Richard Stephens bids farewell to journalism career

An era is coming to an end at the Tonopah Times-Bonanza as Richard Stephens, who has covered Beatty as a freelancer for more than 30 years, is set to retire.

Stephens’ time covering Beatty goes back to the days of the Death Valley Gateway Gazette, where he started working in 1983 as the photo editor.

Robert and Lindsey Lowes published the Death Valley Gateway Gazette until 1992 when, Stephens recalls, they “hit the end of the road financially,” moved the paper to Pahrump and sold it to brothel owner Joe Richards, who then had control of its editorial content. It was re-branded as the Pahrump Valley Gazette, which was later bought by the Stephens Media Group.

“It was in 1992 that Rich Thurlow, then editor and publisher of the Pahrump Valley Times, approached me while I was photographing a high school football game in Beatty and said, ‘How would you like to work with us?’” Stephens said. “I remember replying, ‘I’d rather work with you than the pimp paper.’”

Stephens was an English and art teacher (also sometimes photography, journalism, and humanities, he adds) at Beatty High School for 30 years, retiring from teaching in 2008. He is a nationally published photographer, whose work was featured in Sunset, Mother Earth News and Reader’s Digest, among other publications.

“When I started contributing to the PVT, I did do some writing,” Stephens said. “But my biggest contribution was photography, especially high school sports. I was already doing all the photography for the BHS yearbook, so my photos were generally appearing in the paper, then in the yearbook later. I bought 35mm film in 100-foot rolls and loaded my own film cartridges. I developed the film in my home darkroom and made prints sized to fit various newspaper column widths. I would have to either mail the photos to Pahrump or find someone going that way to take them to the PVT. I took care of stocking the newspaper vending machines in Beatty and also kept them in working order. The newspapers came to Beatty as cargo on a passenger bus.”

Stephens made an impact in the community that will be long remembered.

Henry Brean, who was editor of the Tonopah Times-Bonanza and Goldfield News from 1994 until 2003, said, “For decades, Richard has singlehandedly kept Beatty in the news. His artistic photographs and reporting on everything from local politics to high school sports represents community journalism at its finest. He has certainly earned his retirement, but his work will be sorely missed.”

Arnold Knightly, editor of the Tonopah Times-Bonanza and Goldfield News from late 2014 to early 2017, said, “Across small-town America, local journalists like Richard Stephens, once the heartbeat of community storytelling, are disappearing. Richard’s unwavering dedication to Beatty made him a vital presence, giving voice to stories that would have gone unheard. As someone who relied on his insight while editing in Pahrump and Tonopah, I fear that without voices like his, too many stories that matter will go untold.”

Carol, Stephens’ wife of 51 years, passed last year and they have three sons who live in Phoenix and Missoula, Montana. Since retiring from the high school he has begun making, selling and playing Native American flutes.

Stephens loves writing about the lives of interesting people. “Of all the stories I have written over the years, the one I am most proud of is one I did for the PVT about a man that Beatty residents called ‘Walking Bob,’ whose name was Jim Jacobsen. He was a paranoid schizophrenic who lived in holes in the desert outside of Beatty. He dressed and behaved oddly and would often shout offensive language. When he froze to death one winter, I was able to contact his family, and I wrote the article to introduce the people of Beatty to the kind, sweet-natured young man whose mental illness was triggered by his experiences as a soldier in World War II.”

Stephens also fondly remembers stories about several men who lived in the Beatty city dump, including one who claimed to be building a UFO for the CIA. “I also wrote a story about Richard “Goofy” Watkins, who lived in a cabin in Gold Point, wrote poetry, and did whimsical things like painting “We Fix UFOs” on the side of his mobilehome,” Stephens remembered.

Jessica Sterling, editor of the Pahrump Valley Times and Tonopah Times-Bonanza says she will miss working with Stephens. “While dozens of staff members have come and gone over the years, Richard has been a mainstay of our community,” she said. “He delivers the details of desert treasures, Beatty Town Advisory Board accomplishments and keeps us informed and entertained. His words and photos over the years have drawn us closer as a community and while we will miss those contributions, his dedication and kind spirit will continue to inspire us all.”

In addition to the high school and newspaper, Stephens served several years on the Beatty Community Library Board and on the board of directors of Goldwell Open Air Museum, as well as many callings in the Beatty Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was even an ambulance driver.

“When I first retired from teaching, Beatty was in danger of losing its volunteer ambulance service for lack of volunteers,” he said. “I trained as a first responder and spent the next almost four years as a volunteer ambulance driver and attendant. During that time I was on call 24-hours a day, five days a week.”

Now that he is retiring from journalism, he said he plans to devote more time to doing art work, “mostly oil and acrylic painting,” he said.

“I have done my best over the years to give Beatty good news coverage and to be fair and objective in my writing,” Stephens said. “Beatty has been my home for 48 years and was a great place to raise our sons.”