An Editorial Tribute to Neild Oldham

Over the years, we often heard from Neild Oldham. Whenever he felt the Day had done something stupid or repugnant he would call an editor, or more often, fire off a letter full of fire and brimstone, never mincing words about the perceived idiocy or moral betrayal of the press' responsibility.

While he had been an editor for a larger metropolitan newspaper, Mr. Oldham, who died this week at the age of 79, more resembled a small-town crusading editor. He was imbued with a sense of mission to set matters straight, employing the printing press as his weapon of choice.

He was both a craftsman with words and a journalist in the tradition of Horace Greeley, the 19th-century crusading newspaper editor. His anger toward The Day belied a strong affection for the newspaper and the tradition out of which it grew. This feeling intensified when he spent two years editing the book about The Day, “The Day Paper: The Story of One of America's Last Independent Newspapers.” He was a meticulous and thoughtful editor, poring over every line without losing sight of the story.

For Mr. Oldham, the purpose of the press was unambiguous. Its responsibility was the same as that of any good citizen in the American democracy: To look after the rights of the people and the public interest. This was nothing more than the printer's creed that had been passed down across generations from colonial times. He thoroughly had assimilated it, as a newspaperman and later independent editor and printer.

It was in this spirit that he took up the cause of the homeowners in Fort Trumbull when New London took their homes by eminent domain for a redevelopment project. For Mr. Oldham, there were no shades of gray on matters of this importance. Issues that had the impact this one did on people's lives were black and white, and all those who had supported the city, including The Day, were in his estimation allied with the devil.

The matter of Fort Trumbull was for Mr. Oldham an example of misbegotten history repeating itself. He was particularly aggrieved that the New London County Historical Society had not taken a stand against city urban-renewal projects in the 1960s and 1970s that had leveled historic New London neighborhoods. As a board member and president of the Society, he was determined to see that that didn't occur in Fort Trumbull. He also frequently shared with The Day his strong misgivings about the newspaper's support for the project. The newspaper tradition he revered always put the rights of the people and the underdog first, he would say.

There was never any doubt about where he stood. The Day and New London will miss his strong, clear voice and conscience.

NEWLONDON