We have recently learned about the passing of esteemed columnist Robert Novak.  Kenneth Tomlinson has a column paying tribute to Novak today at Human Events online that may sum up how many feel about him.

Throughout my life, I followed Bob Novak journalism like I followed the careers of my favorite sports figures. Later, as editor-in-chief of Reader’s Digest, I would become one of Novak’s nominal bosses, though the fact was that every time I worked with him or was associated with him in any way, it was I who felt privileged. Few journalists have ever affected this country like Bob Novak.

Tim Carney, a former CEI Warren Brookes Journalism Fellow and former Novak reporter, also has a column about Novak today Human Events.  He had  this to say about his former boss:

For many of us, though, Novak’s resistance to the calls for conformity, his constant openness to new ideas and facts, and his willingness to change his mind set a crucial example.

Novak was a friend to CEI’s founder and president Fred Smith, a mentor to a few of CEI’s current and former employees and allies, as well as a journalist well-respected by both sides of the political divide.  Condolences go out to his family.  He will be missed.