A reporter from Bucks County is being remembered for his influential role in the coverage go courts in the area. Gary Miles wrote about the reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Dave Racher, formerly of Southampton, a celebrated longtime Philadelphia court reporter for the Daily News who was known by his colleagues as the consummate professional, passed away on March 19 at the age of 85.

Racher covered the courts in the Philadelphia region for more than four decades – from 1960 to 2001, when he retired. He also wrote thousands of articles about murder, robbery, corruption, and various other cases.

Ahead of his retirement, he told a reporter: “I’ve been around longer than any of the judges on the bench.”

He began his career in 1955 as a copy boy and earned his promotion to the police beat a few years later. During his many years of reporting, he covered six district attorneys, saw the number of courtrooms increase to 63 from 35, and was so omnipresent in courts that everybody knew who he was, from prosecutors and judges to staff and even defendants.

If he was late, court personnel would sometimes delay proceedings and alert him if important information was about to be released.

“Getting their names and accomplishments published by Racher was their primary concern,” said a former colleague.

Read more about Dave Racher in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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