James Mason Voigt

Mr. Voigt, a retired journalist, died June 2, 2015 of natural causes in Portland, Oregon. He was 78.

Born September 4, 1936 in Buffalo, N.Y., Mr. Voigt resided since 1939 in Oregon, Washington and Southern California.

A journalism graduate of California State University at Los Angeles, Mr. Voigt also was graduated from Multnomah Junior College and Parkrose High School.

Mr. Voigt served as news editor of the Albany (Ore.) Democrat-Herald, editor of weekly newspapers in Burbank and Pacific Palisades, Calif. and as a copy editor for the Los Angeles Examiner and Herald-Examiner.

In 1966, Mr. Voigt became the first suburban journalist to win the Greater Los Angeles Press Club's best-story award and was nominated for the 1966 Pulitzer Prize in spot-news reporting.

Following his news career, he served as a public-information specialist for Portland Public Schools until he retired in 1991. He then volunteered as an Experience Corps literacy specialist at Parkrose Sacramento Elementary School for three years and since 199 authored weekly letters from the editor on a website titled Attitude: Commentary by Harry Higgens.

Mr. Voigt was a former board member of Solve Oregon Litter and Vandalism (SOLV), two-year president of the Parkrose Soccer Club, and secretary of Soccer Referees of Oregon. Her served in the organized U.A. Naval Reserve in 1953-61.

Survivors are his daughter, Rebecca Voigt; son, Thomas Voigt, both of Portland; sister, Vicky Claussen of Burbank Calif. and one grandchild, Alexander of Portland, Ore.