Byron and Ron D. Brinton, shown here at Byron's 90th birthday party in 2002, were the second and third generations of their family to operate the Record-Courier newspaper as editor and publisher. Byron died in 2005 at the age of 93; Ron died Sunday at the age of 59. (Baker City Herald file photo 2002/S. John Collins).

By MIKE FERGUSON

Of the Baker City Herald

Ron D. Brinton, editor and publisher of the Record-Courier newspaper and a force in rebuilding the Sumpter Valley Railway, one of of Baker County’s premier tourist attractions, died Sunday afternoon. He was 59.

Funeral arrangements were being made this morning. A service has been tentatively scheduled Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 1995 Fourth St., in Baker City. Gray’s West and Co. is in charge of arrangements.

Brinton never married but had a large extended family.

andquot;He was always there for us,andquot; said his younger brother, Greg. andquot;He loved his (16) nieces and nephews more than anything.andquot;

Byron Dorsey Brinton, known throughout the community as Ron D., was the son of Byron and Roberta Brinton. He was born Jan. 23, 1947, the third of five children who grew up around the newspaper operated first by their grandfather, C.M. Brinton, and their father.

Ron D. succeeded his father as editor and publisher, the third generation of his family to run the newspaper.

andquot;We all grew up in the newspaper business,andquot; Greg Brinton said. andquot;I liked the mechanical part of it, the printing presses, but he always liked the reporting end.andquot;

Championed railroad and parks

Nils Christensen, who began working with Brinton in 1971 to raise money to acquire the property and equipment it would take to restore the Sumpter Valley Railway and open it between McEwen and Sumpter, called Brinton andquot;a faithful worker all the way through. He and his dad were so involved helping us to promote the project. He was sure a trooper.andquot;

Once the railroad began operation, Brinton began a rules program, Christensen said, andquot;operating and safety rules just like real railroads have. People who work there engineers, brakemen, everybody involved are well-oriented.

andquot;He was always tooting the horn for the project, and that means a lot,andquot; Christensen said. andquot;Without keeping our oar in the water, things would have drifted along and fallen apart. I appreciated him staying with it.andquot;

Christensen’s wife, Lynn, remembers Brinton’s efforts to bring a caboose to the Baker County Chamber and Visitor Center at 490 Campbell St.

andquot;He saw it as a place people could have their first contact with the railroad,andquot; she said. andquot;You’d see lots of kids looking in the windows, and he felt it was a good place for them to come in and get more information.andquot;

Volunteers cleaned up the caboose and put in carpeting, and it remained a fixture at the Visitor’s Center until it was sold.

Cindy Vergari, who works for the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation, recalls a former boss saying the Sumpter Valley Dredge, another favorite of Brinton’s, andquot;would become a state park over my dead body.andquot;

Brinton, who loved wood-working, made an easel for Vergari’s children, Tessa and Peter, that they still use when they come home, she said. andquot;I had a plaque put on it that it was hand-made by Ron Brinton.andquot;

Rick Taylor, manager of the local state parks region, called Brinton andquot;a real good guy and supporter of the state parks. He didn’t like state government very much, but he was a friend and I felt we could count on him to support whatever we wanted to take on.

andquot;He moved in to the railroad board during a time they were struggling and needed leadership, and he provided it.andquot;

Brinton has long been a champion of looping the historic railway through the Dredge park, Taylor said.

Brinton was for many years chairman of the Baker County Parks Commission. Parks Director Lorrie Harvey said he was andquot;always proactive for the community. He always wanted to do what was best for the parks, and he always tried to incorporate youth into recreation. Sometimes, that went against what other members thought, but he was a good chair.andquot;

Harvey remembers the passion Brinton brought to saving the Community Center, where he went roller-skating as a child. The building was torn down to make way for the new armory.

andquot;It had historic importance, so he was passionate about it,andquot; she said.

Barbara Sherman, who worked at the Record-Courier office while Brinton was growing up, called his death at age 59 andquot;a real tragedy.andquot;

andquot;He had a real passion for the railroad,andquot; she said. andquot;He was a good Joe.andquot;