NWA EDITORIAL: Hoyt Purvis lived a life in pursuit of knowledge and experiences and shared the wisdom earned with others.

A friend of this editorial page, one whose insights graced its pages for years, departed this life last week.

Hoyt Purvis' column for the Northwest Arkansas Times in Fayetteville then continuing on with the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette was a treat for readers and a delight for Hoyt. Being a columnist might be the most compelling aspect of some writers' lives, but not Hoyt. Indeed, his columns were intriguing because of the life he lived, not simply because was able to string words together well.

Born in Jonesboro in 1939, Hoyt took to newsgathering early on, getting jobs as a teen in radio reporting then as a sports reporter for the Jonesboro Sun. His obituary on Sunday described him as a consumer of news and politics, which was part of a perfect professional description that included devoted professor, mentor, commentator and sports fan.

He was indeed a consumer of knowledge, which is what made him intriguing to talk with, to learn from and to read. And it wasn't just book knowledge. He traveled the world as a newsman, as a political adviser, as a advocate for international peace and understanding and as a spouse. He soaked up experiences and developed a worldly point of view so many would benefit from pursuing these days.

In his writings, he recalled so many moments in which he witnessed history. He recalled, for example, a morning in June 1968 when he was on U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright's staff in Washington. A U.S. Capitol police officer explained to Hoyt that his assigned parking spot had formerly belonged to Robert Kennedy, who was in the midst of his presidential campaign. That very night, Hoyt recalled, Kennedy was shot and killed in Los Angeles. A few days later, the Fulbright staff stood near that parking space for hours, awaiting the procession to bring Kennedy's body to the Capitol.

Hoyt recalled his time as foreign/defense policy adviser to Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd, including a summer trip in 1979 to meet with Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev. A Soviet plane took the delegation from Moscow to Brezhnev's summer home near Yalta. The men took a car from the airport.

"In the car with us was Viktor Sukhodrev, who recalled having served as interpreter at U.S.-Soviet summit meetings beginning with Kennedy and Khrushchev in 1961. We talked about Richard Nixon, whom he respected, saying that Russians, despite Nixon's anti-communist background, believed he had been able to improve relations. And the Watergate scandal had little meaning for the Soviets, he said. Along the route, Sukhodrev pointed out some locations where the Big Three (Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill) Yalta meetings had taken place in World War II., a reminder of the long and arduous diplomatic negotiations between our countries."

"We arrived at Lower Oreanda, where we would await the meeting with Brezhnev in several hours. After lunch, we took an elevator down from the high cliffs to the Black Sea beach below. We enjoyed the sunny day and for a while sat on a dock dangling our feet in the sea. At one point, Byrd, talking more to himself than to me, asked "Who would ever have thought when I was a boy that I would be spending the Fourth of July being here to meet with the leader of the Soviet Union?" I might have asked the same."

Hoyt was a long way from Jonesboro, Arkansas.

But Arkansas eventually called him back home. Indeed, it was Fulbright calling, in 1982, asking Hoyt to serve as the founding director of the Fulbright Institute of International Relations at the University of Arkansas. It was a move that gave students of journalism, political science and international relations a gift for many years.

The university, Fayetteville and the rest of Arkansas benefited a great deal from the return of Hoyt Purvis. They were made better by his involvement and have experienced a vacuum with his passing. His well-lived life is an example of the power of knowledge and an openness to new experiences.

We count ourselves fortunate to have been able to share Hoyt's wisdom, recollections and insights though the years with the readers of Northwest Arkansas.

Whats the point?

We offer a tribute to Hoyt Purvis, who died last week at the age of 83.