A retired broadcast journalist who attended the University of Illinois with James Brady remembers him as “The Bear”.
Brady died Monday at age 73. Paul Davis, a former news director for WCIA in Champaign and WGN in Chicago, says Brady was a big man who would engulf his friends in bear hugs. Davis says Brady’s personality could light up a room.
“Well, here’s the guy that when he walked in the room, everybody stood up and yelled “Hi, Jim”, like they were going into the bar at Cheers. He was funny. They couldn’t wait for him to come in and talk. He got a lot of press coverage for his people.”
Brady’s “people” included fellow Illinois native Ronald Reagan, who appointed him White House Press Secretary. After suffering lasting brain injuries in the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan’s life, Brady became an advocate for gun control. A federal law requiring a background check on handgun buyers bears Brady’s name.
Governor Pat Quinn says Brady “was courageous in his convictions and never shied away from doing what he thought was right”. Congressman John Shimkus, who represents Brady’s home town of Centralia, wrote on his Facebook page that while they didn’t always agree on the issues, he respected his “perseverance, dedication and passion”.