Obit

Bienvenido “Ben” Pangilinan, 86

Former Philippine Daily Inquirer president Bienvenido “Ben” Pangilinan died Monday, October 5. He was 86.

Pangilinan joined the Inquirer in September 1987 and served as vice president for marketing. He then became its president from October 1992 until April 1998 and under his leadership, saw the Inquirer become the ‘biggest-circulation broadsheet.’ (“Dating pangulo ng PDI na si Ben Pangilinan, pumanaw na,” radyo.inquirer.net, Oct. 8, 2015)

The Inquirer shared parts of Pangilinan’s 1997 anniversary supplement in “Pangilinan, former PDI president; 86” which included the paper’s achievements and the story behind its growth.

Pangilinan is survived by his children Gil Pangilinan, Gina and Alex Hua, Dr. Ben Jose Pangilinan, Mac and Tricia Pangilinan, Franco and Rose Pangilinan, Alma and Gary Cruz, and Carina and Ayel Orlina.

Ken Denlinger, 73

Longtime Washington Post sports columnist and book author Ken Delinger died Saturday, October 3 due to esophageal cancer. He was 73.

Delinger, who worked for the Washington Post from 1965 to 2003, was initially a sportswriter before becoming a columnist. In his long career, he covered many of the biggest events in sports such as the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, Super Bowls, Final Fours, the NBA Finals, Triple Crown horse racing, the World Series, major championships in golf, title fights, and college bowl games. Before joining The Post, he worked as a reporter and copy editor at the Pittsburgh Press. (“Ken Denlinger, longtime Washington Post sports columnist, dies at 73,” The Post, Oct. 3, 2015)

Colleagues remember him for his loyalty to the readers and for his fairness in sports reporting.

“Ken Denlinger is a beloved name to those who followed D.C. sports in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. He covered all the area teams and stood up to the many coaches and others who wanted to tell him what to write,” said Donald E. Graham, former publisher and chief executive of The Post who also served as the paper’s sports editor in 1973.

“His loyalties were to the readers, and they will remember his very early reporting on the troubles associated with high school recruiting and on colleges’ callousness when their players never graduated. He was the definition of fairness and toughness in sports reporting.” Graham added.

“He was a wonderful reporter, a superb columnist, a mentor to a slew of young writers at The Post and — more than anything — a loving husband, father, grandfather and, as he loved to tell us all, a proud great-grandfather,” wrote John Feinstein in his column in The Post. (“Remembering longtime Post sports columnist Ken Denlinger,” The Post, October 4, 2015)

Denlinger also wrote books. These include “Athletes for Sale,” which was based on a series of investigative articles for The Post about how the ways top college sports programs recruit high school basketball players; and “For the Glory,” a five-year endeavor which followed one recruiting class of 28 players from the Pennsylvania State University through their entire career.

Denlinger is survived by his wife of 20 years, Nancy; Lauri and John Scott, his two children from his first marriage; stepchildren Amy and Bronwyn; a sister; 10 grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

Sidmel Estes, 60

Veteran journalist and producer Sidmel Estes died Tuesday, October 6. She was 60.

Estes, who became the first female president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in 1991, started her career at Guam Cable TV. She then joined WAGA-TV/Fox 5 in Atlanta, Georgia, and became executive producer before leaving in 2006 to found the media-consulting firm BreakThrough Inc. She also served as an adjunct professor at Emory University and Clark Atlanta University.

“Sidmel was an admired journalist and loving mother. She was the working woman that media moms could model and aspire to be. She handled all her roles gracefully,” said NABJ President Sarah Glover in a statement in NABJ.org. (“NABJ mourns the loss of former president Sidmel Estes,” Oct. 6, 2015)

Friend and TV anchor Monica Pearson said “We lost somebody who was an excellent journalist behind the scenes,” in a report. (“Sidmel Estes, 60: Media trailblazer was admired mentor,” www.myajc.com, Oct. 7, 2015)

Among Estes’ awards are the Silver Circle Award from the Television Academy, several Emmy Awards and the Northwestern University Alumni Service Award. She was also named Media Woman of the Year by the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Media Women in 1988.

She is survived by two sons, brothers, siblings, and a stepmother.