Local reporter memorialized

More than 80 people came to the morning vigil to pay respects to Harnett. Among them was a handful of former UPI reporters who said that Harnett broke a number of big stories during his 36-year tenure with UPI.

Among those stories were former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's visit to San Francisco, the Dan White shootings, the Patty Hearst kidnapping and the Berkeley and San Francisco State University student uprisings, according to Mike Hudson, who worked with Harnett for 35 years.

"He was a really popular

co-worker. He had integrity, consistency and he practiced what he preached. He did it how you were supposed to and that was by the book," Hudson said.

Harnett was born in Devils Lake, North Dakota, and received a journalism degree from Marquette University after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Harnett joined UPI in 1951 and was Pacific Division business editor, California editor, chief day news editor and Asia editor during the Korean War.

In 1995, after he retired, Harnett wrote "Wirespeak," a book about newspaper jargon.

During the 60s and 70s, Harnett organized a Peninsula Youth Group and the Conquistadors Drum and Bugle Corps. Ron Munekawa, senior planner for the city of San Mateo, met Harnett during that time.

"He had a very Midwest sense of humor and he didn't use a lot of words to describe things," said Munekawa.

In recent years, Harnett lived at the Grammercy on the Park condominium development with Joyce, his wife of 51 years.

According to his neighbors, Bruce and Joyce Wildman, Harnett was warm and gregarious and had a great sense of humor.

"We moved next door and within two days, they invited us over for a drink," Bruce Wildman said.

That ethic was also emphasized in Harnett's family.

"He had his faith, humor, values and ethics," said Buzz Harnett, his son. "He also had a sense of truth. He was a newspaperman all his life."

<