But above all, he was a newspaperman. It was in his blood.

His 70 year career began auspiciously in the small offices of The Daily Missoulian and Sentinel in Missoula, Montana, where his father was the combative executive editor. Johnny paid his dues during summer vacations from high school and later, college.

His first byline at age 17 came on July 4, 1923, the world heavyweight championship fight between Jack Dempsey and Tommy Gibbons in a tiny oil town named Shelby, Montana, John covering the story for The Missoulian-Sentinel, the fight attended, among others, by 100 Blackfoot Indians and the former Mrs. Vanderbilt.

("Oh, were you there too?" Mr. Dempsey commented in his New York restaurant years later when John respectfully introduced himself.)

In 1926, at age 21, he joined the staff as a reporter.

But it was the East that was to lure him away, New York City the Mecca, John landing a job in 1927 at the old New York Evening Post published by Syrus H.M. Curtis, beautifully printed in its old classical style, a fine journal, rising from reporter to film critic to assistant drama editor, and living the romantic life of an aspiring young newspaperman in Gramercy Park. The notoriously meager wage paid by Mr. Curtis prompted his departure from the Post to join the staff of Theatre Arts Magazine (1927-28), where he became assistant editor. In 1929, the year of the crash, he moved to the New York Times as drama critic and member of the drama staff, leaving in 1938 to become drama critic for the literate and prestigious Boston Evening Transcript (1938-41) where he had the good fortune of working with the esteemed Brooks Atkinson.

Returning to the New York Times in 1941 as radio editor, he was appointed assistant editor of the New York Times Book Review, rising to become its editor in 1946 until his profound misery with Lester Markel, Sunday Editor, drove him to the beloved arms of the great New York Herald Tribune (l948) where he became columnist, reviewer and finally daily book reviewer. In 1962, he left to become a member of the board of the Book of the Month Club for the ensuing 25 years, John one of five Judges to make selections for the Club that would propel a book to acclaim and instant best sellerdom.

John K. Hutchens was himself the author of "One Man's Montana: An Informal Portrait of a State" (1964), an affectionate and colorful portrait of frontier Montana, a labor of love. With George Oppenheimer, he edited "The Best in The World", (1973), a selection of news, features, editorials, poetry, bringing the great writers of The World back to literary life. He was also editor of the anthology "The American Twenties, a Literary Panorama" (1952), as well as "The Gambler's Bedside book" (1977), fact and fiction from the world of gambling. ("Care to make a small wager on Clinton's chances in the next election?" he would smile.)

A remarkable array of characters that passed through the life of John Hutchens, so many memorable events and encounters:

The young man working furiously on a review of a Broadway theatre opening, the hour late, deadline drawing near, the Times drama department deserted, suddenly sensing a presence standing behind him, hovering over him, watching.

"What do you want?" he barked. "Why are you standing there?"

And he turned. It was old man Ochs, the publisher!

He gasped!

"You're perfectly right," replied Mr. Ochs. "I'm terribly sorry," and quickly walked away.

The hanging -- it remained with him to the end -- his father compelling him against the wishes of his mother to witness a public hanging in the town square, the poor wretch struggling at the end of the rope for several long minutes before the end came, a recurring nightmare for John throughout his life.

The confrontation of the 10-year old with the Great Grizzly Bear of Glacier National Park, John stealthily stealing away from the dangerous mom and her cubs, never turning to look back. 

And the interview he cherished with special delight -- his fascinating talk with the great and miserable Ty Cobb, the nemesis of the Chicago White Sox whom he loathed and loved (Cobb still holds the highest lifetime batting average of all time at .367). Cobb's own personal All-Star team notable for Shoeless Joe Jackson, Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker, but failing to include himself, Cobb unusually gentle with John Hutchens -- John brought out the best of him.

The imposing presence of William Jennings Bryan was a familiar figure in young John's life. Bryan, a friend of his father's would stop off for dinner with the Hutchens' family in Illinois en route from Nebraska to Washington, D.C. where he was Secretary of State for Woodrow Wilson, Bryan with two struggles against McKinley for the Presidency (1896 and 1900), his fiery "Cross of Gold" speech and oratorical power renowned.

"Shouldn't I be getting 16 of these?" young Johnny inquired demurely upon receiving a silver dollar from Mr. Bryan. He received "a dozen of the best ones" from his father for that impudent remark.