Ben J. Plastino, the son of Italian immigrants who were early pioneers of Market Lake, Idaho, made his mark on Idaho as a newspaperman and community leader for fifty years. A native of southeastern Idaho, Ben returned to Idaho Falls after graduating from the University of Idaho in 1932 in journalism and spending nine years as a reporter on the Lewiston Morning Tribune. He joined the Idaho Falls Post Register in 1942 where he remained for forty-one years, first as a reporter and city editor, and then rising to managing editor, political editor, and executive editor.
Ben relished his life as a journalist, and his devotion to that profession was evident in his four decades of coverage of the Idaho Legislature; his interviews of every United States president since Franklin Roosevelt, with the exception of Eisenhower, and of nearly all presidential and vice presidential candidates and top congressional and political leaders; and his ringside coverage of such regional events as the establishment of the INEL, the Yellowstone earthquake, and the Teton Dam failure. To commemorate his retirement, the Idaho Legislature passed a resolution honoring his fifty years of reporting.
Ben took his obligation to newspaper readers seriously, believing readers were smart and that his job was to present the news fairly and completely so his readers could make up their own minds about the important issues of the day. He felt very lucky to have the opportunity to devote his work life to something he loved. Ben maintained an abundant zest for life and an enthusiastic enjoyment of people, and felt it paramount to treat people fairly and with respect.
Ben felt it was an obligation for every citizen to contribute to his community. He was a member of many organizations in southeastern Idaho, receiving significant awards and honors for his work. Among them were the Seventh Judicial District's Liberty Bell Award, and the Idaho Statesman's Distinguished Citizen Award.
This book was his last written project. He died in May 1995, in Idaho Falls.
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