Peter Worthington’s legacy lives on

The world of journalism--the way it’s supposed to be--is a darker place with the passing of the legendary Peter Worthington.

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The silver lining that transcends the sad news of his death is that while the feisty founding editor of the Toronto Sun is gone, his legacy lives on forever. “The Little Paper That Grew”, he founded along with Douglas Creighton and Don Hunt with 60 or so former staffers from the defunct Toronto Telegram, burst onto the Toronto scene with investigative journalism 41 years ago, living on to be one of the few--if not only--investigative newspapers today. Everyone of the day said it could never be done, determined Peter Worthington got out ringing doorbells to make the Toronto Sun a successful reality. Sporting the scars of its endless scrapes with politicians of all stripes, mostly Liberals, The Toronto Sun is ongoing testimony to the Big Scoop.

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Many of the journalists Worthington mentored would have been surprised to know that their editor in the pin-striped suit had joined the army during the Korean War and served as a platoon commander with the Princess Pats in Korea, as well as battalion intelligence officer, then actually flew with U.S. Mosquito (6147 Squadron) that directed air strikes against attacking Chinese forces. Then again Peter was the son of Major-General Frederic Franklin (Fighting Frank) Worthington who had this habit of facing life face on. Peter Worthington would never have sat still long enough to be the subject in any of those framed family heirloom paintings. That’s because he was always in the picture wherever the action was going on. As a journalist Worthington was in the crow’s nest, always at the forefront of world events shaping the 20th century. In 1963, Worthington was an eye witness to Jack Ruby’s murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, standing only feet away from the man accused of assassinating U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and he was there a year later to cover Ruby’s trial. Worthington was my mentor during my Toronto Sun days and the vision of his trademark boyish grin--a grin he held onto even in later years--lives in my heart forever. Once when I was not feeling myself and told him the cause was ulcers, he told me “I don’t have ulcers, I give ulcers.” But my most indelible memory of Worthington is from the months he was outside the Sun having been fired for one of the most absurd reasons on record by Publisher Doug (Big Red) Creighton. Every Tuesday Worthington and I met at a Greek restaurant for lunch. While he would pretend not to be too bothered about being exiled to the Ottawa Sun, of which he was also founding editor, the questions he always asked about Toronto Sun staffers gave him away. I would return to the Sun so sadly. One day on my way into the building, I met cartoonist Andy Donato in the parking lot and he asked me: “Why so glum?” My frustration carrying me away, I told Andy that it was high time for ‘someone’ to take the bull by the horns and approach Creighton about bringing Worthington back. “We could tell him that we all feel like the children of a nasty divorce”, I entreated. The next day we failed and were politely shown out of Creighton’s office. I returned to my desk more glum and frustrated than ever. Later Andy called me to come up to his office. Once there, he showed me a cartoon, depicting Peter feet up on desk under the headline, “He’s baack!” Many months flew by and I was working as a reporter at the Kingston Whig Standard when I saw the front page of the Toronto Sun with a picture of Worthington, feet up on his desk above, that joyful, long-awaited headline. Worthington was admitted to Toronto General Hospital last Thursday and diagnosed with the serious staph infection that was to claim his life. Surrounded by the love of his wife Yvonne Crittenden and family, he passed away around midnight last night, at age 86. It shouldn’t surprise anyone who knew him that “when told by doctors his condition was grave, Worthington didn’t flinch.” (Shawn Jeffords, Toronto Sun, May 13, 2013). “Typical (for him) he made a little joke to the doctor,” his daughter Danielle Crittenden said in an e-mail, “suggesting she might need comforting more than he did.” Peter’s love for Dani bordered adoration. When she was dating now husband David Frum, he would call a few friends if she was missing for too long during a date. He will be so sadly missed by Dani, his wife Yvonne, who called Peter her “rock”, children Casey Worthington, Guy Crittenden and each and every one of his six beloved grandchildren. Outlasting the tears of the so very many who loved him will be the legacy of ‘Plucky Peter of Journalism’ that even the passing of time won’t be able to fade away.

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