He wasn't in good health, smoked a lot and hung out at a local bar every night after work. But he had a unique perspective on the world and politics that never failed to amuse and inform. A staunch conservative, he loved to poke fun at California's liberal leaders and their causes and I know he liked that I was one of the few Republicans in the building.
A week ago, I got the call that Ted had passed away over the weekend. It was sudden, though perhaps not totally unexpected. And it's most certainly how he would have wanted to go - quickly, with his dogs next to his side, and on his own terms.
For a cynical guy, I was surprised to see that kept a lot of mementos from his career as a journalist. Here's pictures of a few press badges that were found in his desk at the office and mark time he spent in Central America, covering the Pope, in Washington DC and in California.
