Capital Gazette reporter McNamara honored as ‘a consummate professional’

COLLEGE PARK, Md. —  Friends, colleagues and family packed the University of Maryland-College Park Campus Chapel on Tuesday to say goodbye to John McNamara — an alumnus and a Capital Gazette sports writer and reporter who was among five killed June 28 in the paper’s Annapolis newsroom.

“My friend John McNamara was an incredible man,” said G. Frederick Robinson, the mayor of Bowie, Maryland. “John had a marvelous way of approaching people and approaching either the simple or the complex … there was never a slant … behind John’s reporting. John was a consummate professional.”

During a service that included tributes from friends and colleagues who had known him for decades as well as more recent admirers, McNamara was remembered as humble and quiet, fair and honest, witty and clever and an all-around great guy equally comfortable discussing sports, politics, music or movies.

“Everybody loved, everybody respected, John McNamara,” said Johnny Holliday, the radio voice of the Terps. “Whether it was reporting or editing a story — be it news, be it sports, be it community interest, John was the very best.”

Holliday described McNamara as being hooked on writing and on the desire to dig deeper, “to get something out of a story that would grab the reader in a manner that would have them smiling or even perhaps shedding a tear.”

Colleague Gerry Jackson described McNamara as a considerate co-worker who never would leave someone behind in the newsroom at the end of the day without first asking whether there was something he could do to help.

“John, Godspeed buddy,” Jackson said.

The last page of the service’s program included comments from a blog post by Jennifer Bort Yacovissi titled “Finding the best way to honor the life of a lifelong friend.”  She said many people who are aware of the Capital Gazette newsroom killings want to know how they can help.

Among her pieces of advice: “Subscribe to the local paper closest to you. Call them on it — in something better than four-letter words — if you find opinion leeching into their news stories, but support them in getting it right.” She also encouraged people to be engaged, involved and informed citizens who vote.