Richmond biz reporter Bacque dies at 67

Peter Bacque, who covered energy and transportation for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, died Monday at the age of 67.

Bill McKelway of the Times-Dispatch writes, “Gregory J. Gilligan, business editor of The Times-Dispatch, said Mr. Bacqué ’embodied the true spirit of a journalist — always digging for news and being fair to both sides.’

“He recalled that when Mr. Bacqué accepted a business journalism award from the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce in 2012, ‘he teared up in gratitude for their recognition of him because he said his contributions paled in comparison to what the Asian immigrants had endured.’

“Mr. Bacqué was praised by those he covered.

“‘Peter was a very thorough and detailed journalist,’ said Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman and CEO of Dominion Resources. ‘He was a lifelong learner, who understood the complexities of many subjects — particularly the energy industry. Peter was a credit to The Times-Dispatch family and the community where he lived. He will be deeply missed.’

“At Richmond International Airport, Mr. Bacqué was commended for how his personal interest in flight helped inform his reporting on the business of aviation.”

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Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.