Jerry Fink never met a story he couldn’t write.

For more than 50 years, he wrote them from the front lines of war zones to the bright lights of Las Vegas, from the smoking buildings of OKC to the quiet main streets of Mc-Intosh County. Through it all, Jerry held fast to one unwavering truth: every person has something worth saying, and it’s a journalist’s job to listen and learn.

That is exactly what he did. Jerry attended the University of California, Berkeley for his bachelor’s in speech. He went on to earn his master’s degree in journalism at the University of Oklahoma School of Journalism, graduating in 1973.

Jerry’s life in journalism began in 1974 at the Sequoyah County Times, where he worked under General Manager Jim Mayo. It was there that he learned a lesson he took with him to the end: the front-page matters.

Mayo taught him the value of a newsy front page, one that told readers, clearly and honestly, what mattered most in their world. No gimmicks. No fluff. Just the news, done right.

He carried that lesson with him on his journey around the world and back.

From those early days, editing, reporting, taking photos, writing features, he found his rhythm in the newsroom and the responsibility that comes with telling other people’s stories. That foundation followed him to the Tulsa World, where he covered some of the most challenging stories of his career: prison riots, murder trials, natural disasters, and the Oklahoma City bombing. Even in the hardest moments, Jerry never lost sight of the people behind the headlines. Those stories stayed with him.

In 1980, his curiosity and courage carried him halfway around the world. He spent three weeks in Pakistan in an effort to reach Afghanistan to cover the war between Russian forces and Afghan freedom fighters. Though he never crossed the border, Jerry found the story anyway, interviewing freedom fighters encamped along the border and bringing their voices home.

Jerry recalled that while he didn’t get in where he thought the big story would be, he found another. A local directed him to a leper colony where he would learn some personal lessons and find reflection. Jerry kept extensive typewritten notes on this journey.

“Lepers have been twice cursed: once by fate and once by man, who used to force them to hide from the sensitive eyes of a world horrified by disfigured bodies.”

He brought home their stories with compassion and a better understanding for those who struggle whether halfway around the world or in his own backyard.

In his notes following the trip Jerry wrote, “After witnessing and writing about wide-spread poverty, ignorance and disease, I have realized that I would rather look for the good things in life rather than the bad.”

That is exactly what he did.

Vegas: Where there was a story behind every performer and every passenger had a tale Jerry’s journey later took him west to Las Vegas, where his storytelling found new chapters both in print and on the streets. At the Las Vegas Sun, (1997-2009) he became an entertainment writer, interviewing legends like Celine Dion, Robin Williams, Frank Sinatra Jr., Samuel L. Jackson and Penn & Teller. He sat down with Broadway stars, lounge singers, magicians, and comics whose names lit up the Strip.

To Jerry, fame never determined value of the story.

Between assignments, Jerry did something that surprised many but made perfect sense to those who knew him: he drove a taxi. Behind the wheel of a Vegas cab, Jerry met the city in a way few journalists ever could. He’d say later that driving that taxi confirmed what he’d always believed: everyone has a story and that was one job he really enjoyed.

His front seat conversations were interviews without notebooks, human interest stories that never made it to print but shaped the way Jerry saw people. He loved his time driving. It reminded him why he became a journalist in the first place.

Coming home

In 2012, Jerry came home to Oklahoma.

Returning, full circle, to a Mayo family newspaper, he sat down in the editor’s chair at the Indian Journal and Democrat, a little culture shocked, coming from the main strip to Main Street.

This time, he brought decades of experience with him.

“My brother, Jack, and I first knew Jerry from when he started his career in the 1970s at the Sequoyah County Times,” Jeff Mayo, publisher, said. “He worked for our dad as editor before going on to the Tulsa World, then Las Vegas Review. Jerry was not someone who ever wanted to retire, so when he came back home, we were lucky he picked us to be his last gig.”

For 13 years, Jerry led the newsroom with sharp wit and dry humor. He typed faster than anyone in the building, could write a clean story in one try, and possessed a perfectly timed, master-level eye roll.

He taught without lecturing, corrected when needed and reminded the team that deadlines matter, but people matter more.

In 2017, Jerry was selected as one of 48 U.S. journalists chosen by the U.S. Department of State for the American Delegation journalistic exchange to Pakistan. He packed up, went through training and returned to the country that he had visited so long ago.

His daily encounters and updates were emailed back to the Indian Journal and his story was published for local readers.

Jerry came back, ready to be home and ready to cover his small corner of the world-and gladly.

Over the years, he earned numerous awards for news writing and photography. In 2025, he received a special award from the Oklahoma Press Association, recognizing him for more than 50 years in journalism.

“McIntosh County was lucky to have Jerry covering their news and we were lucky to call him a friend and colleague,” Mayo said.

Jerry wrote his last story on Jan. 30, 2026.