Jan 13, 2024 By Karen Mansfield 4 min read

Scott Beveridge, a veteran award-winning reporter and photographer for the Observer-Reporter, died Friday at age 67, following a short illness.

Beveridge, a resident of Webster, passed away surrounded by family and friends at Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital.

Born on Aug. 31, 1956, he was a graduate of Belle Vernon Area High School and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and earned a Master of Arts from Duquesne University.

During his life, he held a variety of jobs, including a paper boy, pizza thrower, farmhand, bartender, and school teacher.

He spent two years at the Daily Herald in Monongahela, until it was bought by the Observer-Reporter in 1986. He worked at the O-R until his retirement in 2021.

During his 38-year career, Beveridge covered an array of topics, ranging from breaking news and education to feature stories and politics. Beveridge’s work also uncovered new details about the Donora smog event of 1948 that left 20 people dead and 6,000 others ill.

In 2004, he traveled to Vietnam as a temporary correspondent for the Observer-Reporter, working under the International Center for Journalists’ World Affairs Journalism fellowship.

He was “a consummate newsman, dedicated to the craft,” said Liz Rogers, executive editor of the Observer-Reporter. “He was highly competitive and always wanted to be first with the story. He didn’t want to get beat.”

Tom Northrop, former publisher and president of the Observer Publishing Company, said Beveridge’s extraordinary career was one built on developing sources and an ability to ask probing questions.

“Scott went about his job and he did it very well. He represented us extremely well in the Mon Valley. A lot of people thought highly of him and shared information with him that would have been difficult for anyone else to get because he had their trust and respect,” said Northrop. “Scott was a steady, dependable reporter who didn’t get flummoxed at all in public, and who got a lead and went after it.”

Rogers noted that Beveridge was proud of being one of the newspaper industry’s first mobile journalists, or “mojos,” in 2009, using his cellphone as a reporting tool.

“His car became his newsroom, his base of operation,” said Rogers. “He’d often write in his car and send photos so we could be first in whatever breaking news was happening at the time, so we could get it on our website. He was dogged about that. You always knew he was out and about gathering news. It was a matter of pride for him.”

Beveridge won several awards for his writing and photography, but that wasn’t why he was a journalist, said Mike Jones, a staff writer for the Observer-Reporter and a longtime friend and colleague of Beveridge’s.

“He jokingly called himself the ‘First Amendment man’ and had a deep knowledge of what rights the public had and the media had covering the news,” said Jones. “He was a strong advocate for transparency and the public’s right to know and had a proficient knowledge of right-to-know laws.”

Washington City Administrator Donn Henderson, who knew Beveridge when he served as Charleroi Borough Manager, remembered him as “a good man.”

“It’s sad news. He was fair and always truthful, and gave both sides of the story,” said Henderson.

In addition to his work, Beveridge loved “travel, foreign films and hoppy IPAs.”

A gifted artist and photographer, he had a long-running blog, “Travel with a Beveridge.”

He visited all 50 states, culminating with a trip to Hawaii in 2016 to celebrate his 60th birthday.

Colleagues also recall Beveridge’s genuine interest in people, and his compassion.

In August 2014, Beveridge rescued a man from a burning car. He was driving behind a vehicle on Route 136 near Monongahela when the car crashed and burst into flames. Jones said Beveridge ran to the car, pulled the semi-conscious driver from it, then called 911. After first responders arrived at the scene, Beveridge snapped a photo of the accident scene and filed a story.

“He did his job as a newsman,” said Jones.

He also served as a mentor to new journalists.

“He was generous in his knowledge, and he shared information with new reporters. You always need a mentor, and he was good at that,” said Rogers. “He knew how to work a beat and how to work with sources, and he was willing to share that.”

When he retired, in July 2021, Beveridge sent a Facebook post to conclude his long career.

“Tomorrow I will say so long to the newspaper business after a 38-year ride in print,” he wrote. “It’s been a wonderful job that has taken me to crazy places and given me the chance to meet incredible people. Thank you for everything.”

Funeral services will be private.