Rafael Tammariello, an award-winning columnist and editorial writer for the Review-Journal whose libertarian views often clashed with those of Nevada's politicians -- yet who earned their respect -- died Thursday at his Las Vegas home.

He was 48. The cause of his death has not been determined by the Clark County
coroner's office.

Tammariello was respected for his intellectual strength, admired for the clarity and precision of his writing, and loved for his edgy but subtle sense of humor.

Democratic officials rarely agreed with Tammariello's views of less government
and lower taxes; Republicans often objected to his position that government had no
business intruding into people's private lives. A nonpartisan, he embraced a libertarian philosophy.

Lacking journalism experience but fluent in Spanish, Tammariello began his newspaper career in 1976 by walking into the San Jose News in Costa Rica and offering to work for free for a week to show his mettle. It worked, and he spent nearly a year there as reporter, translator and photographer.

Next, he worked at the Las Cruces Sun-News in New Mexico, covering subjects including politics, youth gangs and the Cruise missile. When he joined the Saginaw News in Michigan in 1980, he turned into an award-winning investigative reporter before taking two months off to travel in South America.

He spent five months in 1984 with the Riverside Press-Enterprise and then he
began his career with the Review-Journal on April Fools' Day 1985 as a labor reporter.

He held many jobs at the Review-Journal -- he was editorial page editor for five years, then took a year off in 1991 to travel through Mexico and South America with his wife, Joan, before they returned to Las Vegas and the newspaper, where she is now
the systems and training editor.

He came back as a business writer, but within six months had returned to the
editorial page as a columnist. In July 1994, he was named editor of the business section. Two years later he became a senior copy editor for the editorial page, writing
editorials and editing the editorial and commentary pages. In January, he resumed his
column.

He had written occasionally for the National Review, William Buckley Jr.'s conservative political magazine.

"His viewpoints were very thought-provoking because they didn't fit the mold of the liberal or conservative, based on the libertarian philosophy that crosses over both
fields," [Former Gov. Bob] Miller said.

His work won numerous awards. The Nevada State Press Association honored him in 1986 and 1991 for best editorial pages, in 1987 and 1990 for best editorial, and in 1997 and 1998 for freedom of the press.

Gleaned from the Las Vegas Review Journal, Sept. 11, 1999.

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gail@talkvegas.com
Moderator, TalkVegas After Hours
Administrator, TalkVegas BB




[This message has been edited by gailsacco (edited September 11, 1999).]