaded veterans like me - to make our stories better for the next day's paper," Bunch said. "I still have a couple of books about writing that he gave me sitting on my desk."

Brown called him "an artist at the craft of writing."

"I think what he would like all of us who loved him to do is to keep writing, no matter what happens to newspapers," she said. "As writers, we should fight like hell to write our hearts out."

Catalina Camia, USA Today politics editor, said that she's been replaying every conversation she had with Fleming about music and movies since he died."Every late night I worked, whenever there was a political primary or a presidential speech, Bob was my contact on the page-one desk," she said. "Always unflappable, always a pro."

Bob was also devoted to music, both listening and composing. "A lot of people probably don't know what a great songwriter he was," Brown said. "He once composed a song to me."

"It was in his lyrics that he really showed his cards and his heart," said Doug Stanglin, writer of "On Deadline" for usatoday. com.

"Quiet on many subjects, he really opened up when it came to songwriting and treated it as a very exacting craft. He was a thoughtful, creative guy."

He is survived by his former wife, Paige; a daughter, Mary; a son, Emmett; and a sister, Maureen.

Services: A memorial service will be arranged later.

Donations may be made to St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children, in Norfolk. Va.