At the national level there was Cronkite, Brinkley, Jennings, Huntley and so many more.
At the local level in Northeast Arkansas, there was Jack Hill.
Most readers who come across this post never heard of this local journalism icon, but in the 1980’s Jack Hill defined television news here.
At 72, Hill died Friday in Little Rock.
Jack Hill wasn’t a puff and fluff news anchor. He was an investigative reporter, pure and true. Hill could be an awkward man in social settings, but put a microphone in his hand and a camera man by his side, throw in controversy, and Hill was magnificent.
Dr. Ray Scales, pastor of New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church was Hill’s go-to man during his tenure at KAIT-TV in Jonesboro. Scales was by Hill’s side for countless investigative news quests.
“Jack had a love for the truth,” Scales said. “The level of love he had for the truth was what made him different.”
Hill may best be known for his investigative stories in St. Francis County Arkansas in the early 80s when he did a series of stories on the infamous county sheriff, Coolidge Conley.
Conley and his crew of henchmen castrated a man accused of raping the daughter of a prominent Forest City, Arkansas resident early in the decade. He proudly displayed the testicles of the accused man in a Mason jar in his office.
That’s a fact. It’s God’s honest truth.
The story behind the story … In an attempt to track Conley down in a remote rural area of the county on Saturday, Hill and his camera man found Conley and crew partying in a run-down cabin, and following his attempt to interview them, Hill’s life was threatened. He was chased through the woods for hours fearing for his life.
Hill also investigated the Posse Comitatus cult of Lawrence County, Arkansas, and his series of stories on accidents at railroad crossings changed the course of railroad intersection safety to present day.
“We stayed in touch several times a year after he left Jonesboro,” Scales said. “You could always expect a call from Jack around December the 20th every year. We’d talk for hours.”
I’ll miss you, Jack Hill.
Thanks for the news memories.
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I am so thankful that you wrote this obituary piece for Jack. I greatly respected Jack! He attended my church and his wife, Ann, was a close friend of mine. I so admired his professionalism and his investigative abilities. I lost track of both Jack and Ann a few years after they moved to Little Rock, but I was so excited to see his work that he did while in Little Rock. He was a wonderful journalist with keen insight and I also admired him as a strong, Christian man. He was a man of strong convictions. He was a precious soul! I would get so upset when Terry Wood would make him the object of his humor on air. Jack was a very special man. He risked much to bring truth to the world and sometimes he suffered earthly losses. Thank you, Steve, for this very special obituary! Those of us who loved Jack are most appreciative.
Yes, ma’am. I thought a lot of him, too. I had more stories I could have told that were pretty funny, but I wanted to be respectful. Jack was the best journalist the station ever had.