Ronald Vincent Georgeff of Wethersfield, who was national editor for The Courant at a time when it covered presidential politics, Congress and major news events far and wide, died Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, at Hartford Hospital in the company of loved ones.
He was two days short of his 71st birthday, an extraordinary achievement for a man who contracted polio at age 4 and suffered its effects all his life.
Ron was born in 1944 to Boris and Marie (Vincent) Georgeff in Omaha, Neb., surrounded by his paternal grandparents and their large extended family originally from the Slavic republics in Eastern Europe. He grew up enjoying his grandma Helen Georgeff’s fermented sauerkraut, yogurt, chicken and rice and stuffed peppers; and apple strudel with layer upon layer of her special, wafer-thin sheets of pastry. Much later, Ron enjoyed making such dishes for his own family.
Because his father was in the U.S. Army, Ron’s family moved often throughout his childhood, with stops in Texas, Kansas and Hawaii. He graduated in 1967 from Baker University in Kansas, and received a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa in 1968.
After graduation, Ron drove to Massachusetts to meet John Updike, whose writing he admired. Updike, fortunately, welcomed the surprise visit, and Ron fell in love with New England. He interviewed the Hartford Times by phone, got the job and joined the paper in 1969, covering Windsor and Suffield. Thus began his career in newspaper journalism, in which he earned respect as both a reporter and editor.
When the Times closed in 1976, he joined the New Britain Herald and then The Courant, where he rose to become national editor at a time when The Courant was recognized for its coverage of news outside, as well as inside, Connecticut. He later became a copy editor in the features department, where he was known for his love of plain words and lucid writing.
Ron was a lifelong patron of the arts in Hartford, regularly attending plays at Hartford Stage and summer jazz concerts in Bushnell Park. He loved jazz from an early age, especially Louis Armstrong, and reviewed jazz and rock concerts for the Hartford Times. Ron was thrilled when the renowned jazz alto sax player Jackie MacLean and his wife, Dollie, moved from Manhattan to Hartford to open the Artists Collective. Ron’s tastes extended to bluegrass and classical music, and he frequently attended Trinity College’s annual Christmas Festival of Lessons and Carols.
On weekends in the 1980s, it was common to see him cooking dinner for his family with a dish towel slung over his shoulder, listening to the radio broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera. On Saturdays, the house resounded with WWUH radio’s morning bluegrass show, and at other times with Yankees baseball on radio or TV. He helped his Cub Scout son build soap box racers for the Pinewood Derby, and rooted heartily for his children’s softball and baseball teams.
Ron was an active member of Asylum Hill Congregational Church for many years, starting a bridge club, participating in a book club and helping in the search for a new minister in 2012. He was also a valued participant in a group at AHCC that worked on using the arts as an instrument to revitalize downtown Hartford.
Ron was a beloved and devoted son, brother, husband, father and friend. In retirement, he liked to relax on his front porch with a glass of wine, but he also made frequent trips to Vermont to visit his son, daughter and granddaughters; to Arizona to visit his sister; to Tennessee to visit his father; and to Missouri to visit – and go fishing – with his oldest friend, Ira Williams. He also enjoyed his summer vacations in Port Clyde, Me., where a thriving arts community was one of the attractions.
Polio left an indelible mark on Ron’s life. He contracted the disease at age 4, before the discovery of the Salk polio vaccine, apparently the result of a swim in the public pool in Omaha. For a time, he needed an iron lung to breathe. His father asked the Army to ship him to Hawaii so Ron could benefit from the warm weather.
In 1962, Ron was one of the first to have stainless steel “Harrington rods” inserted into his back to stop the twisting effects of his paralyzed muscles.
Defying expectations, Ron overcame his disabilities to live a long, productive and happy life. He might have lived even longer had it not been for the crushing after-effects of polio, which hindered his recovery from a tracheotomy Jan. 24 intended to relieve his shortness of breath.
Ron is survived by his sister, Trish Georgeff, of Phoenix; his former wife, Ann Corcoran, of South Glastonbury; his son, Nicholas, of Burlington, Vt., his daughter, Lucy, of Perkinsville, Vt., and her partner, Oliver Owen; and two lovely (and lively) granddaughters, Eva and Dinah.
There will be a public memorial service at Asylum Hill Congregational Church 814 Asylum Ave. Hartford, CT 06105 on Friday, Feb. 13, at 10 a.m., followed by a reception at the church.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Artists Collective 1200 Albany Ave. Hartford, CT 06105 or to Loaves and Fishes Ministries.646 Prospect Ave. Hartford CT. To extend online condolences, please visit Farleysullivan.com.