Bad news ... Fred Bonavita has died

Bonavita was known to most of us as a long-time member of The Houston Post’s Austin Bureau.

The below, from the San Antonio Express-News’ internal Web site, was forwarded to Mary Lenz. She sent it to me for distribution. More details will be provided as we get them.

From the SA Express-News:

Fred Bonavita, a "newsman's newsman'' who adhered to basic, honest journalism and eschewed the trends that come and go, died late Monday of a cerebral hemorrhage.
The former state editor for the San Antonio Express-News was 70. Bonavita collapsed at his San Antonio home after awaking early Sunday with a severe headache. He was taken to Northeast Baptist Hospital where he remained in a deep coma until he died.
He had just returned from a weeklong family road trip to Santa Fe, N.M., one of his favorite haunts, with his wife Evelyn, their son Nicholas and daughter-in-law Lauri.
"We were so happy we made the trip. It was the first time we actually spent a lot of time with our new daughter-in-law. Fred was especially happy," Evelyn Bonavita said.
With his green eyeshade, white beard and old school values, Bonavita defined the best of newspaper journalism for many of his colleagues. "It was more than the just the way he looked and acted. It was the way he cared about the language, accuracy and fairness," said Craig Thomason, an Express-News assistant managing editor who worked shoulder to shoulder with Bonavita. "He loved life and laughter."

-- Submitted by Fred King