William R. Stall, a journalist who made his mark covering California politics and natural resources for 50 years, died Sunday of pulmonary disease at home in Sacramento, surrounded by his family. He was 71.
Mr. Stall worked at the Laramie Daily Boomerang throughout college, then worked for the Associated Press in Cheyenne, Wyo., in 1960.
He was the AP correspondent in Reno from 1963 to 1966.
He came to Sacramento as the AP bureau chief in 1967. In 1975 he served as the first press secretary for Gov. Jerry Brown before joining the Los Angeles Times a year later.
Mr. Stall was generous with his time in helping those learning his profession.
He was genuinely loved by those who knew him and was a consummate storyteller, said Barbara O'Connor, a longtime friend.
"He was always willing to work with young journalists," said O'Connor, a communications professor at California State University, Sacramento, and director of its Institute for the Study of Politics and Media.
"While in Los Angeles, he taught at the University of Southern California," she said, "and he was a frequent guest speaker in my classes and at the UC Center," the University of California's public policy journalism program in Sacramento.
Mr. Stall worked at the Los Angeles Times for nearly 30 years, leaving for several years in the early 1980s to become Washington bureau chief for the Hartford Courant.
At the Times, he covered politics and the environment and wrote editorials.
He won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing for the Los Angeles Times in 2004 for a series on how the newly elected Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should address the complex fiscal and policy issues facing California.
Mr. Stall had a passion for the Sierra Nevada, where he enjoyed climbing and, until recent years, skiing.
He served on the board of the American Alpine Club.
He grew up in Big Horn, Wyo., and was a 1959 graduate of the University of Wyoming.
Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 478-2641.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.