Another great loss to open government advocacy:

Virginia's Frosty Landon "never fully left journalism even after his retirement in 1995. A year later, he co-founded the Virginia Coalition for Open Government and served as its first director. The nonprofit group worked to make citizens aware of government transparency and open records laws, and to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act. For years, Landon drove a Volvo with a license plate that read, 'OPEN GOV.'

"He worked with the late Clifton 'Chip' Woodrum, who represented Roanoke in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1980 to 2003, to push for the General Assembly to create the Freedom of Information Advisory Council in 2000 to oversee the application of the state's open records and meetings laws.

"'What he did for the Virginia Coalition for Open Government was nothing short of heroic,' said Megan Rhyne, the nonprofit's executive director.

"While there are always going to be challenges and those who don't embrace open government, he's allowed us to be consistently present for all this time," Rhyne said. "Whether it's me or others, people see us and hear us. They may not vote our way or agree with us, but they knew we were there and respect us."