Editor’s note: Former Daily News editor leaves behind legacy of grateful journalists

Respect in New York’s journalism world is hard-won. John Oswald, one of my editors at the Daily News more than 25 years ago, earned mine after a baptism-by-fire experience I had covering the Elián González international custody battle in 1999. After the 5-year-old González was saved from the ocean following a failed attempt by his mother to reach the U.S., his Cuban relatives and their South Florida counterparts fought over whether he should be returned to his island home. Oswald lived up to his reputation for being short with reporters, but his guidance helped me beat the competition on the biggest story of the year. I was one of many who benefited from John’s tough love approach. Underneath, he was a snarky and funny teddy bear, who, like me, loved the work we did and the News. “Oz” was there from 1997 until 2013, when he left after a new regime took over.

Sadly, his health took a turn in the years that followed. Oz was a giant of a man, both physically and figuratively to those who worked with him. He suffered health issues that cost him his legs below the knee. But Oz, just my friend in his post-Daily News life, courageously stood on prosthetic legs and walked until he suffered complications and died on Oct. 14 at age 58. A viewing for Oz will be held on Oct. 26 in Freeport. Oz – who also worked for NBC, PBS, The Forward and The Jersey Journal – left behind a legacy of reporters and editors in New York City who were privileged to know an editor of his caliber. He borrowed the nickname from the famed L. Frank Baum character. But for me, he truly was the “Great and Powerful Oz.”