Sep 14, 2004 By Josh Krysak 6 min read

With these words in 2001, longtime local historian and retired Herald-Standard journalist Walter “Buzz” Storey, 82, who published two books about the county and city of Uniontown, summed up his professional and personal career. And Monday, Uniontown lost the lifelong resident who brought pride to the community through his work and his dedication to everything and everyone in the county.

“He was the most moral person I have ever known,” Stephanie King, Storey’s longtime colleague on the Uniontown Redevelopment Authority, said, her voice breaking with tears. “He taught a lot about personal integrity and as a leader he had so much integrity and honorability.”

King, who served on the authority for 28 years, said when Storey began on the authority he quickly gained the chairman position as his leadership skills were renowned around the county and were quickly recognized.

“When they introduced the Sunshine Act, Buzz said we would never hold an executive session because we would always do things right. We would always be honest. That was Buzz.”

While Storey worked for the Redevelopment Authority and helped with area institutions like the Uniontown Public Library, he was most well known for his work at the Herald-Standard for more than 60 years and his historical musings about the area.

Herald-Standard Publisher Val Laub said no one epitomized what a journalist is more than Storey.

“He was a true “newspaperman” in my book. …He cared so much about the newspaper, his community and his family that enough could never be said about his contributions,” Laub said.

According to Laub, even before Storey’s 60-year career with the paper began, he worked as a paperboy, delivering the news to county residents.

“One of Fayette County’s finest has passed from our midst. He will be missed by all of his friends at the newspaper, by the Calkins family and his thousands of friends in the Fayette County area.”

Uniontown Mayor James Sileo was one those county friends. Sileo said he was saddened when he learned Storey had died.

“He was a gentleman at all times and soft spoken,” Sileo said. “He would do anything for you within reason. He did so much for the community and he was so well respected. He was a true role model.

Sileo said while he didn’t work with Storey everyday, the times he did, Storey’s bright personality and simple manner always shown through.

“You could entrust him with anything,” Sileo said. “I always looked up to him.”

The Herald-Standard’s Executive Editor Mark O’Keefe also spoke fondly of the man he called boss for many years.

“Buzz was a great newspaperman and an even better human being,” O’Keefe said. “He hired me in 1981 and taught me so much about the history of Fayette County and its inner workings. He never tolerated sloppiness or never doing anything but your best, but he was also a very kind man.”

O’Keefe said working daily with the local newspaper titan helped him gain the experience that has led to his current position and gave him some valuable lessons in life as well.

“He was interested in those who worked for him not just as reporters but as people. I think I’m not just a better newspaperman for knowing Buzz but also a better person,” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe remembers vividly the frantic newsroom during the Election Day flood of 1985. According to O’Keefe, not only was the newsroom swamped trying to get election results and stories for the next day’s edition, one of the worst floods to ever hit the region deluged the area.

The paper was able to arrange a helicopter to take a reporter and photographer for a ride to view the invading waters and with no one else able to make time to fly over the county, the 63-year-old Storey climbed in the aircraft and covered the flood himself.

“He wrote a tremendous story, which led our coverage of the flood,” O’Keefe said. “He loved it. To Buzz, there was nothing better than being in the middle of a big news story.”

Storey’s books, “Stories of Uniontown and Fayette County” and “Another Look: Uniontown and Fayette County” have popularized the history of the area and inspired downtown’s Storey Square, named after Buzz.

The books include his Sunday columns from the Herald-Standard that ran from the late 1980s until 2001.

Storey wrote for the paper and in his books and histories knowledgably on subjects ranging from George C. Marshall – Buzz interviewed him about 60 years ago – to the areas coal heritage and the county’s involvement in the Mexican War.

Storey was the area’s consummate storyteller.

“His rich knowledge of our communities and writings captured and historically documented much of our beloved history,” Laub said.

Storey was born in Uniontown Dec. 8, 1921, the son of the late Walter and Eva King Storey. He graduated from St. John’s High School and attended Penn State University, the University of Wisconsin and Waynesburg College.

Storey, a World War II Army veteran, was first assigned to specialized training in Polish language and culture and later served in Europe as a sergeant in the combat engineers. Storey was a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Amvets and the Catholic War Veterans.

Storey joined the news staff of the Daily News Standard, now the Herald-Standard, in 1940, where he worked as a reporter and editor for 47 years, retiring from full-time work in 1987. Following his retirement, Storey contributed a Sunday column for the paper until 2001. Additionally, Storey compiled the Uniontown downtown historic district application and wrote two books and other histories of the city and county.

Storey received many awards for community service, including citizen of the year by the Chamber of Commerce and Outstanding Alumnus at Penn State, and received accolades for veteran’s activities and journalism.

Buzz and his wife Polly collaborated on narrative and music in history programs about Uniontown and the National Pike, which they presented across the region to school and clubs without charge. The Freedoms Foundation honored the couple with a joint award of its Valley Forge Honor Certificate and the Exchange Club named the Storey’s to its Book of Golden Deeds.

Storey served 20 years on the board of the Uniontown Redevelopment Authority, received county and state recognition for his work with the Alcohol Highway Safety program and was a member of the first State Theatre restoration group. Additionally, he was a member of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church and served several times a parish council member and usher.

Storey was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, who died in infancy.

Surviving are his wife, Polly Dorothy Storey; six children, Jeff (Walter III) and wife Barbara of Goshen, N.Y.; Jerome of Uniontown; Jeanne Baugh of Pittsburgh; Philip, of Boston, Mass.; Beth Evancheck and husband Ronald of Carmel, Ind., and Ted and wife Cheryl of Medina, Ohio.

Additionally, Storey is survived by 12 grandchildren, Gregory, Eric, Chris and Andrew Baugh; Nathan, Zachary and David Storey; Lauren and Nolan Evancheck, and Adam, Olivia and Evan Storey.

Friends will be received at the Andrew D. Ferguson Funeral Home, 80 Morgantown St., Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.

The funeral will be held Thursday at St. John the Evangelist Church.