Philip Merrill

His passions -- for journalism, international affairs, the bay -- never flagged.

WHETHER IN a newsroom meeting, a diplomatic gathering, a campus seminar or a sail on his beloved Chesapeake Bay, Philip Merrill was no timid presence. Mr. Merrill, now presumed drowned during a weekend sailing trip on the bay, was, above all, a fierce advocate of sound journalism. It was success in this field -- as publisher of the Capital-Gazette Newspapers -- that led to his involvement in countless philanthropic ventures. Publisher, diplomat and constant guardian of the region's environment, Mr. Merrill became, in the account of friends and colleagues, a huge figure who did nothing halfway. Be it an editorial opinion, a political point or a comment from the cockpit of his 41-foot sailboat, the Merrilly, Mr. Merrill would punctuate his words with boom and bluster, challenging others to engage just as vigorously.

Mr. Merrill, 72, whose Annapolis-based holdings included Washingtonian magazine and what he considered the center of his empire, the Capital newspaper, was a devoted internationalist. He served as assistant secretary general to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from 1990 to 1992 and as president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States from 2002 until last year. He also took on diplomatic and intelligence missions for the government over the years, serving six administrations, mostly in the State and Defense departments.

His philanthropy reflected these and other interests, most notably journalism, the bay and the region. In a 2001 interview with the Baltimore Sun, Mr. Merrill explained that he wanted to put his money back into Maryland, where much of it was made. And much of it did return: a pledge of $4 million to the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, $10 million for what became the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, and $7.5 million toward construction of the Philip Merrill Environmental Center as headquarters for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

A plaque at the journalism college bears an apt quote from Mr. Merrill: "In a world that's dominated in large measure by the communications revolution, sound journalistic values and capabilities are more important than ever." Tom Marquardt, executive editor of the Capital, said that Mr. Merrill's ideas about journalism boiled down to a simple philosophy: "Keep it simple, keep it understandable, and if you don't get it right the first day, get it right the next day." In striving to heed this sound advice, we will miss Phil Merrill's large presence.