Tucson Region

Tucson journalist Chris Limberis dies at 47

Chris Limberis, longtime journalist for the Arizona Daily Star and the Tucson Weekly, died Saturday of leukemia at 47. "He kept his confidences and did his reporting as most reporters don't know how to do it today," said developer Joe Cesare, a target of several Limberis stories before the two became friends. "He did take after me a couple of times," Cesare said. "But his beat-ups were always fair. He always gave you a chance to tell your side." Limberis joined the Star in 1985 after completing his master's degree in journalism at the University of Arizona. "From the beginning, Chris was a tenacious reporter. He used to exasperate the hell out of me, holding his stories well past deadline, writing and rewriting them to make them perfect," said former Star City Editor Tom Beal, who hired him. "He was always after the big exposé," Beal said. Before coming to the UA, Limberis received his bachelor's in journalism from the University of Northern Colorado in his native state. In his more than 11 years at the Star, Limberis covered government almost exclusively, primarily Pima County, with stints covering the city of Tucson and politics. During that time he covered such major stories as former Gov. Fife Symington's indictment and ouster, and the federal prosecution and conviction of former Superior Court Judge William Scholl on income-tax- fraud charges. Limberis left the Star in December 1996 to become an aide to Democratic County Supervisor Sharon Bronson. But he was never quite as comfortable working within the bureaucracy as picking it apart. So he left Bronson's office for the Tucson Weekly. County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, who knew Limberis as both a reporter and aide to Bronson, said he wouldn't sidestep difficult issues, but he always dealt with them fairly. "You couldn't hide things from him," Huckelberry said. "If you deserved a story that was unflattering, that's what you got. But he was always honest and fair." Limberis was also active in the Greek Orthodox Church and a member of the Hellenic Cultural Foundation, serving as the chairman for many years. "I used to call him 'my boy.' He was a beautiful human being," said Father Anthony Moschonas. "Every time I had a need to help someone and I asked him, he always responded," Moschonas said. "He was concerned not just for himself, but for everyone." Funeral arrangements are pending.