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TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2015
Vol. CXXIV, No. 110
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices Visit our Web site at at www.tacomadailyindex.com
Published Published Since Since 1890 1890
John Hathaway, New Takhoman publisher, dies at 69 Posted online Fri., June 5 Article and File Photo By Todd Matthews, Editor John Hathaway, the long-time Tacoma political cartoonist and publisher of The New Takhoman, passed away this month at the age of 69. Tacoma residents may recall Hathaway as a shadowy, chain-smoking figure who often sported a stylish fedora and vintage suit, and spoke in a rasp that was the result of too many cigarettes and glasses of scotch (they could also find him working as a bartender at Lincoln Bowl on Tacoma's East Side). "I try to get into the issues the big boys won't touch," Hathaway told me in 2007 for an article that was published in the Tacoma Daily Index and featured the city's political cartoonists (see "Mightier Than Swords: Tacoma artists zero
their pens on local politics," Tacoma Daily Index, March 21, 2007). At that time, Hathaway explained that he started The New Takhoman as a print publication in 1994 before moving it online in 2000. Three years later, he began to publish a daily cartoon that depicted three worms commenting on city politics. The worms — Izzy, Cockalvich, and Cohen — were named after his late father, Izzy Cockalvich Cohen, Hathaway told me. His biggest break as an online publisher came in the spring of 2003, when he reported on domestic violence allegations against then Tacoma Police Chief David Brame. A short time later, Brame murdered his wife and committed suicide. Suddenly, Hathaway and The New Takhoman were in the spotlight. Hathaway became a major figure in the book Tacoma Confidential by Paul Larosa, and was featured on an episode
A Perennial Outsider: In conversation with John Hathaway By Todd Matthews, Editor In early-February of 2007, I sat down with The New Takhoman publisher John Hathaway at a downtown Tacoma coffee shop for an extended interview (see "A shadowy, perennial outsider eyes a seat inside City Hall," Tacoma Daily Index, Feb. 8, 2007). At the time, he had announced he would run for a position on Tacoma City Council (three months later, he bowed out of the race). Excerpts of our interview are republished in today's edition of the newspaper. TACOMA DAILY INDEX: You are mostly known through your Web site The New Takhoman. How long have you followed city issues, and how did that Web site come
about? HATHAWAY: I was working for a guy named Bob Lane. [He] used to be a police beat reporter for the Trib. I just started hanging out with him. He was afraid to print the stuff that I wanted to write. It was Bob Lane's idea that I start my own publication because he was afraid he would get sued for the stuff I did. I've never been sued. He and I put out the first edition of The New Takhoman. Until 1998, it was an 8-1/2" by 11" broadsheet. The first edition was one page with not much on it. I think the biggest one was maybe four pages. I was reporting on stuff that the Trib just didn't want to get CONTINUED into. ON PAGE 2
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"I try and get into the issues that the big boys won't touch," John Hathaway, publisher of The New Takhoman, told the Tacoma Daily Index in 2007. Hathaway passed away on June 3 at the age of 69. of the CBS television newsmagazine 48 Hours. "My life is no longer private," Hathaway told me in 2007. I spoke to Hathaway's companion and significant other, Carolyn Perry, Friday afternoon to learn more about the circumstances of his death. According to Perry, Hathaway died due to complications of severe emphysema and cirrhosis of the liver. "The scotch and the smoking got to him," Perry told me. "Basically, his health had slowly declined since September. But he had quit drinking, so that was a plus." Perry told me Hathaway died a little after 3 p.m. on Weds., June 3, at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma. Hathaway was born on Aug. 15, 1945, in Tacoma and graduated from Lincoln High School. Perry also told me his remains will be cremated. Although no formal memorial service has been planned at this point, she would like to host a celebration of Hathaway's life with his friends and close associates in the near future. To be sure, Hathaway had many enemies in local government. I doubt he cared. But there was also a grass roots group of local pundits, gadflies, and artists who admired him. I have worked at the Tacoma Daily Index for a little over a decade, and Hathaway would occasionally call me during that time to fill me in on stories he was working on and tips he had received. For some reason, he was always very kind to me. In turn, I was always grateful that CONTINUED I never did anything scanON PAGE 2