H. Doyle Harvill, journalist

A few weeks ago, H. Doyle Harvill, though bed-ridden from the effects of a brain tumor, reminisced with characteristic bluntness about his newspaper days with a former employee.

"I never was one of those guys who thought the ad director or circulation director made the newspaper," said Harvill, former publisher and executive editor of The Tampa Tribune. "Editors set the tone of a newspaper. They know the community. They make things happen."

Harvill, who died Thursday at 80, made things happen whenever he took over a news operation, as he did in Tampa, Montgomery, Ala., and Greenville, S.C. And this was not simply because he promptly "threw the furniture in the air," reassigning workers to challenge the status quo.

He demanded the newsroom have energy, enterprise and guts. Reporters who worked for the ex-Marine and Korean War veteran quickly learned to ask tough questions.

"Don't take some bureaucrat's word for it," Harvill would grumble. "Find out if they are sticking it to taxpayers."

"Hit the bricks" was a common refrain.

And you had better know your facts. The Keysville native knew the names of the back roads, businesses, ranches, citrus trees and row crops from the Big Cypress to Central Florida's Big Scrub - not to mention all the political movers and shakers.

Heaven help the copy editor who did not know the difference between Hillsborough Bay and Old Tampa Bay or mistook a bream for a speckled perch.

He expected all workers, whether investigative reporters or copy boys, to serve as the eyes and ears of the newsroom and to report what was happening in their neighborhoods, churches, schools and Little Leagues. A tidbit might lead to a blockbuster story - or at least help the newspaper better understand readers' interests.

Drive home a different way each night, he once told his staff, so you will better see what's going on around town. He was not amused when some wag questioned if mileage would be reimbursed.

Harvill, a chain smoker most of his career, was a tough man who could be tough to work for. Those who were easily intimidated did not last long.

But his zest for journalism was infectious, and those who endured his boot-camp tactics and profanity-laced lectures usually emerged with a lifetime passion for the profession, a deep respect for its watchdog responsibilities and a grateful appreciation for the satisfaction and fun that come with a job that challenges the power structure each day.

Harvill had a keen eye for talent and didn't mind taking chances on individuals. He launched the careers of hundreds of journalists across the country and took enormous pride in their success.

H. Doyle Harvill made The Tampa Tribune a better newspaper and made all of those who worked for him better journalists and better citizens. His many friends at the Tribune mourn his passing.