Walter Hubert "Walt" Nett

The Avalanche-Journal newsroom is a little quieter, hearing fewer booming laughs, stories of Tucson and bulky fingers typing furiously. There's a deep sense of loss. Longtime newspaper reporter-editor Walt Nett died Wednesday in his home in West Lubbock. He was 59. Walt's 35-year career included stretches as a reporter and editor in Arizona and California, including as a journalism instructor at the University of Arizona. He most recently covered the courts beat as a reporter in Lubbock, writing about local, state and federal courts. He was a pinch-hitting reporter whose knowledge of every topic a journalist could write about made him a newsroom sage. I and his other colleagues in Lubbock hoped to see more stories from him. But it wasn't meant to be. We still don't have all the details about how he died. The A-J learned of his passing after authorities discovered him in his home while conducting a welfare check when he didn't show up to work. A couple of A-J reporters checked on his beloved dog Chester, whom he brought with him when his tenure at the A-J began in December 2008. Chester will stay with Walt's landlord for the time being. Walt's landlord told our reporters that Walt appeared to have died from natural causes. Walt was genuinely loved and respected by his co-workers. News of his passing is very painful. Looking at the messages on Walt's Facebook page expressing sadness and loss about his death, I'm touched and impressed by the impact he had on so many. But I'm not surprised. Walt earned a lot of good will and respect in Lubbock and West Texas as I know he did at his previous stops in life. He clearly made a lasting impact on countless reporters and others. I'm honored to be among them. I started at the A-J, a fresh reporter right out of college at Texas Tech. Walt hired me. He never held back his advice for me as a reporter, even when fate turned the tables and I was his editor. I always looked at him as a model. He was a sounding board for me as I know he was for many others. He kept me out of trouble and I owe him for much of what I have accomplished. In explaining how to write a news story, Walt often used the old example of writing as if you were penning a letter for a friend back home. Though I've worked for many editors since him, I've kept his lessons in mind, trying to be a better reporter. As I've written stories over the years, I realize now, the friend I was writing to was Walt. Reprinted Courtesy of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Walter Hubert "Walt" Nett

June 19, 1954 - April 23, 2014