With the death this week of Calvin Black, southern Utah has lost one of its most vigorous champions.
And the entire state has lost one of its most colorful figures, a man who often stimulated thought simply by provoking controversy as he repeatedly tangled with environmentalists and the federal government.Whatever this plain-spoken, self-made man may have lacked in diplomacy, he more than made up for in candor - a trait the public should value highly in those who seek to serve it. Even his opponents could admire his individualism and fighting spirit if not always his judgment.
Certainly the people of San Juan County appreciated the asset they had in Cal Black, returning him to the County Commission for more than two decades.
Black's service to the public also included stints in the State Legislature and as mayor of Blanding. He was a past president of the Utah Association of Counties and of the Western Interstate Region of the National Association of Counties. He also was a member of the National Bureau of Land Management Advisory Council.
Named the Outstanding Elected County Official of Utah in 1977 and inducted in Utah's Tourism Hall of Fame, Black also made his mark in a variety of businesses, including uranium mining, the operation of two radio stations, and a variety of other interests.
As a champion of economic development for southern Utah, Black could cite some sobering statistics. As just one case in point, Garfield, Kane, Piute, and Wayne counties have half the population they did 50 years ago, with the highest unemployment rates in the state, and those who work their earn half of the state average.
There's room for reasonable people to disagree on how to deal with this problem. But on at least one point, there should be a meeting of the minds: Those who wish to honor the memory of Cal Black can best do so by working as hard and persistently as he did for the progress of the part of the state he so dearly loved.