James Wolfe, longtime Capitol correspondent, dies at 75

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- James F. Wolfe, whose career as an owner, editor and reporter for Missouri newspapers spanned more than half a century, died Thursday. He was 75.

Wolfe died around 10:30 p.m. at his Jefferson City home. He had been ill for some time with leukemia.

Since the late 1970s, Wolfe's byline was a fixture in The Joplin Globe, which published his Statehouse stories and weekly column.

"Jim was a wonderful man and an excellent journalist, he was a real presence for southwest Missouri in Jefferson City," said Ed Simpson, editor of the Globe. "His readers and the folks he worked with will miss him dearly."

Wolfe also wrote free-lance stories and columns from the capital city for the St. Joseph News-Press, the Washington Missourian and the Daily Democrat at Clinton, among other publications.

Wolfe was known around the capital city for his daily commentaries on Jefferson City radio station KWOS, always intoning as a signoff: "This is Jim Wolfe, your man about Missouri."

Wolfe had been honored earlier this year with proclamations from Gov. Bob Holden and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder for his contributions to Statehouse reporting.

"I was saddened to hear of the passing of the 'Man About Missouri,"' Holden said. "Jim Wolfe was as much a fixture at the state Capitol as its columns. While we differed on issues, I had tremendous respect for Jim as a journalist. He will be missed."

Said Kinder, R-Cape Gir-ardeau: "I think of him and I think of the phrase 'The Old Reliable.' He was a friend to all and a real veteran newsman of the old school. I will miss him tremendously. His columns were wonderful pieces of work, and there's a big void to be filled now."

House Speaker Jim Kreider, D-Nixa, called Wolfe a "legend."

"Capitol press conferences will not be the same without Jim, firing questions in his usual deliberate manner," Kreider said. "His passion and vigor was the hallmark of a true professional."

Wolfe first worked for a newspaper when he was a 12-year-old Boy Scout. Aiming for a merit badge in printing, he learned to set type by hand at the weekly Leeton Times in his boyhood hometown. The publisher soon made him a reporter. Wolfe got the merit badge.