Newspaperman leaves historical legacy 

Herald-Standard, Uniontown

For many years after he retired as editor of the Herald-Standard, Buzz Storey would contact the newsroom immediately upon learning of the death of an important community member. If we hadn't written an editorial already, he was more than willing to drop something off. While Buzz would make the offer, he always made it clear that he didn't want to step on anyone's toes or turf, but at the same time he expected the job would be done. On one such occasion, the death several years ago of his longtime friend Charles Underwood, Mr. Storey remarked that it is difficult to keep burying all your contemporaries. So few of the many friends he collected along the years were left, he said. What Mr. Storey didn't realize were his admirers were plentiful; his readers ever faithful. 

The sad task of writing about Mr. Storey's death has fallen upon us. Today, we lament the loss of a great newspaperman and a great historian. We will miss the ease with which historical facts that we did not possess could be easily found through a quick phone call to Mr. Storey's house. If he couldn't remember outright, he would find it by searching through his many files. While Mr. Storey's body began to fail him, his memory never let us down. With him goes a wealth of knowledge about Uniontown and Fayette County.

We give thanks that Mr. Storey left behind his writings, numerous columns and two historical books.

Mr. Storey joined the Daily News Standard (later the Herald-Standard) on Feb. 1, 1940. His byline appeared on our pages for more than 60 years. Long after he retired from reporting then editing, Mr. Story continued to enrich this newspaper and our readers by filing a history column that appeared on this page every Sunday. The last was published in January 2001. While readers complained that they missed his writings, some demanding that we get him back, they didn't realize that Mr. Storey agonized for more than a year before finally giving up the column. A true newspaperman, Mr. Storey didn't want to stop, but age and disease was taking its toll. The physical strain from the demands of a weekly column finally became too much.

By then, Mr. Storey had already published the immensely popular "Stories of Uniontown and Fayette County." During 2001, he and his wife, Polly, pulled together many of his former columns, so that by he end of the year, "Another Look: Uniontown and Fayette County" was ready for release. Both books will remain on bookshelves for many years to come. It isn't hard to imagine a Uniontown resident a century from now picking up either of Mr. Storey's books and stepping back into the past and finding it just as enthralling as current-day readers.

Mr. Storey's newspaper career carried him from hot type through cold type, from manual typewriters to electric ones to computers. Eventually it took him to the Web. Who else but Mr. Storey could have written the newspaper's history that appears on our homepage and continues to generate many hits, often with the reader then requesting to purchase a copies of Mr. Storey's books. 

As much as Mr. Storey loved his role as a newspaperman, we think that he admired his hometown and country even more. He served in World War II and studied the Polish language and culture, which enabled him to later serve in Europe as a staff sergeant in the combat engineers. Back at home, he worked tirelessly to champion Uniontown and the county. He and Polly were responsible for the city gaining recognition on the National Register of Historic Places. They have won countless civic awards, including the national Freedoms Foundation and the Exchange Club Book of Golden Deeds. 

Mr. Storey served for 20 years on the Uniontown Redevelopment Authority; 15 of those as chairman. He retired from the board in 1999 after seeing to it that the city had started on the Main Street renewal projects. Despite his humble protests upon learning of the city's intent, the first project - Storey Square - was named in his honor. Mr. Storey has left a legacy that merits him an enduring place in the history of Uniontown. He rates his own chapter.