Year Inducted: 2012 (p)
Nominated By: Judy Hildner (wife)
Sports Competed In: N/A
Athlete, Coach or Contributor: Contributor
High School:
Attended John Muir H.S., in Pasadena, CA...Graduated in 1956...Lettered two years each as a pitcher (baseball) and tennis (singles and doubles) for the Mustangs (1955-56)...Also played football for two years (1954-55), as an offensive guard... Four-year pitcher for the American Legion Baseball team (1956-60).
College:
Attended Hartnell J.C. in Salinas, KS...Played baseball two seasons each as a pitcher (1957-58) and offensive guard (1956-57) in football seeing limited action due to an arm injury...Transferred to the University of Missouri and pitched one season for the Tigers baseball program (1959).
Achievements:
● All-State Games committee member.
● Member of the Runyon Field Board of Directors (mid to late 1960s).
● Served on a committee to rename Pueblo Public School Stadium to Dutch Clark Stadium, helping raise money for the statue of Clark.
● Received numerous Colorado Press Association awards for editing and headline writing.
● Earned recognition from the Greater Pueblo Sports Association (GPSA) in 1984.
Contributions:
Hildner was a fierce advocate of local sports in the Pueblo community and Southern Colorado...Joined The Pueblo Chieftain staff as a sportswriter in 1964 and immediately saw the need for more coverage of high school wrestling and track...Jack took on that challenge himself as one of just two night writers for The Pueblo Chieftain...He became the overall editor when The Chieftain and Star-Journal staffs were combined in 1973 and became news editor in 1986...During his tenure as sports editor, Hildner expanded coverage of women’s sports at then-Southern Colorado State College and initiated coverage of girls sports at the high school level. Hildner encouraged reporters to talk to athletes, not just coaches, a big departure from the way sports was covered in the 1960s...Jack also stayed well past the newspaper’s 12:30 a.m. deadline to research and write many stories about the first inductees of the GPSA Hall of Fame...Hildner covered the National League baseball playoffs and World Series in 1982, the first time The Pueblo Chieftain had sent a writer to a national event of that significance...But he also relished covering Centennial High School at the 1968 state high school basketball tournament as a reporter.
Quote:
"Jack Hildner’s “behind the scene” instruction also benefited other young journalists, including GPSA Hall of Famers David Socier (1963 inductee), Judy Hildner (1997), Mike Spence (2007) and John Salas (2008). Jack Hildner showed them “the ropes” and provided them with a “special insight” into the world of the Newspapers.
-- Judy Hildner
Personal:
Lived in Pueblo with his wife, Judith...Passed away in May, 2012.
