Thanks, Rick

One of Connecticut’s finest journalists is retiring today.  His name is Rick Huntington, and unless you know him personally, you don’t know him at all.

Rick is a news photographer.  Or a videographer.  Or a photojournalist.  Pick a title, any title.  Trust me, he doesn’t care.  He has also been one of my very best friends since we teamed up at WFSB in the summer of ’79.

1983 New England Emmy Awards

We won Emmys together, we laughed like hyenas together, we shared life’s sorrows together, we committed atrocities together, we were politically incorrect together, we partied together, and we did great work together.

We mastered the art of working quickly and efficiently, then enjoying long lunches at a good restaurant that he “just happened” to know about.

He never missed a detail through the lens of his camera.  At the scene of a news story, I would sometimes be foolish enough to ask, “Did you shoot that?”  The reply would be a withering look and a simple, “Just shut up.”

At one of many GHOs.

But just as importantly, he never missed a detail over the course of an interview.  He paid attention.  And whenever an interview was over, I would turn around and ask, “Rick, you have any questions?”  Invariably, he would ask a brilliant question I would never think of, or a basic question I forgot to ask.

We parted ways professionally 20 years ago, when I joined NBC Connecticut.  In the years since, his 3 sons have grown into fine young men, his always-understanding wife Wendy retired after a long career in the Farmington school system, and we have remained good friends.

We can go weeks, even months, without talking.  We don’t have to.  And when we do, it’s as if we’d seen each other yesterday.  And now, he’s ready for the next phase.

How ready?  This is how he showed up for work today.  Yeah, he’s ready.

Courtesy Eric Parker

Thanks, Rick.   Pour me a Jack.  I’ll be right over.