Respected Local Journalist Dies at Home in White Plains
Richard Liebson, 61, White Plains resident and long-time reporter for The Journal News/lohud, died in his home on July 28. He succumbed to cancer, which he had struggled with for two years.
Liebson was a well-known reporter covering news in Central Westchester during a good portion of his career.
An obituary published Sunday on lohud.com described Liebson as “one of The Journal News’ best-known writers and characters, a beat reporter of the old school who chatted up sources on his off hours, huddled with people burned out of their homes, distrusted authority figures (and anyone who didn’t answer a question directly), and managed to find the humanity in the most hard-bitten crime stories.”
“Rich was a smart, hardworking reporter and lucid storyteller who was admired by everyone in the newsroom for his trusted and generous counsel and infectious love of journalism,” said Mary Dolan, editor of The Journal News/lohud.
Liebson grew up on military bases in the U.S. and Germany as the son of an Air Force master sergeant. He was born Jan. 14, 1958 in Landstuhl, Germany. He graduated from Valhalla High School in 1976, and served in the U.S. Army from 1976 to 1980, “writing for Stars and Stripes.”
He was hired as a part-time reporter for the Westchester Rockland Newspapers in 1983 and promoted to full-time in 1985. He’s had a number of beats over the years including education, municipal government and public safety.
According to the lohud obituary, he was an always-optimistic fan of the Jets and Mets, a devotee of Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan, and a lifelong student of Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday his family learned to observe each year. He loved history, especially the Civil War, but was equally fascinated by local history and valued his time with local historians. Liebson was an authority on the Battle of White Plains and his definitive history of the battle hung in Westchester classrooms for many years.
Liebson married Victoria Hochman on June 15, 1996. Hochman is a former editor for The Journal News and Newsday and is now manager of public relations for Thompson & Bender, Inc.
In addition to his wife, Liebson is survived by two daughters, Morgan Shelby and Rebecca Liebson of White Plains, two brothers, Bruce Liebson of Greenwich, and David Liebson of Carmel, and two sisters, Liza Liebson and Laura Liebson of Acapulco, Mexico.
Visitation will be Tuesday, July 30, 4 to 6 p.m. at Ballard-Durand Funeral Home, 2 Maple Ave., White Plains. A memorial service will follow at 6 p.m. Liebson requested that no one wear ties.
