Steve Swogetinsky, a devoted family man and passionate journalist, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 16, at Ochsner Rush Hospital in Meridian, surrounded by his loved ones.

 

Steve, 69, of Quitman, was born on Oct. 14, 1955, to M.B. and Mary Swogetinsky in Jackson, MS. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Denise; daughters Stephanie, Mary Lynn, and Amelia; a son, Steven; four grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews and other extended family members.

 

With a distinguished career in journalism spanning 50 years that began with The Laurel Leader-Call in 1972 and concluded with The Neshoba Democrat in 2022. Steve moved to Meridian in 1986 to work as assistant sports editor before going to the news side of The Meridian Star, where he quickly moved up the ranks due to his passion for local news and unmatched work ethic.

In 1989, he became the editor of the Laurel Leader-Call, the same daily newspaper he had worked for as a high school student. In 1991, he returned to the Meridian Star, where he eventually became the paper’s managing editor.

He made the shift to weekly newspapers in 1997 when he became publisher of the Clarke County Tribune and elevated the newspaper to award-winning status for its journalistic content during his tenure. It was during this time that Quitman became the family’s permanent hometown.

 

In 2002, Steve’s career took a surprising turn as he became a nursing home administrator for East Mississippi State Hospital and served in that capacity for 12 years. He couldn’t get the ink out of his blood however, and wrote articles for The Kemper County Messenger, Neshoba Democrat and The Meridian Star during that time.

 

Austin Bishop, Steve’s lifelong friend and former Sports Editor at the Meridian Star, recalls that Steve hired him as a sportswriter for The Star in 1978, but their story spanned 40 years.

 

“Steve was a true newspaperman. If you look up the word in the dictionary, you will find Steve’s picture to illustrate. He has had an impact on so many people; he has mentored too many Mississippi journalists to list. No matter where he worked, he listened to the people whose stories he told. Each town became his town, his supervisors, his coaches, his players. He spent his whole life honoring God, his family and his newspapers.”

 

“He helped give many journalists their start in the newspaper business with his uncanny ability to believe in others and find their hidden talents. Steve’s ability to bring the best out of the others is a legacy that will live on forever. He truly fought for the underdog and had a way of helping develop many of them into leaders,” Bishop added.

“Steve was not an athlete, but sports was one of his loves.”

 

 

 

As an outdoors correspondent for 30 years with the Meridian Star, Michael Giles said he met many outstanding people both at the paper and in the outdoors.

 

“Former editors Jerry Strader, Buddy Bynum and Steve Swogetinsky all made a difference in my writing career. I mourn Steve’s passing but remember his positive attitude and willingness to help us produce the best outdoors page anywhere, bar none. Though Steve was not an outdoors man he did everything he could to facilitate our success, and he was a big part of that success.”

 

“I can remember many times when he inspired me to be a better writer just by his enthusiasm and encouragement. He might say something like, “Mike I read your bass fishing article on catching those bass on frogs at Ross Barnett Reservoir, and I could just see those lunker bass exploding through the water and crushing your frog lure as you wrote in the article. It was like I was right there in the boat with you!”

 

“One time I saw Steve sitting with his eyes closed at the Frank Cochran Center where we had a turkey calling contest going on. Later, he wrote a piece for the paper mentioning he had closed his eyes so that he could focus and just imagine being there in the outdoors with those turkeys and owls! He was a gifted writer as well. I don’t know that we ever had a disagreement, and Steve always brought his a-game to our outdoor sports meetings or discussions. Imagine the possibilities and make a difference! That’s what Steve did even when things were tough.”

 

“I thank him for his encouragement, positive attitude and the difference he made in my world. I mourn his passing and am sorry to hear the news. I will be praying for his family during this tough time.”

 

Bubby Johnston, former vice president for public information at East Central Community College in Decatur, remembers Steve as a very talented news and sportswriter. He was also a very good organizer and planner, especially when it involved special sections in the newspaper.

 

Johnston, along with Bishop and Steve, collaborated on a special tabloid about ECCC. They included special sections about course offerings, class schedules, as well as feature stories.

 

“District residents became much more aware of East Central Community College in Decatur, and enrollment increased as a result. I am proud to say it was a very impressive publication, evidenced by the fact that it won first place awards in national and statewide competition. It would not have happened had Steve Swogetinksy not had the vision and expertise to make it happen.”

 

In 1988, Jim Hannaford worked with Steve when he was a young reporter at The Meridian Star. Hannaford came to the Star from the Vicksburg Evening Post.

 

“I interviewed for the job on a Saturday, and he showed me around town as he talked to me about the job, which was primarily covering schools but also covering the police beat and courts and feature stories and anything else that might come up. I remember specifically stopping at Highland Park and Steve telling me about the carousel and the Jimmie Rodgers festival. I liked him right off the bat, and I enjoyed working almost right next to him in the newsroom. All my memories of Steve are good ones. I remember him as a good man who was serious about the job but also had a good sense of humor. He was a hard worker, for sure, and he was a conscientious news editor.”

 

Monique Harrison Henderson is the owner and director of English Learners Engage; she is also the author of two education books, working on a personal one that will include her stories of Meridian and her time at The Meridian Star.

 

Henderson was hired at 16 to write obituaries and weather while she attended Meridian High School.

 

“Steve Swogetinsky was a mentor to me during a critical time in my life. When they got really desperate and multiple stories were breaking at once, I got to cover them. At that time, Steve was a sportswriter and then shifted to business editor. No matter what he was covering as a reporter, he was always enthusiastic, and he always took the time to really get to know the people he was writing about. He taught me to see people before stories,” she explained.

 

“When Steve became the executive editor, he gradually started entrusting me with more responsibility. I ended up getting an opinion column and writing more hard news stories and local features – pretty unheard of at the time for someone still attending community college. I always appreciated the risk he and his team took on me.”

 

“Steve presented outwardly as this gruff guy and could be a daunting figure. He would sometimes bellow my name across the newsroom – including when I made a mistake. He’d close the door to his glassed “fishbowl” of an office, grin at me the slightest bit and say, “I’m supposed to be chewing you out right now. You kind of deserve it. We can’t have mistakes around here. We work too hard for that. But I know you already know that. I know you are going to chew yourself out more than I ever could. So, consider yourself chewed out by me.”

 

“One of the neat things about him was that he treated every story – and every issue of the paper – like the most important thing he’d ever done. His intensity was admirable. I hear Steve’s voice in my head sometimes when I make decisions or think about certain issues. I grieve his passing but am glad that his voice lives on in his stories, in his family and in my head. Always.”