A Legend in His Times

He first joined the New York Times in 1939, and has stayed with the paper ever since. As Washington bureau chief and columnist in the 1950s, he pioneered a thoughtful style of reporting that established him as one of the most distinguished journalists of his era. Last week James ("Scotty") Reston filed the last of the regular columns he has written since 1953. "I concluded a little while ago that a man can stick in the trench too long," he wrote.

A consummate gentleman, Reston, 77, has survived the shark-infested waters of Washington with virtually no enemies and scores of admirers. Though criticized in recent years for losing his bite, he makes no apologies. "After more than 50 years," he wrote, "I remain an up-to-date, stick-in-the-mud optimist." Times Publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger says Reston will not be replaced on the op-ed page. He will contribute some columns and concentrate on his memoirs, which he says will be a "long love letter to America."