NJ-SPJ was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Ron Miskoff, a long-time veteran of New Jersey journalism and a past president of NJ-SPJ.
Ron was the backbone of NJ-SPJ. He organized journalism contests, conferences, and workshops. He showed up for meetings, and provided rides to those who needed them. When the Internet upended the traditional hard-copy model for running NJ-SPJ’s contest, it was Ron who spent countless hours creating the database that was needed to digitize it. Even in recent years, when Ron was no longer part of the NJ-SPJ board, Ron was always available as a sounding board for how to solve problems and build the New Jersey journalism ecosystem.
Ron was also a strong advocate for transparency in government. That commitment prompted Ron, along with NJ-SPJ members Joe Tyrell and Guy Baehr, to build the coalition of journalists and open-government activists that lead to the formation of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government in 2001. That same year, Ron and his fellow organizers at NJ FOG played a critical role in paving the way for the passage of the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
Ron spent many years as a reporter for the Home News Tribune, a daily newspaper serving Middlesex County. Starting in the mid-80s, he started teaching part-time at Rutgers, eventually becoming part of the full-time journalism faculty. He also had a strong entrepreneurial streak. Along with his wife, Lori, he owned a printing company that provided layout services for high school and college student newspapers. Upon his retirement, he created an online start-up, EWRZone, that focused on news related to Newark airport.
Ron was a mensch. We will remember him as a strong journalism advocate, educator, and entrepreneur as well as a mega fan of the 1970s Swedish rock band ABBA.
Obituary
Ronald Douglass Miskoff, 76, of Edison, passed away on May 31, 2023 after a brief illness, at Hackensack Meridian JFK Medical Center in Edison.
His byline may be familiar to readers of The Home News in central New Jersey. One of Ron’s greatest joys was to mentor others; he was a Journalism professor for many years at Rutgers University, his alma mater, where he received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
He was a union representative for the New York Newspaper Guild while at The Home News, and was past president of the NJ Society of Professional Journalists and a member of the Garden State Scholastic Press Association (GSSPA). He was a founder of the NJ Foundation for Open Government (NJ FOG) and past president of the New Jersey Quick Print Association (NJQPA). He was also president of Congregation Beth Mordecai for five years.
Ron’s stories were not confined to the written word; he was a broadcaster at WCTC in New Brunswick and was an accomplished photojournalist. His children, nieces and nephews recall with delight being in his darkroom as he taught them how to develop photos.
He was an innovator and entrepreneur. He owned and managed several print and media companies, including 1-2-3 Quick Print in Perth Amboy, American Image Photography and Media Trends in Edison.
His personal interest ranged from science fiction to tennis to opera. His enthusiasm for the band ABBA connected him to friends around the globe, and he regularly traveled to The Netherlands for ABBA conventions. His love of animals was expressed in many ways, including his strict adherence to veganism and his love for his many pets from childhood to present times.
In recent years, Ron wrote several unpublished works of fiction. He undoubtedly got his love of storytelling from his devoted mother, Mollie, whose tales were the stuff of legend.
Ron leaves behind a heartbroken family; his wife of 44 years, Lori, his son Adam, daughter-in law Amber, grandson Tyler, daughter Sarah, son-in-law David, and countless cousins, nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held on Sunday, June 4, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. at Flynn and Son Funeral Home, 23 Ford Avenue, Fords. The family will receive mourners beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Flynn and Son Funeral Home.
Graveside service will take place at 1:00 p.m. at Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Woodbridge, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the World Wildlife Federation, PETA or any animal sanctuary organization.
I was not able to attend Ron’s funeral and I’m late with my comment here, but I want to second what others on his funeral home guestbook said about Ron’s generosity and vitality, his having lived an exceptionally good life and having a positive impact on those around him and the world at large. He and I made kind of a team working together in NJSPJ (we were both president at different times and served on the board together for many years), as founders of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government (where we helped, with Joe Tyrrell, win approval of a much improved open public records law for New Jersey in 2002) and at Rutgers, where we both taught investigative reporting and, with Barbara Reed, helped defend the free press rights of journalists, both on campus and off. Ron, never cynical or defeatist, was ever ready and able to practice, teach or defend journalism, always with enthusiasm and generosity. I learned a lot from him. We made a good team, along with others in NJSPJ, and I am glad to have been his friend.