Howard Stutz has pulled off something I did not think was possible these days. He is retiring from four decades in journalism as a Nevada Press Association Hall of Famer with widespread respect, having produced his best work in the twilight of his career. Most amazingly: Everyone likes him.

It is, if I am to be honest, quite annoying. (I jest, Howard. Surely, I jest.)

As thrilled as I am for my longtime friend and colleague getting ready to begin his next chapter, I am a bit wistful that I am saying goodbye not just to Howard but to a kind of journalist — and journalism — that we don't see enough of any longer.

Howard has always done the job without fear or favor, and always with a keen sense of duty and ethics. He has survived several industry convulsions, leaving for jobs outside journalism before returning to what he loves.

Howard has not just earned plaudits for covering the casino industry fairly and deeply, but he has maintained relationships and sources despite how volatile some in that business can be. (Names need to be … named.)

And when one of those Strip titans, Sheldon Adelson, secretly bought the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2015, Howard and a small band of R-J reporters set out to discover who their new boss was and uncovered the truth.

He knew his job might be in jeopardy after their story was published — if they could even get it published. But he and the others bravely pursued the story despite the threat to their job, and they were rewarded with the James Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism from Northwestern University and the Ancil Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism from the University of Oregon.

Howard left the R-J shortly thereafter and joined The Nevada Independent in May 2021 after writing several freelance pieces for us. It turned out to be a boon not just for him but for us as we were granted instant credibility by industry sources simply because we hired him. I think Howard regained his joy for journalism that he lost at the R-J, and he frequently thanked me for bringing him aboard. He didn't need to; I was the one who was grateful.

Howard has all of the traits a great journalist should have — he knows what makes a good story, he cultivated the right people to tell a story and he has the ability to make people feel comfortable with him, to trust him, and yes, to like him.

But what makes Howard special goes beyond all of that: He cares.

Howard cares about the mission, cares about the impact of his journalism and cares about his colleagues. His willingness to mentor young reporters, to jump into stories when we needed help and to act as a utility man who can help oversee newsletters or edit stories all have proved invaluable to us.

The word can be overused, but not in this case: Howard Stutz is a mensch.

I have known Howard since we worked together on an award-winning investigative piece on the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority almost 40 years ago. In every interview we conducted together, he was always, always the good cop. He wouldn't know how to be anything else!

Howard and I share a love of sports, and I will truly miss him despite his more-than-annoying Dodgers fandom and his seemingly uncanny ability to be both a Rams and Chargers fan.

But what I will miss the most is what he stands for, the values he brought to the job and craft he loves and the inspiration he infused in the younger journalists at The Indy. (And they are ALL younger …)

I can't wait to be there next month when Howard is deservedly inducted into the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame. He will not soon be forgotten, and we will not see his like in this business again.

Godspeed, old friend.