 "Photo: Photo courtesy of Kathleen Ek")
A retired Chico State journalism professor who had a passion for his family, writing and the outdoors died May 12 at Enloe Medical Center.
Police received a call at 6:30 p.m. from Kathleen Ek, wife of Richard Ek, 82, saying her husband had accidentally shot himself with a handgun, police said.
Ek died at 10:30 p.m.
He had been suffering from health issues, including heart trouble and breathing problems, which caused him to collapse two days prior to the incident, Kathleen Ek said.
“How his death occurred was a shock, but he collapsed on our doorstep Sunday, and of course he never wanted to go to the hospital,” Kathleen Ek said. “He pulled himself out of it.”
Having grown up on a farm and a ranch, Richard Ek was experienced and well trained around guns, Kathleen Ek said.
“I do feel that he just went down again like he did, and because he was putting his gun away, I think it discharged accidentally,” she said. “Richard had a zest for life, and he wanted to be with his family.”
Richard Ek, a 2006 inductee in The Orion Hall of Fame, managed The Orion’s 1975 debut. He enjoyed working with students and faculty at Chico State, where he taught for 24 years, Kathleen Ek said.
He was loved and revered in the department of journalism, she said. He kept in touch with many of his colleagues; a former student even came to visit from Alaska.
“There’s a closeness that develops usually with people working on the newspapers that probably doesn’t occur in some of the other departments,” Kathleen Ek said.
In the department of journalism, Professional-in-residence Debra Johnson had Ek as an adviser for a year and remembers him for his strong personality and expertise with the dying art of investigative reporting, she said.
“He was amazing at investigative journalism,” Johnson said.
“Unfortunately, newspapers are being so strapped at so many different levels, true investigative journalism is hard to find.”
He had a passion for writing and planned to continue it, Kathleen Ek said.
“He was so knowledgeable; he had a brilliant mind,” she said. “But at the same time, he had a tremendous sense of humor.”
Richard was also involved with photojournalism and photography,
Kathleen Ek said. He loved to take pictures of autumn leaves.
She said that when she and Richard Ek moved from Long Beach to Chico in 1967, many families would leave town Friday nights to go hunting and fishing.
“They hunted, they fished. As a matter of fact, that was a way of life for a great many people in this area when we came here, and it still probably is,” she said.
Their son still carries on his father’s hunting heritage, Kathleen Ek said.
“I remember the last time, Randy brought home nine ducks and he and I worked on cleaning those ducks,” she said laughing.
Throughout his 40 years of teaching, Richard Ek enjoyed seeing his students learn, Kathleen Ek said. He always had encouraging advice for aspiring journalists.
“‘You’ll find your place; things may look bad now, but they’re going to improve’, that’s what he’d tell you,” Kathleen Ek said. “He told many students, ‘no matter how difficult, do your very best to complete the work you have.’”
No funeral services will be held for Ek, at his request, she said. Instead, Kathleen Ek and her daughter Roxanne will honor him by remembering how he lived a fulfilling life to an old age, they said.
“Regardless of your age, you’re only a heartbeat from eternity,” Kathleen Ek said. “I feel my husband’s at peace.”
Mike North can be reached at
mnorth@theorion.com
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