Remembering Frank del Olmo
By Thomas Clannin

Los Angeles Times associate editor and columnist Frank del Olmo died of an apparent heart attack February 19.

The journalism community, the Latino community and the Southern California community as a whole have lost a strong and dedicated voice. Our condolences go out to the del Olmo family.

As journalists we have lost a brother. Latinos have lost a voz sincera, a sincere voice that through articles and columns chronicled the changing face of Southern California's Latinos. He was there, with the working class immigrants, writing about their struggles to fulfill the promise of the American Dream. He shed light on the growing ranks of Latino politicians, the ethical ones as well as the corrupt ones, and ultimately showed that Latinos are just as important as any another thread in the fabric of American life.

We can all learn a lesson or two in empathy from his writing.

Frank's passing also reminds us that his work continues. Latino journalists remain underrepresented in our nation's newsrooms. As Frank would likely say, it's not just a question of equity, it's a matter of getting it right.

About Frank del Olmo

Frank del Olmo's distinguished career began in 1970 as a summer intern with the Los Angeles Times. A graduate from Cal State Northridge, del Olmo became a full-time staff writer with the LA Times in 1971 and as the only Spanish-speaking reporter on the metro staff at the time covered topics that varied from the Mexican border to farm labor. From 1976-79 del Olmo worked for the Foreign Desk at the Times as a correspondent in Mexico and Central America. In 1980 he became a member of The Times editorial board and began writing a regular op-ed column on Latino affairs. Del Olmo was name as an associate editor in 1998. Del Olmo has been awarded with a Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Meritorious Public Service in 1984 for a series on Southern California's Latino Community and received an Emmy Award for writing "The Unwanted," a documentary on illegal immigration.